Gary Stevenson Quits YouTube: Wealth Tax Campaigner Reveals Health Battle Behind Exit

Gary Stevenson has told his 1.6 million YouTube followers he is quitting his weekly videos with immediate effect, saying the strain of fronting his wealth tax campaign on screen has left him 'burnt out' and threatening his health.

In a 48-minute YouTube address titled 'It's time to say goodbye', filmed at his kitchen table and posted on Sunday, Stevenson said he would stop making his weekly explainer videos on his Gary's Economics channel, which surged during the Covid pandemic and grew to 1.64 million subscribers.

He told viewers he had 'already gone further than I should have done from a health perspective' and warned that continuing at his current pace 'would destroy me', citing the impact of regular content, a 90-minute documentary and a demanding schedule of talks.

Campaign for Wealth Tax Carries on Despite YouTube Exit

Stevenson's YouTube exit does not mean he is abandoning his central cause: a wealth tax on the ultra-rich.

The east London-born former Citibank trader has used his channel and his memoir The Trading Game to argue that spiralling inequality is affecting living standards, calling for a 2 per cent annual levy on individual wealth over £10 million, which he says could raise £24 billion a year for the Treasury.

In a shorter social media sign-off, he urged supporters to keep pushing for wealth taxes, warning that 'living standards are going to get worse' if the wealthiest 1 per cent continue to accumulate at the expense of everyone else.

His decision comes as wealth tax ideas are receiving more political attention. New Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces growing pressure to raise taxes on the richest households, with one recent study suggesting a levy on the 1,000 UK households with more than £100 million could raise £10 billion a year.

Last week, former footballer Gary Lineker joined around 120 millionaires in an open letter urging Burnham to tax them more, saying 'we can afford it.'

Documentary Draws Strong Criticism of Wealth Tax Pitch

The announcement follows a challenging few weeks for Stevenson. His recent television documentary, How to Get Filthy Rich with Gary Stevenson, was meant to bring his wealth tax argument to a wider audience, but drew sharp reviews from commentators across the political spectrum, who felt he struggled once out of his usual YouTube monologue format.

Writer Lucy Mangan said he was 'outdone and undone by almost all of his interviewees' and left 'floundering, without convincing comebacks', calling the film 'a faintly embarrassing waste of time.'

Tax lawyer Dan Neidle urged Stevenson 'to separate your emotional reaction to inequality from a rational assessment of the best tools for it,' branding his tax plan 'populist claptrap.'

A more sympathetic newspaper review still concluded he was left 'floundering' when forced into genuine debate rather than addressing followers directly.

His broader profile has also faced scrutiny. In The Trading Game, Stevenson described himself as 'Citibank's most profitable trader, in the whole world', a claim the Financial Times reported some former colleagues dispute, though Stevenson has stood by his account.

Stepping Back for Health, With Option To Return

Stevenson had already hinted at stepping back in a recent television appearance, saying he was quitting the 'public conversation' because it was 'tiring.' For now, he is planning a break in Japan and has urged followers to look after their own mental health, stressing 'I cannot be the only educator on this.'

He suggested a possible return in a different format, such as a podcast or less frequent monthly videos, saying he was 'sick of the sound of my own voice.' The channel, he said, is down 'for now but not forever.'