{{Short description|American internet personality (born 1988)}} {{BLP primary sources|date=August 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2016}} {{Infobox social media personality | name = Max Gilardi | image = HotDiggetyDemon.jpg | caption = Gilardi in 2014 | birth_name = Max John Gilardi<ref group="‡">[https://hotdiggedydemon.com/post/44247004797/whats-your-middle-name "Hotdiggedydemon Tumblr"]. Tumblr. [[Tumblr|''Tumblr'']]. Retrieved August 4, 2024.</ref> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1988|1|28}}<ref group="‡">{{cite tweet|author=Max G|user=hotdiggedydemon|number=693076754034987009|title=Thanks for all the birthday drawings ...|date=January 29, 2016|accessdate=May 21, 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205193344/https://twitter.com/hotdiggedydemon/status/693076754034987009 |archivedate=February 5, 2017}}</ref><ref name= "Jerry">{{cite web|title=Gilardi Animates Jerry's Daily Grind |url=http://www.coldhardflash.com/2007/06/gilardi-animates-jerrys-daily-grind.html|publisher=Cold Hard Flash|date=June 27, 2007|access-date=May 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630084459/http://www.coldhardflash.com/2007/06/gilardi-animates-jerrys-daily-grind.html|archive-date=June 30, 2007}}</ref> | birth_place = [[Gloucester, Massachusetts]], U.S. | other_names = {{Flatlist| * Max G. * hotdiggedydemon * Max Gilardi }} | website = {{URL|hotdiggedydemon.com}} | youtube_handle = hotdiggedydemon | youtube_display_name = | youtube_years_active = 2003–present | youtube_genre = Comedy | youtube_subscribers = 2.16 million<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | youtube_views = 478 million<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT UPDATING stats_update BELOW --> | stats_update = {{date|2026-5-25|MDY}} }}
'''Max John Gilardi''' ({{IPAc-en|dʒ|ɪ|ˈ|l|ɑːr|d|i}} {{Respell|jil|AR|dee}}; born January 28, 1988), also known as '''Max G.''' or his [[pseudonym]] '''hotdiggedydemon''', is an American [[internet personality]], [[YouTuber]], cartoonist, animator, and voice actor. He is best known for his ''[[PONY.MOV]]'' web series, a gorey adult-oriented parody of the popular children's animated [[television series]] ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'', other viral videos, and his media analysis series known as ''Brain Dump''.
==Early life and education== Gilardi was born in [[Gloucester, Massachusetts|Gloucester]], [[Massachusetts]] in 1988.<ref name="Jerry" /><ref group="‡" name=":0">{{cite web|title=[ NG Mag ]- Max Gilardi|url=http://www.newgrounds.com/ngmag/devspot/spotlight/13|publisher=[[Newgrounds]]|last=McCloud|first=Skye|date=May 5, 2004|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111065420/https://www.newgrounds.com/ngmag/devspot/spotlight/13|archive-date=January 11, 2012}}</ref> He is of [[Italian diaspora|Italian]] descent and has an older sister. He attended the [[Art Institute of Boston]] briefly before dropping out after one of four years in an animation major.<ref group="‡" name=":1">{{cite web|title=Hotdiggedydemon • Frequently Asked Questions!|url=http://hotdiggedydemon.com/FAQ|website=Hotdiggedydemon.com|access-date=May 24, 2016}}</ref>
==Internet career==
=== Early career === Gilardi, under the name "hotdiggedydemon", first started creating [[Flash animation]]s in the mid-2000s on [[Newgrounds]] as a teenager. Among shorts, he would experiment in launching his own original cartoon. These early efforts included ''Adam Android'', about a superpowered robot boy, and ''Spookyville USA'', about a town of monsters.<ref name=":0" /> In 2007, he began uploading his work to his [[YouTube]] channel.
That year, he created the ''Jerry'' series, a collection of web animations detailing the terrible and mundane life of a man named Jerry, and people related to him.<ref name="Jerry" /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Moe |date=2021-09-22 |title=9 of the Best Animators on YouTube |url=https://collider.com/best-youtube-animation-channels/ |access-date=2025-12-20 |website=Collider |language=en}}</ref>
In 2010, he created the ''Wacky Game Jokez, 4 Kidz!'' series,<ref name=":0" /> starring a fictional criminal named Mickey the Dick who is kidnapped by a corporation specializing in video-game parody content. In addition to creating animations, Gilardi co-hosted the ''Wisenheimers'' podcast with fellow animator Yotam Perel, also known as LazyPillow or LazyMuffin, from 2010 to 2012.<ref group="‡">{{cite web|title=Wisenheimers by Wisenheimers on iTunes| date=April 26, 2012 |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wisenheimers/id471653801?mt=2|publisher=[[iTunes]]|access-date=May 21, 2016}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=March 2026}}
=== ''PONY.MOV'' and parody videos === From 2011 to 2013, Gilardi gained notoriety for releasing his six-part video parody of ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'', ''[[PONY.MOV]]'', an [[adult animation|adult animated]] [[dark comedy]] web series in the art style of [[John Kricfalusi]] and [[Spümcø]]'s ''[[The Ren & Stimpy Show]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://io9.com/5921536/incredibly-messed+up-short-gives-my-little-ponyss-pinkie-pie-a-sex-tape | title = Incredibly messed-up short gives My Little Ponys's Pinkie Pie a sex tape | publisher = [[io9]] | first = Meredith | last = Woerner | work = io9 | date = June 26, 2012 | accessdate = May 21, 2016 | archive-date = March 3, 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140303112210/http://io9.com/5921536/incredibly-messed+up-short-gives-my-little-ponyss-pinkie-pie-a-sex-tape | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=BEST OF 2013: 'Brony' fandom carves out space for young men to enjoy friendship ... and cartoon ponies|url=http://netnebraska.org/article/news/best-2013-brony-fandom-carves-out-space-young-men-enjoy-friendship-and-cartoon-ponies|publisher=Netnebraska.org|last=Stohs-Krause|first=Hilary|date=December 26, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2016|archive-date=June 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604105328/http://netnebraska.org/article/news/best-2013-brony-fandom-carves-out-space-young-men-enjoy-friendship-and-cartoon-ponies|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> The series obtained a spin-off in the form of a [[Tumblr]] webcomic, ''Ask {{Not a typo|Jappleack}}'', and each video highlights a different character from the main cast of the television series.
Gilardi also gained notability for his comedic parodies of video games such as ''[[Five Nights at Freddy's]]'', ''[[Cuphead]]'',<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-11-20 |title=『Cuphead』海外ファンメイドアニメーションが登場―ブラックユーモア満載…… |url=https://www.gamespark.jp/article/2017/11/20/76931.html |access-date=2025-12-20 |website=Game*Spark - 国内・海外ゲーム情報サイト |language=ja}}</ref> and ''[[Animal Crossing]]'', due to their dark nature and subversive themes. The ''Animal Crossing'' parody has [[Isabelle (Animal Crossing)|Isabelle]], an innocent character in the game, worshipping [[Karl Marx]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=A Cuphead fan has made his own cartoon|url=https://htxt.co.za/2017/11/a-cuphead-fan-has-made-his-own-cartoon/|date=November 20, 2017|access-date=June 4, 2021|work=Hypertext}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/01/isabelle-has-some-revolutionary-ideas-for-running-your-animal-crossing-town/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160126082933/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2016/01/isabelle-has-some-revolutionary-ideas-for-running-your-animal-crossing-town/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 26, 2016|title=Isabelle Has Some Revolutionary Ideas For Running Your Animal Crossing Town|date=2016-01-25|access-date=2021-06-04|website=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref>
=== ''Brain Dump'' === The majority of Gilardi's YouTube videos are self-made: written, animated, and voiced by himself.<ref group="‡" name=":1" /> In his more recent projects, he has experimented with [[3D animation]] in conjunction with his 2D work.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|last=Person|first=Chris|title=King of the Hill, In Eye-Popping 3D |url=http://kotaku.com/king-of-the-hill-in-eye-popping-3d-1166349400|work=[[Kotaku]]|date=August 19, 2013|access-date=May 21, 2016}}</ref>
On September 2, 2016, Gilardi launched a new [[YouTube]] series titled ''Brain Dump'' in which he reviews movies and other media, often satirically.<ref group="‡">{{cite tweet|author=Max G|user=hotdiggedydemon|number=771819569488900096|title=Please watch my new clickbate / movie review show, BRAIN DUMP! ...|date=September 2, 2016|accessdate=November 7, 2016|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170206122001/https://twitter.com/hotdiggedydemon/status/771819569488900096|archivedate=February 6, 2017}}</ref> The series has since become the main focus of Gilardi's channel, with an overarching narrative exploring his career and the show's three main characters. ''Brain Dump'' stars Gilardi himself, a ghost named Goofball, and a living television named Burnbot.{{Citation needed|date=April 2023}}{{Update inline|date=April 2023}}
In 2018, Gilardi released the video ''THE APU THAT I KNOW - Brain Dump'', a 45-minute documentary about ''[[The Simpsons]]'' character [[Apu Nahasapeemapetilon]]. It explores the 30-year history of the show and offers a critique of the 2017 documentary ''[[The Problem with Apu]]'' by [[Hari Kondabolu]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hobbs |first=Renee |title=Media Literacy in Action: Questioning the Media |date=January 7, 2021 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |year=2021 |isbn=9798881849283 |pages=294}}</ref>
==Personal life== On May 3, 2024, Gilardi revealed that he had been diagnosed with [[fibromyalgia]] during one of his live streams, which had affected the scope of his animated work.<ref group="‡">{{Citation |title=SAD announcement, then HAPPY stream {{!}} RWM | date=May 3, 2024 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLE6kRGbjFQ |access-date=2025-02-28 |language=en}}</ref> In December 2022, Gilardi came out as [[bisexual]].<ref group="‡">{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv13DRlps8o&t=8325 |title=The ICONIC Minecraft Monday! {{!}} RWM|time=2:18:45 |date=2023-11-20 |last=hotdiggedydemon |access-date=2026-03-19 |quote="wait wait I'm confused are you gay or bisexual" – "I'm bisexual I guess" |via=YouTube}}</ref>
== Filmography == {{More citations needed section|date=March 2026}}
=== Web === {| class="wikitable" |+ !Year !Title !Role !Notes !{{refh}} |- |2003–2005 |''Adam Android'' | |Creator | |- |2006–2008 |''Spookyville USA'' |Sal J. Beauregarde, Jake O'Brien |Creator | |- |2007–2009 |''Jerry'' |Jason, Junior |Creator | |- | rowspan="3" |2010 |''Wacky Game Jokez, 4 Kidz!'' |Mickey the Dick, June, Eric, The Boss |Creator | |- |''[[Eddsworld]]'' |The Delivery Guy |Episode: Hammer & Fail (Part 1) | |- |''NiN10Doh!: To the 64th Power!'' |Ness' Dad |Voice role | |- |2010–2012 |''Wisenheimers'' |Self |Podcast, co-host, 48 episodes | |- |2011 |''The Northern Incident'' | |Animator | |- |2011–2013 |''[[PONY.MOV]]'' |[[Spike (My Little Pony)|Spike]], [[Applejack (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)|Applejack]], [[Rainbow Dash]], [[Fluttershy]], [[Pinkie Pie]], various |Creator | |- | rowspan="2" |2014 |''LUIGI'S DAY OUT'' |[[Mario]], [[Luigi (character)|Luigi]], [[Waluigi]] |Animator | |- |''Skeff's Saturday'' |The Dog |Voice role | |- |2015 |''Fazbear & Friends'' |[[Freddy Fazbear]], [[Foxy the pirate|Foxy the Pirate]] |Animator | |- |2016 |''Isabelle Ruins Everything'' |Mayor, various |Animator | |- |2016–2022 |''Brain Dump'' |Max G. (himself; voice), Goofball, various |Creator | |- |2017 |''A Cuphead Cartoon'' |[[Cuphead]], [[Mugman]] |Animator | |}
=== Video games === {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes !{{refh}} |- | TBA | ''Rolus in the Outskirts'' | Cylo | Voice | |} ==References== {{reflist}}{{Primary reflist}}
==External links== * [http://hotdiggedydemon.com/ Official website] * {{IMDb name|5709592}}
{{Newgrounds}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilardi, Max}} [[Category:1988 births]] [[Category:American storyboard artists]] [[Category:20th-century American people]] [[Category:20th-century people from Massachusetts]] [[Category:21st-century American comedians]] [[Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people]] [[Category:American male comedians]] [[Category:American male voice actors]] [[Category:American people of Italian descent]] [[Category:Animators from Massachusetts]] [[Category:YouTubers from Massachusetts]] [[Category:American comedy YouTubers]] [[Category:Flash artists]] [[Category:YouTube animators]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Surreal comedians]] [[Category:YouTube channels launched in 2007]] [[Category:Newgrounds people]] [[Category:Comedians from Massachusetts]] [[Category:LGBTQ animators]] [[Category:LGBTQ people from Massachusetts]] [[Category:LGBTQ YouTubers]]