Have you heard? QCP’s centerfold, TikTok Shop’s reversal, and a YouTube brainrot blocker

Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry.

This week, a pasta-loving dreamboat hits a magazine cover, seller complaints prompt a TikTok Shop policy shift, and a developer is doing something about all that brainrot.

Creator commotion

QCP is hotter than a pot of boiling pasta water on the Playgirl cover. TikTok star Gianluca “QCP” Conte is known for his love of pasta, his fondness for the word “betch,” and his chiseled look. That third asset came in handy when Playgirl came calling, and QCP is now steamier than a bagna cauda. I’ve heard of creators getting on magazine covers before, but never quite like this.

Joshua Weissman is hiring a new editor. In the part of the creator food world that isn’t so…revealing, Joshua Weissman has put out a call for a new lead editor who will cut footage across his two YouTube channels. Weissman is known for his simple yet refined takes on classic dishes (and his strong opinions regarding popular fast food items).

Ms. Rachel draws up a Crayola sponsorship. The instantly recognizable early childhood educator is parlaying her YouTube success into an assortment of offline partnerships. Her “Color Wonder” line will equip Crayola customers with mess-free coloring implements, thus encouraging her “little ones” to pursue some screen-free activities.

Jake Paul is gaining favor in Silicon Valley. So claims a profile of the unpredictable creator in Fortune. The piece examines Paul’s Anti Fund as its outsized influence in the investing world. Personally, I’d love to see some of those VC suits step into the influencer boxing ring.

Platform headlines

TikTok Shop isn’t ending independent shipping after all. The ecommerce arm of TikTok planned to require its sellers to use its own fulfillment options to complete orders. That didn’t sit right with many Shop partners, who protested so loudly that TikTok has reversed course. The planned changes to fulfillment policies will not go into effect right now, the company said in a statement.

X’s vertical video player gets a “badly-needed” refresh. That’s how X Head of Product Nikita Bier described the push for a streamlined player that makes in-feed videos more cinematic. Every platform is still out there chasing short-form viewership, and X isn’t ready to give up on that effort just yet.

Twitch gives the keys to creator accounts to Business Managers. A shift to the platform’s approach will allow users other than account owners to access that account’s dashboard. The move is a nod to the streamers who have built their channels into full-fledged business — and who now employ business associates who need to take a look under the hood from time to time.

YouTube’s bell icon may soon become vestigial. Remember when YouTube started selectively pushing notifications to channel subscribers who didn’t click the corresponding bell icon? Well, at this point, even if you click the bell, you might not get all the updates from your subscriptions. An ongoing experiment requires subscribers to engage with channels to receive all notifications — even if they click the bell.

Pop culture minute

MrBeast is doing Naruto merch now. Jimmy Donaldson is a self-proclaimed anime fan, and he proved it by partnering with VIZ Media to produce a line of Naruto-themed merchandise. Will kids wear these items while Naruto-running around the halls of their middle schools? Believe it!

Kevin Kennedy has you covered with a new book. On his TikTok account, the Tennessee attorney shares legal advice with millions of followers. Of course, you can’t always count on access to TikTok when you’re in a pinch, so you’ll just have to carry Kennedy’s new book with you at all times. If you do, well, as they say, Kev’s Got You Covered.

The ad world

PepsiCo goes live with the biggest influencer program it has ever done. Notables like Madison Beer, iShowSpeed, and Dude Perfect are thinking up new tastes for PepsiCo products as part of the Flavor Swap program. Its part of PepsiCo’s plan to get face time with creators no matter the cost (and no matter the weird chip flavors involved).

Is it time for podcasting to ask the “$2.43 billion question?” That number refers to the annual size of the podcast advertising industry, but can a business of that size keep growing without alienating consumers? On many podcasts, ad loads have become undeniably excessive. Will listeners reach a breaking point?

The internet is a strange place

Sentinel is a YouTube extension that blocks brainrot. A developer recently shared the code for Sentinel, which lets parents filter brainrot out of their kids’ YouTube profiles. The Sentinel devs had better be careful — I think the TV-head people from the Skibidi Toilet videos are going to try and hunt them down.

JeffTube is YouTube, but for the Epstein Files. Are you struggling to keep up with the massive info dump that is the Epstein Files? Citizens who are interested in the investigation can watch videos from the files on JeffTube, which is, uh, a little less family-friendly than the video platform that inspired its name and layout.

Find your VTuber teacher at Wish High. A study program in Japan has made cramming a bit more accessible for students by turning all their teachers into VTubers. Now I’ll definitely pass my “how to be a shark” exam.