Ace comedian, angel investor, and YouTube star Tanmay Bhat has announced a major expansion to his content empire, revealing a new talent hunt series titled “Kaun Banega OG.”
Bhat dropped the news during his year-end special, “Best Memes of 2025,” confirming that the new show would premiere in January 2026. The series aims to discover fresh comedic talent to join his rotating panel of reactors, popularly known as the “OG Gang.”
The move signals a shift from a closed group of friends to an open-audition format — effectively democratizing access to one of the most coveted spots in the Indian creator economy.
What Is ‘Kaun Banega OG’?
“Next year we are gonna do many special things,” Bhat said in the video. “For starters, we are gonna have a new show called Kaun Banega OG where I will watch memes with new comedians… and you guys will tell us who should make it to the OG gang.”
The new show features Tanmay Bhat watching memes with aspiring and upcoming comedians — a format that has become his signature style over the last five years. However, unlike his standard videos, the audience will hold the power.
Viewers will vote or comment to decide which guest brings the best chemistry and humour, eventually earning a permanent spot in the crew.
The OG Gang: Five Years of Indian Pop Culture Staple
This announcement comes as the OG Gang celebrates its fifth anniversary. Originally formed out of necessity during the pandemic lockdowns, the group has become a staple of Indian pop culture.
Core members include:
- Rohan Joshi
- Nishant Tanwar
- Breakout stars like Piyush Sharma (who gained significant fame through his appearances on Tanmay’s channel)
The OG Gang’s chemistry — unscripted, chaotic, and genuinely funny — has made their meme reaction videos a beloved fixture for millions of Indian YouTube viewers.
A Career-Defining Launchpad
For aspiring creators, a spot on Tanmay Bhat’s channel is a career-defining accelerator. The channel boasts millions of subscribers and averages massive viewership per video.
Previous recurring guests have seen their personal brand equity and social media followings skyrocket solely through their association with these reaction videos.
Piyush Sharma is perhaps the most prominent example. Before appearing on Tanmay’s channel, he was a relatively unknown creator. After becoming a regular member of the OG Gang, his follower count exploded, and he became a recognized name in Indian digital entertainment.
This is the opportunity that “Kaun Banega OG” is offering to the next generation of comedians.
From Creator to Platform Provider
Tanmay Bhat’s pivot to a talent-hunt format underscores a broader trend in the creator economy: top-tier creators are becoming platforms themselves.
By launching “Kaun Banega OG,” Bhat is not just creating content. He is building a pipeline for talent acquisition — ensuring his channel remains fresh while providing a stage for the next generation of comics.
This strategy has multiple benefits:
- Fresh faces keep the content from becoming stale
- Talent development creates loyalty (new creators owe their careers to Bhat)
- Reduced risk of relying on the same few personalities indefinitely
- Community engagement through voting and audience participation
Crowd-Sourcing the Selection Process
The OG Gang model relies heavily on unscripted banter and chemistry. Not every comedian, no matter how talented, will click with Tanmay Bhat’s specific style of humour.
By crowd-sourcing the selection process — having the audience vote or comment on which guest deserves a permanent spot — Bhat is leveraging his massive community (affectionately called the “Bot Army” ) to vet talent.
This reduces the risk of bringing on a personality that doesn’t resonate with his core demographic. The audience has already signaled their approval before the guest becomes a permanent member.
The Format: Watching Memes with Aspiring Comedians
The core format of “Kaun Banega OG” will be familiar to Tanmay Bhat fans: watching and reacting to memes. But the participants will be different.
Instead of the familiar faces of the OG Gang, viewers will see aspiring and upcoming comedians sitting next to Tanmay.
Their chemistry with Tanmay, their sense of humour, their timing, and their ability to contribute to the banter will all be on display. And the audience will judge.
When and Where
The series was set to begin in January 2026 (per the December 2025 announcement). Some episodes had already been recorded at the time of the announcement.
Given that this article is from December 30, 2025, and the current date is May 11, 2026, the show has presumably already aired its first season (or is currently airing). The announcement, however, marked a significant moment in Indian digital entertainment.
The Broader Trend: Creators as Incubators
Tanmay Bhat is not the first creator to launch a talent hunt. In the US, creators like MrBeast have launched shows and competitions to find new talent. In India, this trend is still emerging.
“Kaun Banega OG” represents an important evolution: successful creators using their platform to elevate others — not just through collaboration, but through structured, audience-driven talent identification.
This model benefits everyone:
- Tanmay Bhat gets fresh content and talent
- Aspiring creators get a shot at fame
- Viewers get new faces and audience participation
- The creator ecosystem gets new talent discovered and developed
The OG Gang’s Legacy
The OG Gang started as a group of friends stuck at home during the pandemic, watching memes together to pass the time. No one could have predicted that this casual format would become a cultural phenomenon.
Five years later, the OG Gang is a brand. Its members are household names among Indian YouTube viewers. Their catchphrases, inside jokes, and reactions have been memed, shared, and quoted countless times.
“Kaun Banega OG” is designed to ensure that this legacy continues — by finding the next generation of personalities who can bring fresh energy to the same beloved format.
