Yannis Stanopoulos, widely recognized by his moniker “Bad Empanada,”has carved out a niche for himself as a politically-oriented influencer. His content primarily revolves around left-leaning political discussions and interactive sessions, which are popular among his followers. Originally from Australia, he currently resides in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he engages a growing audience.
Most of Bad Empanada’s content can be found on YouTube, where he has attracted over 191,000 subscribers. Recently, he has shifted his focus to his secondary YouTube channel, BadEmpanada Live, indicating a strategic expansion of his digital presence.
Feud with Ethan Klein
The online rivalry between Bad Empanada and Ethan Klein, the host of the H3 Podcast, began in earnest in September 2024. This conflict was sparked by a provocative video titled Ethan Klein Denounces IDFophobia Against Wife Hila, posted by Bad Empanada on his secondary channel. Since then, both creators have exchanged a flurry of criticisms and rebuttals, escalating their ongoing dispute.
In a heated exchange in February 2025, Bad Empanada accused Klein of fixation towards Twitch political commentator Hasan “HasanAbi.”His commentary was particularly intense during a reaction to a Klein freestyle rap directed at HasanAbi:
“Dude! You need a f**king hobby! You need a life beyond thinking about Hasan Piker. What the f**k is wrong with you? You have children! What the f**k?! How is he still talking about Hasan? Like, he just cannot stop making podcast episodes in which he talks about Hasan. Like, this one is clearly from one day ago because he’s got the same shirt on in the thumbnail. He just can’t stop talking about f**king Hasan, dude! How are you still doing this? It’s been almost two weeks since you even uploaded the video. This is crazy, man!”
View video here (Timestamp – 00:36)
Accusations of Harassment
On April 21, 2025, Ethan Klein vented his frustrations in a lengthy video on his h3h3Productions YouTube channel, which he released in reaction to Ian “iDubbbz’s”Content Cop video. At the seven-minute mark, Klein alleged that Bad Empanada engaged in harassment campaigns, citing a video showcasing Bad Empanada while he was playing a video game.
“If you’re wondering who the guy is she (Twitch streamer Denims) is watching, his name is Bad Empanada, and as far as harassment campaigns go, you’d think that Ian, someone who cares so deeply about it, would be talking about him and not me. Here’s a small taste.”
Watch the full video (Timestamp – 06:42)
During this segment, Klein transitioned to a clip of Yannis playing a game, where he made controversial remarks regarding Klein and his family:
“I’d like to pay a tribute to Ethan Klein and the new Twitch ToS that declares Zionism, Zion as the slur. I’d like to pay tribute to him by playing a video game where you kill Zionist soldiers as a Palestinian resistance fighter.”
A text overlay during the video added context, stating:
“*Hila (Ethan Klein’s wife) was a secretary during her mandatory IDF service.”
Claims of Threats and Controversial Statements
In the same April 21 video, Ethan Klein claimed that he received “human skulls”in the mail, which led to an FBI interview regarding a reported incident. His dramatic revelation went as follows:
“There’s something that I’ve never talked about publicly, but around the same time, we received two human skulls in the mail at our home, which led to us having a very pleasant interview with the FBI. Things have progressed well past the point of, ‘That’s just what the internet does.'”
Bad Empanada was quick to respond, asserting that Klein was exaggerating and attempting to play the victim:
“Imagine getting destroyed so bad for genocide apologia that you’re reduced to trying to play the victim by buying novelty human skulls, claiming that someone else sent them to you as a threat, and posting pictures of them with the tags from the store you bought them from still plainly visible. Zionists will do literally anything to avoid reckoning with the reality of their ideology.”
Besides his YouTube endeavors, Bad Empanada has also established a presence on Twitch, though he has not streamed since 2023. Since its inception in July 2020, his Twitch channel has garnered 7,903 followers, reflecting his diverse audience base.