The last video to hold the record for most dislikes on YouTube was YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind, YouTube's own year-end video. Nobody can name a current record holder, because YouTube made dislike counts private across the site in November 2021.
If you've searched for this and found lists that stop in 2021, that's why. Here's what changed, what the record looked like while counts were still public, and who can still see the numbers today.
Why YouTube stopped showing dislike counts
YouTube announced the change on its official blog on 10 November 2021, under the headline An update to dislikes on YouTube. The key points from that post:
- The dislike count became private across YouTube, but the dislike button stayed.
- YouTube said it had tested hiding the count earlier that year and saw a reduction in what it called dislike attacking behaviour, where groups pile onto a video's dislike button to drive the number up.
- It said smaller creators and people just starting out had told YouTube they were unfairly targeted this way.
- The change rolled out gradually from the day of the announcement.
YouTube also admitted some viewers used the public count to decide whether a video was worth watching, and said it knew people might not agree with the decision.
The last public record: what topped the list
While dislikes were public, the record was tracked closely. Wikipedia's list, built from counts on the videos' own pages up to December 2021, gives this history:
| Video | What happened |
|---|---|
| Friday by Rebecca Black | Took the record from Baby in March 2011 with more than 1.2 million dislikes at the time |
| Baby by Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris | Held the record for years and entered Guinness World Records as the most disliked video |
| YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind | Passed Baby within a week of its December 2018 upload, then reached about 20 million dislikes |
The final record holder was made by YouTube itself, which is the irony people remember. And here's the part most lists miss: when I opened its YouTube link on 27 October 2026, the page no longer showed the video. Wikipedia records that it was deleted. So the most disliked video ever isn't even on the platform any more.
Baby is still up. Its page shows 3.78 billion views and 28.9 million likes today, a reminder that a disliked video and an unpopular video aren't the same thing.
Who can still see dislikes
| Who | Can they see dislike counts? |
|---|---|
| Viewers | No. The button works, but the number is hidden |
| The creator who uploaded the video | Yes, the exact count, in YouTube Studio alongside other metrics |
| Other creators and brands | No, unless the creator shares the figure |
YouTube's blog says viewers can still dislike videos to tune their recommendations and to share feedback privately with the creator. So pressing dislike isn't pointless: it shapes what YouTube shows you next, even though nobody else sees the tally.
How to check dislikes on your own videos
- Sign in to YouTube Studio on a computer.
- Select Content from the left menu and open the video you want.
- Open the video's analytics and look for the likes and dislikes figures alongside your other metrics.
If you're new to Studio, my walkthrough of what YouTube Studio is shows where each section lives. For viewers who want an estimate on other people's videos, I've covered the options, and their limits, in how to see dislikes on YouTube.
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Should creators worry about dislikes?
Less than they used to. With the public number gone, a wave of dislikes can't embarrass you on the page or put off new viewers the way it once did. What it can still tell you, privately, is whether a video missed the mark with the people who watched it. I'd read the dislike count next to watch time and comments rather than on its own: a video with lots of dislikes and long watch time is usually controversial, not bad.
My verdict
There's no live answer to which video is the most disliked on YouTube, and any site that claims one is guessing. The last verified record belongs to YouTube Rewind 2018, with about 20 million dislikes before the counts went private, and that video is no longer on YouTube. If you're a creator, your own dislike counts are still there in Studio, and that's the only place the real number lives now.
I keep every related walkthrough in the YouTube Help: 30 Guides to Channels, Subscribers, Monetisation, Thumbnails and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most disliked video on YouTube?
The last public record holder was YouTube Rewind 2018: Everyone Controls Rewind, with about 20 million dislikes. Dislike counts went private in November 2021, so there's no current public ranking.
When did YouTube hide dislikes?
YouTube announced on its blog on 10 November 2021 that dislike counts would become private across YouTube, rolling out gradually from that day.
Can creators still see dislikes on YouTube?
Yes. YouTube says creators can find their exact dislike counts in YouTube Studio, along with their other metrics.
Is YouTube Rewind 2018 still on YouTube?
When I opened its YouTube link on 27 October 2026, the page didn't show the video, and Wikipedia records that it was deleted.
