rip omegle

An ode to Omegle, the now-defunct (& occasionally naughty) anon video site gays loved

By · Updated on November 21, 2023
Two men sit on a white bed looking at a gray laptop. The man on the right wears a wedding ring, white tank top, and has dark hair and a goatee. Immediately to his right is a shirtless man with spiky brunette hair smiling at the screen.

Bid farewell to one of the internet’s most unhinged video-cam sites –– and the last bastion of LGBTQ+ online cruising.

After 14 years, anonymous video chat site Omegle has shut down.

Founder Leif K-Brooks, who created the website at only 18-years-old, announced the news in a statement on November 9.

According to NBC News, the closure comes after a 2021 lawsuit that alleged the site “[enabled] sex trafficking” after connecting a then-11-year-old girl to a man who “later sexually abused her.”

While Brooks acknowledged “that some people misused” the site, he also highlighted the positive ways it allowed strangers to connect on the internet.

“People have used Omegle to explore foreign cultures; to get advice about their lives from impartial third parties; and to help alleviate feelings of loneliness and isolation,” he wrote.

OK, so more often than not, the website was filled with sausage strokes and blatant homophobia (especially in the section designated for gay users).

But we can’t deny that Omegle was an important tool for connection in the LGBTQ+ community.

Users on the site were able to include interests in their bio (i.e. “Queer,” “LGBTQ” or “Gay”) and were instantly connected to strangers on the platform. They could send chat messages, use their webcams, and disconnect at any time, for any reason.

Of course, most conversations opened up with something like “sup, asl?” –– shorthand for “Age, sex, location?” But in the era that pre-dated Grindr (which launched in 2009), the site allowed users who lived in conservative areas, didn’t know any other gay people, and were navigating their sexualities to explore.

The death of Omegle falls in line with similar online tools, like gay chatrooms on Gay.com, Yahoo Messenger, and Craigslist, where LGBTQ+ people fostered connection during years defined by DOMA, Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, and the fight for marriage equality.

Indeed, many Gay Twitter X users hit social media to lament the end of Omegle and reminisce (mostly fondly) on its place in their coming out journeys.

That being said, Omegle wasn’t without its flaws.

The lack of meaningful security checks and the ease of skirting age filters meant that predators and bad actors could run rampant on the platform.

And as anyone who used the site in the past 14 years knows, for every single good conversation, there were about 20 skips.

The formation of more age-appropriate, safe queer spaces on apps like TikTok are a sign of inevitable –– and necessary –– progress. In fact, a recent study from The Trevor Project revealed that young queer people feel safest on that platform when compared to other social media networks.

Still, we’re pouring one out for the quirky site that never failed to remind us that the internet is a small (and occasionally scary) place.

In honor of its tragic ending, here are some of our favorite viral Omegle moments.

1. “That’s a child!”

This 9-year-old had no time for this user’s gay nonsense.

2. Bros being dudes

After connecting with another bro, this straight dude revealed that his girlfriend might be cheating on him. And he spared no detail, especially when it came to her opinion on his, uh, appendages.

3. A drag queen love story

@precioustheprodigy

what is in that Canadian water?

♬ Aesthetic – Gaspar

TikTok creator and drag queen Precious, who’s based in California, had the sweetest meet-cute with this Canadian mechanic. And the spark was palpable.

4. Flamboyant Jesus plays a tune

When this intoxicated dude connected with a flamboyant instrumentalist who looks like Jesus Christ, he found himself in a dreamland. 10/10, no notes.

5. The dolls are dolling

Looks can be deceiving, but these two femboy creators clocked each other right away.

6. Kermit, no!

OK, maybe it’s a good thing that we’re leaving Omegle in the past.

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