• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, December 1, 2020

YouTube took a look back on the unique year to celebrate the most popular videos, creators and ads that have caught the attention of viewers across the country.

The videos helped to generate more advertising on the site. More than 470 million views and 1.3 million likes -- with 714,000 of those likes going to Clash of Clans' short film, "Lost and Crowned." 

Nike took the top spot for the second time with their “You Can’t Stop Us” ad featuring Lebron James. Super Bowl ads dominated the list again with five out of 10 ads appearing during the game. 

Apple’s ‘The Whole Working-From Home Thing’ is the only top ad that referenced the events and dramatic lifestyle changes many faced this year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

With all the sorrow and chaos experienced throughout 2020, comedy was important in helping humanity to connect. This year, heartstrings were the winners. Eight of this year’s top 10 ads were comedic in nature, but the top two ads on the list inspired. They were emotional.

The list of videos released Tuesday from Google’s YouTube reflects how the world has changed and how creators quickly adapted to this change.

From living-room workouts to at-home haircuts, virtual graduation ceremonies to serious conversations this year, people came to Google’s YouTube in search of content that met specific personal needs.

Here are the top-ten trending videos and top ads of 2020. The entire list can be found here.

TOP TRENDING VIDEOS

1. 8:46 - Dave Chappelle - Netflix is a Joke

2. Building the Perfect Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder - Mark Rober

3. First Debate Cold Open - Saturday Night Live

4. We Broke Up - Jeffrree Star

5. I Bought The World's Largest Firework ($600,000) - MrBeast

6. I'm Coming Out - NikkieTutorials 

7. Minecraft Speedrunner VS 3 Hunters GRAND FINALE - Dream

8. Ricky Gervais' Monologue - 2020 Golden Globes - NBC

9. Quarantine Stereotypes - Dude Perfect

10. Some Good News with John Krasinski Ep. 1 - SomeGoodNews

ADS

1. Nike - Never Too Far Down | You Can't Stop Us (117.7MM In-month views)

2. Google - Loretta  | Google Super Bowl Commercial 2020 (62.4MM In-month views)

3. HyundaiUSA - Smaht Pahk | 2020 Hyundai Sonata (44.3MM In-month views)

4. Clash of Clans - LOST & CROWNED | A Clash Short Film (43.2MM In-month views)

5. TurboTax - TurboTax 2020 Super Bowl Commercial "All People Are Tax People Remix" (33.9MM In-month views)

6. Apple - The whole working-from-home thing (28.9MM In-month views)

7. NFL – NEXT 100  || NFL Super Bowl LIV Commercial (24.3MM In-month views)

8. GEICO Insurance - Aunt Infestation (20.4MM In-month views)

9. GMC - First Ever GMC HUMMER EV | “Horsepower” (9.7MM In-month views)

10. Michelob ULTRA - Jimmy Works It Out | Michelob ULTRA | Super Bowl LIV (8.8MM In-month views)