ARGUS readers have joined a city-wide debate after a YouTuber compared Brighton to Los Angeles.

Content creator Jacksepticeye, real name Sean McLoughlin, said he “fell in love” with Brighton on a visit to the city and eventually moved here, describing Brighton “like a mini LA” on a recent episode of the Trash Taste podcast.

The YouTuber, who has 28.6 million subscribers, said: “When I went there, I realised it’s like a mini LA. It’s got the same sort of structure but smaller.”

One reader, Silvia Viramontes - who said she is originally from LA and lived in Brighton for almost a decade, said she can see the comparison.

She said: “It’s similar in some ways to the more esoteric areas like Venice or Melrose and there is a similar appreciation for the outdoors.”

Philip Danvers said that, while there aren’t similarities with LA, “there are definitely many parallels with Santa Monica, without a doubt”.

Brighton and Hove recently partnered with the Californian city as part of a cultural exchange.

The Argus: Spot the difference? YouTube star Jacksepticeye compared Brighton to a 'mini LA'Spot the difference? YouTube star Jacksepticeye compared Brighton to a 'mini LA'

However, not all readers were as convinced.

“I don’t think LA has raw sewage being pumped into the sea,” Cinamon Johnson said, referring to recent sewage releases across the Sussex coast.

“There are no similarities between Brighton and LA except they are both on the coast,” reader Heather Pullen said.

“To be fair, they’ve both been referred to as ‘Skid Row’,” another reader commented.

A tale of two cities - Brighton and Los Angeles compared

Los Angeles, the largest city in California, is home to around 3.9 million people and is well known for its Hollywood film industry.

Among its many landmarks and attractions include the Hollywood sign, Venice Beach, and its many palm tree-lined boulevards. The city will also welcome the world for the 2028 Summer Olympics, having previously hosted in 1932 and 1984.

Meanwhile, Brighton, once described as the “happiest place to live in the UK”, is home to almost 300,000 people and is known unofficially as the gay capital of Britain due to its large LGBTQ+ community.

Its landmarks include the Brighton Palace Pier, the i360, the Royal Pavilion - once the seaside retreat of King George IV, and the remnants of the West Pier - which was gutted by arson in 2003.

Brighton recently hosted games for the Women’s European Championships but failed in its bid to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest.