IShowSpeed broke the internet by accidentally flashing its viewers during a live stream, but it’s not the teen influencer’s first time in the spotlight.
The YouTube star, from Cincinnati, Ohio, has an admiring fanbase of 20 million on his gaming channel, mingles with the likes of Drake and Cristiano Ronaldo, and even has a thriving music career.
The influencer is best known for his live streams where he mainly plays video games, including Roblox, Fortnite and FIFA – and his efforts have earned him more than a million dollars.
But his rise to fame hasn’t been without controversy, particularly popular on the internet for things like yelling at fans, telling them he’s going to “die,” and yelling at young kids.
Here, FEMAIL takes you into the rather intriguing life of YouTuber IShowSpeed…
Teen YouTuber IShowSpeed, from Ohio, broke the internet after accidentally exposing his penis to nearly 25,000 YouTube viewers
The rapper and gamer has mingled with the likes of Drake and Cristiano Ronaldo and found fame gaming with an adoring fanbase of 20 million. (Pictured: The streamer in a hospital due to cluster headaches)
Who is IShowSpeed and what does it do?
Born Darren Watkins Jr. in 2005, things haven’t always been so glamorous or crazy for the teen star.
According to LadBible, IShowSpeed took it easy during his time in a nursing home. There, he delivered food to elderly patients before dreams of conquering the Internet emerged.
And while he dabbled in YouTube gaming as far back as 2016, uploading videos of games like NBA 2K and Fortnite, a wave of boredom during the Covid-19 lockdown boosted his career.
Initially, he averaged a few viewers per stream, but his following quickly increased after expressions of hostile and often humorous behavior on camera.
He started posting snippets of the madness on his TikTok account, which included yelling at fans and throwing objects and smashing them. He recently shocked fans when he yelled at a 6-year-old gamer during a Fortnite attack, reports sportkeeda.
The unique videos caught fire and he was instantly the subject of social media memes, taking his subscriber count from 100,000 in April 2021 to a whopping 10 million in July 2022.
Why is IShowSpeed famous?
IShowSpeed’s career has skyrocketed and since then he has amassed 19.5 million YouTube subscribers and won streaming awards.
His colossal following has given way to yet another love of his: rapping. In August 2021, Darren released his first official music single titled ‘Dooty Booty’ and just a few months later in November, he followed up with his second hit ‘Shake’.
IShowSpeed during one of his many attempts to meet his favorite soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. (Pictured on the pitch before a Premier League match at Craven Cottage, London)
YouTube sensation Speed has finally met his idol Cristiano Ronaldo after months of trying. The pair hugged and took a selfie together after the Euro 2024 qualifier between Portugal and Bosnia and Herzegovina in June
The song samples both “Ready or Not” by Fugees and “Hit The Road Jack” by Ray Charles, which has more than 160 million views on YouTube.
He’s become somewhat of a music sensation, with millions of streams on Spotify and performing at Hip Hop music festival Rolling Loud in July.
Next for the streamer was the unique opportunity to release a song for the 2022 FIFA World Cup under Warner Records. The song, titled “World Cup,” may have been a gateway to meeting his favorite footballer of all time, Cristiano Ronaldo.
His admiration for the former Real Madrid and Juventus star was even channeled into the song ‘Ronaldo (Sewey)’.
And in December 2022, after several failed attempts to meet Ronaldo, including two visits to Old Trafford from the US and a visit to Qatar for the World Cup, he received the stunning news that Ronaldo did indeed know the youngster.
The two finally met in June in Lisbon, Portugal, after the Euro 2024 qualifier between Portugal and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Why is IShowSpeed controversial?
The streamer’s success has been marred by numerous controversies that arose from the moment he catapulted to fame.
The YouTuber made headlines in December 2021 after allegedly sexually harassing a female contestant during a Twitch e-dating live stream hosted by streamer Adin Ross.
Not long after, viral videos emerged of him telling an Instagram model that she couldn’t stop him from reproducing with her if they were the last humans on Earth, reported Insider.
Earlier this year, the polarizing figure again angered fans when he told Drake that his “voice is so sexy” (Photo: The gamer on a video call with Drake)
IShowSpeed has since been banned from the platform for “sexual coercion or harassment.”
SkySports followed suit months later and reportedly decided not to team up with the star after previous misogynistic and derogatory comments about women on his streams online.
The broadcaster also made the decision to remove all of the YouTuber’s content from their social media channels and websites.
Earlier this year, the polarizing figure once again caused a stir among fans when he joined rapper Drake for a video call.
But the rapper seemed to disapprove after IShowSpeed mused that his “voice is so sexy,” prompting him to quickly end the call in front of 50,000 viewers
In yet another curious moment, the gamer shared disturbing videos of himself in the hospital with cluster headaches, telling his fans that he could “die.”
In the videos posted to his YouTube channel, the internet personality was visibly in pain with one swollen eye and one eye closed.
He posted a video in the back of an ambulance being rushed to hospital, then another in the hospital.
In one of the videos, he said, “Love you guys, just pray I don’t die bro. Every second I just think I’m going to die because it hurts so much.”
Perhaps the strangest moment came after he broke the internet, following an incident where he accidentally flashed his penis at viewers during a livestream game.
He took the live stream to another level by making a sexual innuendo to a character and performing a thrusting move.
While making the switch, he accidentally exposed himself to 25,000 viewers through his shorts, before shouting “Oh my God” and hurriedly ending the stream.
Since then, fans have crowned the influencer with the new moniker “IShowMeat,” and many took to Twitter, now known as X, to comment on the misfortune.