The Highest-Paid Person On YouTube Is An Eight-Year-Old Who Reviews Toys
Remember when YouTube was just that place where you watched Andy Samberg’s “Lazy Sunday” and local news reporters falling out of giant vats of grapes? Well, that was nearly a decade and a half ago, and now YouTube is a place where you can make millions and millions of dollars. Just so long as you also have millions and millions of followers. Forbes recently released their list of the highest earning YouTube stars, and it’s going to make you wish you were born in this decade to parents with zero regard to your privacy or child labor laws. Because the richest person on YouTube is a child that films videos of them opening toys.
Forbes says that eight-year-old named Ryan Kaji (YouTube channel: Ryan’s World) has earned $26 million this year. Ryan, with help from his parents Loann and Shion Kaji, have been active on YouTube since 2015. Ryan’s World releases a video every day, ranging from toy unboxing videos to science experiments to house tours. Which is nice, because who doesn’t want to see the house that empty cardboard boxes bought? Plus, it shows the U.S. Department of Labor exactly where to go if they want to teach Ryan’s mommy and daddy about a little thing called Child Labor Laws.
But for now, Ryan is living like a real-life Richie Rich. Forbes says that Ryan earned $26 million from views on his channel, but also a variety of products, like Ryan’s World-branded toothpaste, toys, clothing items, breakfast cereal, and a television show deal with Nickelodeon. Here’s the trailer for Ryan’s TV show:
As for the rest of the list, there are actually more rich children. The third spot goes to a 5-year-old girl from Russia named Anastasia Radzinskaya who also does toy videos and random stuff with her parents. The rest of the list are adults who release a variety of videos ranging from makeup to gaming.
1. Ryan Kaji (Ryan’s World) – $26 million
2. Dude Perfect – $20 million
3. Anastasia Radzinskaya – $18 million
4. Rhett and Link – $17.5 million
5. Jeffree Star – $17 million
6. Preston Arsement – $14 million
7. Felix Kjellberg (PewDiePie) – $13 million
7. Mark Fischbach (Markiplier) – $13 million
9. Daniel Middleton (DanTDM) – $12 million
10. Evan Fong (VanossGaming) – $11.5 million
Notably absent from this list of YouTube millionaires is Baby Shark! Baby Shark is literally the most famous YouTube personality to me, and I know he’s not technically real, but he’s made a ton of money for Mommy and Daddy Shark. Then again, Baby Shark came out in 2016. Maybe the Shark Family just can’t compete with kids like Ryan who are putting out a video a day. Hopefully they’re not financially destitute. I don’t want to think about Grandpa Shark offering to pop out his teeth and do-do-do-do-do-do something nasty for $20.
Pic: YouTube