IShowSpeed is a controversial and entertaining YouTube personality. His real name is Darren Watkins Jr but he also goes by Speed or Speedy. The YouTuber has had a rapid rise on social media over the last three years. He’s become famous for his angry outbursts and crazy antics on live streams. As of 2023, IShowSpeed has an estimated net worth of $1 million.
Early Life
Darren was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 21, 2005 and has stayed in his hometown for the majority of his life. He also has two other siblings, a little brother and a little sister.
Growing up as a teenager, he was fascinated by YouTube and loved playing computer games. Prior to becoming a content creator, Darren worked in a nursing home, delivering food to the elderly.
IShowSpeed has decided to skip college and focus on his YouTube career instead. In the past, he considered quitting school but his family wanted him to finish high school.
Online Career
Darren was motivated to start a YouTube channel by a friend but it took him a few years to break through. In late 2017, he began uploading Fortnite and NBA 2K but only averaged two viewers per video. Speed began streaming in 2019 and hit 100,000 subs by April 2021.
Not long after, he quit his nursing home job and focused on uploading content. In 2021, viewers shared clips of his wild behavior on TikTok and it attracted a lot of attention. By June 2021, he surpassed one million YouTube subscribers and at one point, was among the fastest growing channels on YouTube.
He also played Talking Tom & Friends, and Five Nights at Freddy’s and kept fans engaged with raps. This has helped him gain over 19.4 million subscribers in less than three years.
Controversies
Unfortunately, unpleasant events followed Watkins’ fame. In December 2021, he was invited to Adin Ross’ live dating stream on Twitch. There, he made moves on social media influencer Ash Kaash.
The model rejected Speed but he got angry and made some unsavory comments to Ash. As a result of his actions, he got banned from Twitch. Sky Sports in the UK have also stopped featuring him on their platform because of actions online.
His most notorious song, titled Shake, was released in November 2021, is also a subject of controversy. In July 2023, Speed was hospitalized in Tokyo with a swollen eye and was later diagnosed with cluster headaches. A rare condition that can cause painful headaches on one side of your face.
Net Worth
IShowSpeed’s first income stream was YouTube ad revenue but due to his antics, he went through issues with getting videos monetized on the platform. He makes an estimated $500,000 in annual revenue from YouTube. Luckily, in May 2023 he signed an exclusive streaming deal with Rumble.
In addition, he also earns an income from sponsorships and has an online merch store at teezily.com. The store only sells hoodies and sweatshirts but at reasonable prices. Based on the size of his audience, IShowSpeed should be making a lot more money but his content isn’t very family friendly.
Personal Life
Rumors have been circulating online about Speed having a daughter. He loves to troll viewers so fans are unsure if this is true and Darren won’t confirm it. Previously, he dated Ermony Renee but broke up with her after finding out she was cheating on him. The pair have an on-and-off dating history.
