- Real name: Darren Jason Watkins Jr.
- Born: January 21, 2005 currently 20 years old
- Place: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
- Also known as: Speed, IShowSpeed
- Occupations: YouTuber, online streamer, rapper, content creator
- IShowSpeed is reportedly 5 feet 7 inches tall, which is approximately 175 cm.
This boy is popular all over the internet for his loyalty to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Early Life and Rise to Fame
- He started his YouTube channel in 2016, when he was about 11 years old. He used to play and do live stream of popular games like Fortnite, NBA 2K, etc. He gained popularity because of Cristaino Ronaldo fan base. He used to react the edits, gameplay, memes, etc. related to Ronaldo. His style of presentation was different from the other creators. He used to give unfiltered reaction, barking loud at the clips, over exciting behavior, etc which were loved by the Gen Z and Gen alpha. Which is the reason why he is more popular on the discord or youtube live. Now he is one of the biggest youtube streamer of the world.
One of the turning points was when some of his live moments went viral (clips being shared), bringing in new fans beyond his regular viewers.
What Makes Him Popular / Why He Became Famous
Here are major reasons why Speed became widely known:
- High energy & entertainment factor — His videos are filled with loud reactions, surprise stunts, and emotional swings. They are liked by the audiences.
- Viral moments & memes — Many of his stream clips has become viral content on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, social media. Many fans make its edit and post on social media.
- Interactivity — He interacts a lot with fans during livestreams, reacts to their messages, accepts challenges, making the audience feel part of it. He also donates money to those who needs it.
- Diversified content — He does not limit himself to just gaming; he does IRL streaming, music, travel, stunts. This is the reason, people of might have discovered him in different section of youtube.
- Controversy & attention —He is an attention seeker. There are so many time he has disrespected others to get attention. Yeah, he loves controversy.
- Collaborations & events — He also participates in charity matches, events, crossovers with other creators.
All these together give him visibility and create more opportunities for growth.
Followers of ISHOWSPEED
As of September 2025, here are some rough stats:
- YouTube Subscribers: ~ 44.1 million
- Total Views: Over 5.5 billion views (on his channel)
- He is also active on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and others.
Earnings / Net Worth of ISHOWSPEED
Estimating earnings for internet creators is difficult (because many sources are private), but here are approximate figures based on publicly available sources and estimates:
- The commonly cited estimate of his net worth in 2025 is between USD $10 million to $15 million
- Monthly earnings: Some reports put his monthly income (from YouTube + sponsorships + music + merchandise) in the ballpark of $100,000 to $250,000 (or higher in peak months)
- Breakdown of revenue sources likely includes:
- YouTube ad revenue (his core income)
- Super Chats / donations during live streams
- Sponsorships / brand deals
- Merchandise / product sales
- Music and streaming royalties (for his songs)
- Live events / appearances
Controversies & Criticisms
Speed’s career has had multiple controversies. Some of the notable ones:
- Twitch ban / misconduct allegations: In 2021, he was banned from Twitch for “sexual coercion or intimidation” related to a livestream interaction involving Ash Kash.
- Misogynistic / sexist remarks: He has been criticized for comments made about female players or making sexist remarks. In some of the videos, he has been trolled for sexualizing women.
- Riot Games ban: Because of offensive behavior in gaming contexts, he was banned from Riot Games titles. Taking about games, he supports Ronaldo and disrespect other players.
- Dangerous stunts: In 2024, he made a video jumping over moving sports cars, which led to a YouTube suspension for violating community guidelines. Many thinks, its an edited video though.
- Fireworks in room: In 2022, he set off a Pikachu firework inside his room during live stream, which nearly caused damage and brought backlash.
- Racial insensitivity: At the 2022 World Cup, he repeatedly said “Konnichiwa” to a spectator he mistakenly thought was Japanese but who was Chinese, which many saw as mocking. He later apologized.
- Dog naming controversy: In January 2024, he publicly adopted a dog and gave it a name containing a racial slur, which drew strong backlash.
Because of such controversies, he often faces bans, criticism, or calls for accountability. But many of his fans also view him as bold and unfiltered, which in some sense contributes to his brand identity.
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