iShowSpeed

IShowSpeed is a prominent internet personality with an impressive following on YouTube, where his streams typically last between 4 to 6 hours and cover a variety of content, including esports games, reaction videos, and checking Twitter posts.

About IShowSpeed

Introduction

IShowSpeed is a prominent internet personality with an impressive following on YouTube, where his streams typically last between 4 to 6 hours and cover a variety of content, including esports games, reaction videos, and checking Twitter posts. However, he has gained notoriety for creating controversial content targeting other streamers. Collaborating with fellow streamers is also a common practice for big streamers like him. The young streamer has garnered millions of fans through his expressive and aggressive reactions, notably his trademark barking reaction that never fails to entertain his devoted followers. In totality, IShowSpeed has amassed over 174M followers across social media platforms, making him one of the biggest YouTubers of color. Beyond his online activities, Speed is an ardent fan of NBA players, particularly Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Neymar often attending their live matches.

Early life and Family Background

On January 21, 2005, Darren Watkins, widely known as Speed, was born to Mr and Mrs Darren Watkins in Cincinnati, Ohio. The famed YouTuber is 18 years old. He grew up in Ohio alongside his two siblings. However, his family faced difficult times after his parents got divorced, leading to sibling-separation into different locations. Speed stayed with his mother and focused more on his entertainment career during his sophomore year of high school in 2022. Initially, he kept his family out of the media, but as time went on, he introduced them to his audience. His father, Darren Watkins Sr., supported Speed's career choice and maintained a strong father-son relationship.

On the other hand, Speed's mother seemed less supportive of his career choice, as evident from some of his streams where she preferred not to be shown, even during his school graduation. Speed has a younger brother named DayDay Watkins, who is around 13 years old. DayDay's interests have been a topic of discussion, but it's important to respect their privacy and not focus on such personal matters. Speed's younger sister's name remains undisclosed and hasn't appeared in any of his streams. Speed grew up playing football and is an ardent fan of the sports and some of its international players. Since he was a child, he was interested in creating content and playing video games.

Education

In June 2023, Speed completed his education at Ohio Digital Learning School in Mauwe, Ohio. Celebrating this momentous occasion, he went live on YouTube, sharing his graduation photos with his uncle and expressing his immense pride and happiness. Despite initiating his streaming career during his school days, it is noteworthy that he is now entirely dedicated to this engaging online world. However, there is no available information from any source confirming whether he is currently pursuing college education.

Streaming Career

YOUTUBE:

In 2016, during his teenage years and while attending school, he ventured into YouTube and began creating content, focusing on games like NBA 2K, Volarant, FIFA, Roblox, and Fortnite. He also incorporated vlogs about his lifestyle during the pandemic, which contributed to his rise in fame. Even though he joined YouTube in March 2016, he didn’t upload video until December 2017. Gaming has always been his passion. His journey to fame began when he started uploading NBA 2K18 videos. Speed has been described as the 'kotaku', a term meaning 'one of the biggest and fastest rising streamers' on YouTube. His fame further received a boost when Talking Ben videos went viral, garnering significant support and contributing to the growth of his streaming career. However, there have also been incidents that added to his rise in popularity. Over the span of a few months, his subscriber count skyrocketed, reaching milestones of 100 thousand subscribers in April 2021, 1 million in June 2021, and 10 million in July 2022. In a surprising turn of events, Speed boasts over 18.4 million subscribers on YouTube after a week hitting 17 million subscribers. In the year of 2022, he made several videos including challenges with the fellow streamers and his younger brother. He also invited many guest streamers, often collaborating with Kai Cenat, another streamer. In July 2022, a Pikachu firework he ignited inside his bedroom almost caused a fire, posing a serious danger to his home, for which he received flak. Despite this, he continued with similar antics on July 14, resulting in a troublesome situation where he had difficulty leaving his room.

TWITCH:

In 2018, Speed joined Twitch and experienced initial success, amassing thousands of followers by playing various games and collaborating with other streamers. However, his Twitch streaming career took an unexpected turn in 2021 due to suggestive comments and engaging in an e-date with Adin Ross, which led to controversies. Things worsened when he had a heated exchange with Instagram model Ash Kaash, asking sexist questions, a behavior that went against Twitch guidelines, resulting in a permaban from the platform. As a consequence, Speed had to bring his Twitch streaming career to an end. Recently, there have been viral clips of Kai Cenat's meeting with the Twitch CEO, Clancy. After watching the video, fans urged Cenat to ask the Twitch CEO to unban speed. While it remains uncertain whether the CEO would unban Speed, it is essential to acknowledge that many of his fans eagerly await his return to Twitch.

TIKTOK:

TikTok played a crucial role in propelling Speed to fame during the early days of his streaming career. His YouTube videos, featuring challenges, gaming content, and impressive streaming clips, were shared by his fans on TikTok reels, leading to a wildfire-like spread of his popularity. In a recent video, Speed participated in the NPC trend, further engaging and entertaining his dedicated fan base.

RUMBLE:

In May 2023, Speed expanded his online presence to Rumble, where he collaborated with his close friend, Cenat, for a show called 'Kai 'N' Speed'. Within just 3 months, they amassed an impressive following of over 40.7k followers. As of August 2023, they have already released two episodes and are currently working on the third one. The first and second episodes quickly gained immense popularity across various social media platforms, garnering millions of views in a short span of time.

The first episode titled 'Go Camping with Teanna Trump' and the second episode titled 'Exploring the Most Haunted Places in America' have been particularly well-received. Additionally, the forthcoming third episode takes viewers on a journey through Japan, while the fourth episode delves into Cenat and Speed's experience of dating 100 girls. These captivating episodes have contributed to their rising fame on the platform.

Social Media Following

IshowSpeed has 19.3 subscribers on YouTube, 139.6 million followers on TikTok, 2.2 million followers on Twitter, 11.7 million followers on Instagram, 1.4 million followers on Threads, 656K followers on Facebook and 41.5K followers on Rumble.

Net worth 2023

As of 2023, Speed's estimated net worth is between $10 to $12 million. This significant sum can be attributed to his extensive presence on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Rumble, and Twitter, which has greatly contributed to his impressive net worth at the young age of 18. With his popular live streams playing Fortnite and NBA 2K, he was successful at generating huge revenue as a teenager. His annual salary is close to $1.5 million.

IShowSpeed’s Assets

Due to his underage status, Speed is currently unable to purchase a house, so he resides with his parents and has no immediate plans to buy property. Although he doesn't have a driver's license, he still owns an impressive collection of cars, including exotic models such as Mercedes Benz, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet, and other notable vehicles which are not extensively documented.

Music Career

In August 2021, Speed made his musical debut by releasing his first song, 'Dooty Booty,' on his YouTube channel. The song quickly went viral, spreading like wildfire across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram

In November 2021, he followed up with his second single, 'Shake,' which sampled elements from "Ready or Not" by Fugees and "Hit The Road Jack" by Ray Charles. The song's music video amassed over 160 million views on YouTube

In June 2022, Speed released his third single, 'Ronaldo (sewey),' for the love and admiration of the football legend Cristiano Ronaldo

In November 2022, he honored the 2022 FIFA World Cup by dropping his fourth single, "World Cup," under Warner Records
The same year, he collaborated with artists Tiyo Wayne and Aitch on a music video titled 'let's go’

In April 2023, Speed teamed up with his best friend Kai Cenat for their fifth song titled 'Dogs,' which gained immense popularity despite facing criticism from fellow streamers

In July 2023, he set the stage on fire by performing his single 'World Cup' at the Rolling Aloud Hip Hop Festival in Portugal

Awards and Achievements

In December 2022, IShowSpeed achieved a significant milestone by winning the Streamy Award in the esteemed "Breakout Streamer" category at the 12th Streamy Awards. This recognition further solidified his status as an emerging and highly acclaimed content creator in the online streaming community. Speed also received a nomination for the prestigious 2022 Streamy Awards in the highly competitive category of "Streamer of the Year."

Social Media Prominence

IShowSpeed has achieved remarkable social media prominence across multiple platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Rumble, and TikTok. On Instagram, he boasts a staggering 11.4 million followers, while on Twitter, he has an impressive following of over 2.2 million users. Notably, during a hospital stream on YouTube, he secured over 19 million followers on the platform. Additionally, he has garnered a substantial audience on Rumble, with 40.7k followers, and on TikTok, he enjoys a massive following of 21.6 million fans. Collectively, across all these social media platforms, IShowSpeed has an astounding total of over 44 million followers, solidifying his position as a highly influential and widely followed content creator in the online world.

Controversies

In December 2021, Speed participated in a Twitch "e-dating" livestream show hosted by Adin Ross. During the exchange with another participant, Ash Kash, his behavior escalated and was widely perceived as a rape threat. As a consequence, Speed was the second contestant to be eliminated, and he later engaged in inappropriate and harassing behavior towards Kash, leading to his removal from the call and eventually getting banned from Twitch for "sexual coercion or intimidation”

In April 2022, an old clip of Speed playing Valorant on a livestream surfaced, where he made derogatory comments towards a female player. This resulted in his permanent ban from Valorant and all other Riot Games titles. YouTube also issued a community guidelines strike and a 1-week ban after a livestream where he inadvertently showed explicit content while playing a video game moderator

On August 8, 2022, Speed was arrested following a swatting incident, which raised confusion and concerns among his viewers and the broader community. Some believe his actions are influenced by his fanbase, and there have been instances of him engaging in extreme behavior during streams, such as allegedly setting his PS4 on fire

In December 2022, Speed faced controversy for his behavior towards a Chinese spectator at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which was seen as racist. He made inappropriate remarks and gestures, leading to backlash. He later uploaded an apology video on Twitter in response to the circulating clip

In June 2023, During the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, an unfortunate incident occurred where Speed was unexpectedly punched by a Man city fan. The incident was captured on video and quickly went viral, spreading across various social media platforms such as Twitter and YouTube. After acknowledging the whole live stream, it is clear that he triggered the fan by humiliating his team. As the incident gained traction on social media platforms, Speed swiftly responded by posting a photo on Twitter. The picture showed Speed and the fan reconciling and forgiving each other, ultimately leading to a positive resolution

IShowSpeed’s girlfriend and past relationship

As of August 2023, Speed is single, but has been romantically linked with several girls. Let’s take a look at streamer’s dating history:

Between January 2023 and February 2023, Aaliyah Wasko and IShowSpeed briefly dated virtually. During his vacation in Japan, Speed rented a girlfriend for dating. He made a livestream titled "I Rented a Girlfriend" where he recruited a lovely Japanese girl to be his companion. Despite language barriers, they had a good time together, and he even sang a song while holding her hand with lyrics that said, "hold me." After spending a whole day together, Speed called the Japanese girl again over a facetime call and requested to see her face. She declined, stating that she had just woken up. Despite this, Speed and the Japanese girl met again. The nature of their relationship is uncertain, and it remains to be seen whether they are dating or are just friends. For an official confirmation, viewers will have to stay tuned and wait for an update from the YouTuber himself.

In April 2021, Speed was reportedly dating Ava Barbie. Ermony Renee and Speed dated on and off for a few months in 2021. He started dating his ex-girlfriend Ermony Renee (Dream) after meeting at a local UDF in 2021. Their relationship had its ups and downs, with public fights on his live streams, followed by making up the next day. However, things changed in late 2021 when Ermony stopped appearing on Speed's live streams. He mentioned that they stopped talking because she now has another boyfriend, and their relationship came to an end.

Is IShowSpeed gay?

In September 2021, Speed addressed his fans on a live stream, confirming that he is not gay. However, there was a previous incident on Valentine's Day where he seemed to have stated that he came out as gay while on a live stream with his friend Ava Barbie. During that stream, he shouted, "I'm gay, G-A-Y." Later on, he clarified that he had spoken out of anger and did not mean what he said at the time. This provided clarity among his millions of followers across various social media platforms regarding his actual sexual orientation.

IShowSpeed’s severe headache

Based on recent updates about Speed's health, he suffered from cluster headaches due to which, one may experience multiple headaches per day, with each headache lasting anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours. Following which, he was admitted to a hospital in Tokyo due to a swollen eye. Doctors advised him to undergo eye surgery, and he stayed at the hospital for some days to receive the necessary care and treatment. Absurd rumors about his health, including false claims that he passed away and had his eyeball removed, began circulating online. However, after quick updates from the YouTuber himself, it is evident that he is doing well and receiving proper medical care for his health issue. He has now returned to America and, recovering well, meaning he’d start streaming activities soon. Throughout this time, millions of fans showed their unwavering support by sending tweets and messages, expressing their best wishes for streamer’s speedy recovery.

Trivia and lesser known facts

Speed is renowned for his distinctive dance style, which involves bouncing his feet repeatedly while simultaneously raising and lowering both of his hands. It has become his signature move and is easily recognizable among his fans

On his alternative channel, Speed goes by the username "Speedy Boykins." This name is a clever play on his nickname "Speedy" and his last name "Watkins." The term "Boykins" is a combination of "boy" and "Watkins," creating a fun and unique username for his second channel

Speed affectionately refers to his fanbase as "Speed Gang," and during his livestreams, he often addresses them as "Chat”

Even though he faced a ban on Twitch, Speed still includes links to his Twitch account in his descriptions

Speed and many of his fans speculate that his high-energy behavior may be due to autism. However, it is essential to note that he has not received an official diagnosis for autism

The reason behind the online alias "IShowSpeed" was revealed by Speed a while ago. He stated that the name reflects his ability to quickly finish tasks and be fast in various aspects of life

Speed is recognized for his backflips, a unique Turbulence trick he demonstrated to his father, streamer Kai Cenat, and his ex-girlfriend, Aaliyal. His backflips have become a notable part of his online persona, showcasing his physical abilities and athleticism

Speed gained the nickname "Mr. Number Leaker" due to his actions of leaking a fellow streamer's phone number. He leaked the boxer KSI's number not just once but on three separate occasions

After his successful debut appearance in the September 2022 Sidemen Charity Match, Speed's participation generated considerable attention and excitement. Speculations and discussions arose about whether he would be part of the 2023 Sidemen Charity Match.

Following a challenge given by one of the Sidemen members, KSI, where Speed had to complete 20 kick-ups in a row, he proved his skills and has been officially confirmed to join the 2023 squad for the charity event

After meeting Cristiano Ronaldo in June, Speed's interactions with celebrities have become a more frequent occurrence. In July 2023, he met Neymar and Kim Kardashian

He has a tattoo of Lionel Messi tattoo

He is one of the biggest fans of Indian cricket player Virat Kohli

To celebrate Kobe Bryant, in his memory, Speed attempted to win 81 straight NBA 2K games