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The Richest
by Doug Murray
Updated September 24, 2021
When YouTube was created back in 2005, who would have thought that it would go on to shape politics, create a new kind of job and give us Justin Bieber? For the Canadian singer, YouTube was really just a platform for kicking off his career but for others YouTube has become a career in itself: one that can be very lucrative indeed. So, who are the richest YouTubers by net worth? All figures are in US dollars.
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20. Roman Atwood
Net worth: $14.5 million
Roman Atwood has two YouTube channels: one featuring vlogs and one featuring prank videos. His pranks led to a movie called Natural Born Pranksters and he also has his own line of merchandise.
You may also like: Who is the richest woman of 2021?
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19. David Dobrik
Net worth: $15 million
The Slovakian-American vlogger, actor and social media personality is a new addition to this list. While he had his start on Vine, his social media following on YouTube and more recently TikTok have made him one of the most popular names out there, catapulting him onto this list.
Related: These are the wealthiest Canadian actors of 2021.
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18. MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson)
Net worth: $16 million
Known for his pioneering YouTube philanthropic stunts, MrBeast regularly gives large sums of money away to strangers or adopting an entire shelter of rescue pups. But, he’s also earned a significant chunk through his merchandise sales and sponsorships with brands like Microsoft and Electronic Arts. This said, MrBeast purportedly reinvests most of the earnings back into his video production, spending as much as $300,000 producing a single video (up from $10,000, just a few years ago).
See also: 10 genius money hacks we snagged from TikTok.
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Blippi (Stevin John)
Net worth: $16 million
American entertainer Blippi identified a niche on YouTube and launched with educational videos for children in 2014 to appeal to this age group. One of his trademarks are his blue and orange beanie cap as well as a blue shirt, orange suspenders and a bow tie — colours that appeal to his young demographic. He purportedly found his calling while watching his two-year old nephew watching low-quality YouTube videos. Today, much of his earnings come from his retail empire that includes toys, accessories and digital videos.
Related: The 20 richest K-pop stars, according to net worth.
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16. John Green
Net worth: $17 million
For John Green, creating content for YouTube is really just a very lucrative sideline. He and his brother Hank have several YouTube channels, including an educational series. However, John’s day job is being a best-selling, award-winning writer of novels like The Fault in Our Stars.
Related: Top 10 cheapest, most frugal celebrities.
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15. DanTDM
Net worth: $18.5 million
DanTDM — or Daniel Middleton — started his first YouTube channel, which was dedicated to Pokémon, in 2010. In 2013 he started another gaming channel aimed at children between the ages of five and 10 and focusing mainly on Minecraft. He went on to star in a web series and to create his own bestselling graphic novel.
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14. Logan Paul
Net worth: $19 million
Logan Paul first started making a name for himself on Vine but also started his YouTube channel in 2013. He has also had some acting roles in TV series like Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and has collaborated with Dwayne Johnson. Like his younger brother Jake, however, Logan has been involved in quite a few controversies during his career.
Related: The richest supermodels in 2021, by net worth.
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13. Jake Paul
Net worth: $20 million
Jake Paul first shot to fame on Vine, where he started posting videos when he was sixteen. This landed him a role in the comedy series Bizaardvark. After he left the series, he started focusing on YouTube, where his videos are mostly vlogs and prank videos that have landed him in hot water numerous times.
See also: 20 richest child stars of all time.
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12. Lilly Singh
Net worth: $20 million
Lilly Singh has definitely been doing it right. The Canadian star, who also goes by the name Superwoman, started posting comedy videos on YouTube in 2010. She has collaborated with a host of famous personalities, including Seth Rogen, one of the wealthiest Canadian actors. She also has her own TV show and is considered one of the most powerful people in comedy.
Related: 20 Canadian jobs that pay more than $300K.
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11. Rhett and Link
Net worth: $20 million each
The duo, Rhett McLaughlin and Link Neal, are personalities, comedians and actors best known for their viral videos and comedic songs. They’ve since parlayed this success to a television series format Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings and their business, Mythical Entertainment Co., employs 100 people. Additionally, they offer exclusive content through their paid fan account.
See also: These are the wealthiest Canadian actors.
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10. Preston Arsement
Net worth: $20 million
Thanks largely to his Minecraft and video game content, Arsement has shot onto this list. Known for streaming himself playing games such as Fortnite, Call of Duty, and Minecraft, he’s developed a solid following on the game streaming platform Twitch as well as YouTube. He now also operates Minecraft servers that gamers play to access, with optional in-game purchases for virtual goods.
Related: Canada’s richest people: 20 of the richest families.
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9. Nastya (Anastasia Radzinskaya)
Net worth: $20 million
Anastasia Radzinskaya is a Russian-American YouTuber best known as Nastya and Stacy, Radzinskaya was born in Krasnodar, Russia in 2014, and already slid onto this list in the 12th position. Focused on family-friendly content, she operates several channels with her parents, including Like Nastya, Stacy Toys, Stacy Show and more, making her one of the biggest children’s YouTube personalities in the world.
Related: The 20 richest rock stars.
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8. James Charles
Net worth: $22 million
James Charles is living proof that male make-up gurus don’t necessarily have to do drag queen make-up. The controversial beauty YouTuber and make-up artist even became CoverGirl’s first male spokesmodel when he was just seventeen years old.
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7. VanossGaming
Net worth: $25 million
Do it right and being a social media influencer can be one of those jobs in Canada that pay over $400k a year. VanossGaming is the pseudonym of Evan Fong, who has definitely been doing it right. He started out by creating gaming videos on YouTube and has since become involved in creating video games. The Canadian YouTube star is also a music producer.
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6. Ninja (Tyler Blevins)
Net worth: $25 million
Ninja a.k.a. Tyler Blevins shattered Twitch’s record for largest concurrent viewing audience by and individual and then broke that record again a month later. On YouTube, he’s mostly known for streaming Fortnite. Along with the money he makes from streaming, he has some lucrative sponsorship deals.
See also: The richest former Disney stars in 2021.
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5. Markiplier
Net worth: $35 million
Markiplier, whose real name is Mark Fischbach, has a YouTube channel popular for his over-the-top playthroughs of video games. He’s also collaborated with several other YouTubers and celebrities and has a few acting credits to his name. Well on his way to become one of the most generous millionaires, Markiplier has raised huge amounts of money for charity, through fundraising streams and other endeavours.
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4. PewDiePie
Net worth: $40 million
PewDiePie is the pseudonym of Felix Kjellberg, who started his YouTube channel in 2019 by posting gaming-commentary videos. He later branched into comedy, music and vlogs too and now has the most subscribed and viewed channel by an individual. The Swede’s influence is so big that when he plays an indie game, it immediately boosts that game’s sales.
See also: The 10 richest female rappers in 2021.
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3. Dude Perfect
Net worth: $50 million
Dude Perfect consists of twin brothers Cory and Coby Cotton as well as Cody Jones, Garrett Hilbert and Tyler Toney. The former college roommates started out by posting viral videos of trickshots. Their sports-related videos have gained them a massive following, a mobile app, a TV show and collaborations with some of the biggest names in sports, including the richest female athlete of 2019, Serena Williams.
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2. Ryan Kaji
Net worth: $50 million
Ryan Kaji (centre) is not only one of the richest YouTube stars but also one of the youngest. He was only four years old when he began starring in videos on his own YouTube channel, which also features his parents and sisters. The channel was called Ryan Toys Review but has since been renamed Ryan’s World. Eight-year-old Ryan now has his own line of toys, an app and a TV series.
You might also like: The 20 richest neighbourhoods across Canada.
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1. Jeffree Star
Net worth: $200 million
You can try celeb beauty tips or you can listen to the experts: Jeffree Star, for instance. Jeffree has had a social media following since the days of MySpace, where he had a blog about beauty, fame and life in general. He had a music career for a while and then, in 2014, started his own cosmetics brand. A YouTube channel featuring make-up tutorials followed, basically to promote his brand. The channel took on a life of its own.
You may also like: 5 Canadian musicians who got famous on YouTube.
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Written ByDoug Murray
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