Top 10 highest-paid YouTube stars of 2019, according to Forbes
Forbes has calculated this year's top earners on YouTube and some new faces have been added to the annual list. Among the top earners are gamers, stuntmen and makeup artists. Two of the highest-paid stars are under the age of 10 – and they specialize in playing with toys, of all things.
Here are the top 10 highest-paid YouTubers, according to Forbes:
10. VanossGaming (Evan Fong) - $11.5 million
Evan Fong is no stranger to this list. Last year, he was the seventh highest-paid YouTuber, raking in a cool $17 million for his gaming videos. Under the name VanossGaming, Fong adds commentary to video games for the entertainment of his 24.8 million subscribers. He's amassed a whopping 11,913,591,918 views since creating his YouTube channel in 2011.
9. DanTDM (Daniel Middleton) - $12 million
Daniel Middleton was once on the top of this Forbes list. Last year, he came in fourth, making $18.5 million. The British gamer may have slipped a few places on the list, but he has nothing to complain about. His YouTube channel helped him make $12 million this year, according to Forbes.
7 (tie). Markiplier (Mark Fischbach) - $13 million
Markiplier, a gamer whose real name is Mark Edward Fischbach, is known for his "Let's Play" videos, in which he provides on-screen commentary to games as he plays them, Inside Edition reported. Markiplier appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2014 to show the world what he does.
7 (tie). PewDiePie (Felix Kjellberg)- $13 million
PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, is a controversial content creator from Sweden. He recently announced that he is taking a break from YouTube, citing fatigue. He made the announcement three days after YouTube posted new content moderation guidelines curbing hateful speech in videos.
Disney and YouTube dropped Kjellberg after he posted a video of him laughing while two men held up a sign that said, "death to all Jews." Later that year, he came under fire and apologized for using the n-word during a live-stream.
In 2018, he apologized for making fun of Demi Lovato's hospitalization, posting a meme that showed the singer asking her mother for money to buy a burger, then turning around to buy heroin instead. He deleted the meme two days after Lovato was hospitalized for an apparent overdose. That year, he made the Forbes list, making $15.5 million.
6. Preston (Preston Arsement) - $14 million
Preston is a newcomer to the Forbes list. He is – surprise – a gamer who got his start playing Call of Duty and then began posting prank videos. He also makes money running Minecraft servers, according to Forbes.
5. Jeffree Star - $17 million
Breaking the gamer mold is Jeffree Star, a makeup artist who started on MySpace and now has his own successful makeup line. This year, fellow YouTuber Shane Dawson made a documentary series about the beauty mogul's life. "The Secret World of Jeffree Star" ran for nine episodes – on YouTube, of course.
4. Rhett and Link - $17.5 million
Forbes says Rhett and Link are two of YouTube's first stars. They host a talk show of sorts, "Good Mythical Morning," where they taste-test odd food combinations like Krispie Kreme Sloppy Joes. They run four YouTube channels total, according to Forbes, and this year acquired another successful YouTube channel, Smosh, for a reported $10 million.
3. Anastasia Radzinskaya - $18 million
Forbes profiled the 5-year-old star, who was born in Russia with cerebral palsy. Radzinskaya's doctors feared she would never be able to speak and now, she's the face of the "Like Nastya Vlog," which has 42.4 million subscribers. Radzinskaya's videos mainly feature her playing with her dad and she now works with toy and food brands, Forbes reports.
2. Dude Perfect - $20 million
The five-man sports crew, known as Dude Perfect, specializes in intricate trick shots. They earned the same amount last year and were ranked number three on the 2018 list.
Their "ping pong trick shots" and "real-life trick shots," in which they turn everyday activities into complex maneuvers, are among their most popular videos.
1. Ryan Kaji - $26 million
No one can seem to beat Ryan Kaji, who was also number one on last year's list. His channel has 22.9 million subscribers and more than 34 billion views. One of his most popular videos received an astounding 1.9 billion views.
The 8-year-old boy reviews toys for other kids. Kaji now has his own line of toys and clothes, a show on Nickelodeon and a deal with Hulu, according to Forbes.
