Last Updated on February 26, 2024
Darren Watkins Jr., better known online as IShowSpeed, is an American gaming YouTuber, variety live-streamer, hip-hop musician, and soccer athlete.
Darren is known for his lavish, ostentatious, and rather queer personality on his live-streams. He’s also considered one of the youngest YouTube creators with one of the fastest-growing channels.
The teenage vlogger rose to the limelight when his fan base began sharing videos of him on TikTok. Most of these videos quickly went viral and became internet memes.
IShowSpeed Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Darren Watkins Jr. |
| Popular Name: | IShowSpeed |
| Nicknames: | N/A |
| Birth Date: | January 21, 2005 |
| Age: | 18 years |
| Parents: | Unknown |
| Siblings: | Has a younger brother and sister |
| Birth Place: | Ohio, United States |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | Presumably African-American |
| Religion: | Christianity |
| Education: | Currently attending a local high school in Ohio |
| Marital Status: | Single but has been in a string of relationships, including with Ermony Renee (also known as Dream but not to be confused with the Minecraft YouTube star of the same name) and singer cum TikTok celebrity Ava Barbie |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Children: | None |
| Net Worth: | USD 2 million |
| Source of Wealth: | YouTube, Social Media, Music, and Other Ventures |
| Height: | 5′ 9″ (1.75 m) |
| Weight: | In kilograms: 65 kg; In pounds: 143 lbs. |
Early Life and Career Information
Early Life
Darren Watkins Jr. was born on January 21, 2005, in Ohio, United States. He has not revealed the identity of his parents or siblings.
Darren is currently attending high school, although he doesn’t try to hide his hatred for school. He’s a former member of Purcell Marian High School’s basketball and football team.
Career Information
Darren Watkins Jr. kicked off his social media career by creating his YouTube account on March 21, 2016. He uploaded his first video on the platform on December 21, 2017 and did his first live-stream on December 28, 2018.
Darren’s earlier YouTube uploads registered dismal performance. He took a brief hiatus before returning to the platform reenergized.
From early 2020, IShowSpeed began posting livestreams about video games, starting with NBA 2K and Fortnight Battle Royale. This genre turned out to be more popular as Darren’s channel started to garner a considerable number of subscribers.
IShowSpeed shot further onto the limelight due to his rivalry with Talking Ben, a character from the Talking Tom & Friends franchise by Outfit7. His interactions with Talking Ben mainly involve arguing with the character. For instance, he would bother Ben with unusual questions about whether he supports the Black Lives Matter movement or the LGBTQ+ community.
IShowSpeed has also made several videos of his interactions with similar characters, such as Angela and Tom. Besides, he has shared several videos of him playing virtual reality (VR) games while donning a headset.
As at the time of writing (October 12, 2022), IShowSpeed’s YouTube channel had 11.8 million subscribers. The following are the ten most-watched videos on the channel;
• IShowSpeed – Shake (Official Music Video) – Posted 10 months ago, has garnered over 139 million views
• IShowSpeed – Ronaldo [SEWEY] (Official Music Video) {“Prod. DJ Telly Tellz”} – Posted 4 months ago, has garnered over 21 million views
• IShowSpeed – Bounce That A$$ (Official Music Video) – Posted 1 year ago, has garnered over 20 million views
• IShowSpeed – Shake Pt. 2 (Official Music Video) {Prod. DJ Shawny} @ShotBySlipz – Posted 8 months ago, has garnered over 19 million views
• IShowSpeed – God is Good (Official Music Video) – Posted 6 months ago, has garnered over 16 million views
• Name reveal – Posted 1 year ago, has garnered over 15 million views
• IShowSpeed – Dooty Booty (Official Music Video) [Prod TgX] – Posted 1 year ago, has garnered over 6.3 million views
• Wtf – Posted 2 months ago, has garnered over 5.9 million views
• 1 million……….. – Posted 1 year ago, has garnered over 5.3 million views
• YO SPEED – Posted 7 months ago, has garnered over 5.3 million views
IShowSpeed has a second YouTube channel called Live Speedy (created on June 1, 2021) where he shares highlights of his past livestreams and another channel called Speedy Boykins (created on April 26, 2021) in which he posts unusual snippets of his live-streams and videos.
The vlogger also maintains a huge presence across other social media platforms besides YouTube. He currently has 8.8 million followers with 37.9 million combined likes on TikTok and 4.8 million followers on Instagram.
Music Career
Banking on the success of his social media career, IShowSpeed decided to venture into the music industry. He has released several collaborative tracks, including “Shake,” “Bounce That A$$,” and “Dooty Booty,” all in 2021. He also released the collaborative singles “God Is Good” and “Ronaldo” in 2022.
The music videos to some of these songs constitute IShowSpeed’s most-viewed YouTube content.
IShowSpeed’s musical ventures also include production. He produces fast-paced rap songs, many of which are either instrumentals or vocal samples from other popular songs.
IShowSpeed Net Worth
IShowSpeed has achieved a tremendous amount of success for his young age. As at October 1, 2022, the gaming YouTuber had a net worth of $2 million.
Social Media accounts for most of IShowSpeed’s wealth. His social media earnings mainly come from monetized videos and sponsorship deals.
IShowSpeed also makes money from his moderately successful music career, among other ventures.
Lessons from IShowSpeed
1. Age is but a number
IShowSpeed is only 17. But he’s already giving older YouTubers a run for their money, both literally and metaphorically.
2. Strive to stand out, not fit in
Part of the reason behind Darren’s social media success is his rather peculiar way of doing things. The teenage YouTuber is known to shout, bark, roar, and twerk at the webcam during many of his streams.
3. Giving up is never an option
IShowSpeed’s social media career didn’t take off immediately. However, he remained undaunted, and his efforts were eventually rewarded.
Summary
IShowSpeed is among the most successful teenage YouTubers in the world. The Ohio-born gaming streamer is destined for greater times ahead if he maintains or improves his current form.
