- Forbes has published its list of the highest-paid YouTubers of 2020.
- Nine-year-old Ryan Kaji topped the list, bringing in an estimated $29.5 million.
- Beauty blogger, Jeffree Star dropped from 5th highest-earner to 10th, earning an estimated $15 million.
Since its first video was uploaded 15 years ago, YouTube has become a lucrative platform for business-savvy content creators. According to Forbes, the top 10 highest-paid YouTubers secured an estimated $211 million in earnings from June 1, 2019 to June 1, 2020, which is a 30% jump from the previous year.
It’s perhaps no surprise that business on YouTube is booming, as Covid-19 restrictions have forced us to spend more time at home and even more time online. Although we definitely agree with Youtube’s top earner Ryan Kaji when he told Forbes, “I just can’t wait until we can go back outside.”
Read on for our handy little round-up of the highest-earning YouTuber’s of 2020. If you need me I’ll be erm, setting up my own YouTube channel.
10. Jeffree Star
Estimated earnings: $15 million
Despite beauty-giant Morphe cutting all commercial ties with Jeffree this year (after a string of public fall-outs with Tati Westbrook), the beauty vlogger still managed to rake in more than half a billion views this year. Although he dropped five places from last year, Jeffree’s earnings don’t just come from YouTube. If you needed further proof, Jeffree and Shane Dawson’s Conspiracy Collection reportedly sold 1 million eyeshadow palettes in 30 minutes. That’s a lot of eyeshadow. Not to mention $$.
9. David Dobrik
NBCGetty Images
Estimated earnings: $15.5 million
With 18 million subscribers and 2.7 billion views, David Dobrik really isn’t messing around. On a mission to make his dedicated following laugh, David has done everything from shaving someone’s entire body to marrying his best friend’s mum. Thankfully the mum in question was in on the act and they got an amicable divorce a month later. Still not sure how well I’d take this ‘joke’, tbh.
8. Blippi (Stevin John)
Estimated earnings: $17 million
Stevin John creates educational content for kids, dressed (ever so colourfully) as Blippi, a lovable child-like character. While his videos may be directed at children, cute videos like Blippi Visits the Aquarium are extremely watchable. Your inner-child will be out in no time.
7. #Nastya (Anastasia Radzinskaya)
Estimated earnings: $18.5 million
This six-year old Russian star is a beloved fixture of YouTube and TikTok. Over 190 subscribers tune in to watch Anastasia and her father doing pretty typical day-to-day family things. Six-year-old me is very jealous.
6. Preston Arsement
Greg DohertyGetty Images
Estimated earnings: $19 million
With approximately 33.4 million subscribers, the gaming YouTuber has a network of channels dedicated to games like Minecraft and Roblox.
5. Markiplier (Mark Fischbach)
Daniel ZuchnikGetty Images
Estimated earnings: $19.5 million
Markiplier first created a YouTube account eight years ago, posting accessible breakdowns of video games. He’s also well-known for his critique of internet popularity, which saw him collaborate with Ethan Nestor (or CrankGameplays on YouTube) to create a channel, Unus Annus, on which they’d post a video every day for a year – before deleting the channel entirely.
4. Rhett and Link
NBCGetty Images
Estimated earnings: $20 million
Rhett and Link, a.k.a Rhett James McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln III, are two of YouTube’s most beloved stars, having started “Good Mythical Morning,” a nerdy but nice talk show, back in 2012.
3. Dude Perfect
Kevin WinterGetty Images
Estimated earnings: $23 million
Dude Perfect consists of five friends – Coby Cotton, Cory Cotton, Garret Hilbert, Cody Jones and Tyler Toney – whose USP is effectively sports, stunts and giggles. Their popular channel led to a national tour grossing around $6 million and an accompanying documentary, Backstage Pass.
2. MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson)
Estimated earnings: $24 million
With almost 50 million subscribers, Jimmy Donaldson is one of YouTube’s biggest stars. He’s known for his extreme stunts, such as freezing himself in ice, going around a Ferris wheel 1,000 times and building the largest Lego tower over. You can’t knock his versatility that’s for sure.
1. Ryan Kaji
Joe ScarniciGetty Images
Estimated earnings: $29.5 million
Nine-year-old Ryan Kaji’s channel has 41.7 million subscribers and is Forbes highest-paid YouTuber for 2020. Amazingly, this isn’t Ryan’s first time at the top of the list! His wildly successful channel Ryan’s World sees him reviewing toys, which has enabled him to start his own toy line AND star in Nickelodeon shows.
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Source: Cosmo Politian
