- \n
- \n
\tKay Poyer<\/p>\n
\t\t\t
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-rollingstone-2022\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Image courtesy of Kay Poyer\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @ladymisskay_
Genre: Lifestyle Creator
Followers: 1.1 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tDon\u2019t even try to call Kay Poyer, 25, an activist \u2014 she\u2019ll swat that label away before you can say \u201cvoice of a generation.\u201d This Dallas doll made a name for herself with takes on everything from trans rights to her love for her local food bank. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m really proud of myself that I\u2019ve built a brand off of saying crazy shit all the time,\u201d she says. \u201cIt feels really good to be somebody with a huge mouth and have so many people be interested.\u201d Videos from her TikTok account are treated as tantamount to gospel by her, as she describes them, \u201cpierced up goth girl\u201d followers. But Poyer\u2019s strongest asset is her sage advice about finding community. \u201cYou need to go where the people are,\u201d she says. CT Jones<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tBrandon Edelman<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photograph by Rachel Rosenstein\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @bran__flakezz
Genre: Lifestyle Creator
Followers: 1.6 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tIt took a little grit and a lot of \u201cgay chaos\u201d for Brandon Edelman, 29, to go from cog in the fashion world to full-time creator, but that doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s changed. The Philly creator \u2014\u00a0who describes his content \u201clike being on FaceTime with your best friend\u201d \u2014 tells Rolling Stone that he\u2019s grateful he wasn\u2019t an overnight success, because it\u2019s helped him stay grounded and make videos tailored to people who want to make social media a real career. \u201cMy platform is being this Philly kid who, no matter how much money I have, I still want to eat at Applebee\u2019s,\u201d he says. While his relatable vibe continues to draw new viewers, Edelman has developed a roster of ride-or-dies for his videos with a philanthropic aim, like supporting local businesses and surprising followers with freebie-filled \u201cBrantrips.\u201d C.T.J.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tDave Portnoy<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Gary Gershoff\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @stoolpresidente
Genre: Media Mogul
Followers: 18.2 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tDave Portnoy, 48, may have gotten his start launching the early-2000s raunch site Barstool Sports, but as he\u2019s grown that into an online empire \u2014 he sold his company for $551 million in 2023, only to later buy it back for $1 \u2014 he\u2019s found fame among a new audience as a \u2026 pizza influencer and Trump critic? His One Bite Pizza Reviews have taken off among Gen Z, and his pushback against the Trump administration \u2014 calling out the handling of Signalgate and describing the president\u2019s fiscal policy as a \u201ctariff scam\u201d \u2014 have earned him some surprising new fans. Elisabeth Garber-Paul<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tMeredith Hayden<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Charles Sykes\/Bravo\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @wishbonekitchen
Genre: Cooking Creator
Followers: 3.8 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tChef Meredith Hayden has built her career on embracing life\u2019s little luxuries. Whether it\u2019s homemade ice cream with fresh peaches or a tomato-butter baked cod that\u2019s easy to make even when you\u2019re two ros\u00e9s deep, Hayden, 29 \u2014 known online as Wishbone Kitchen \u2014 is a Gen Z phenom striving to bring her viewers that one life-changing bite. Hayden first made waves online for her vlogs as a private chef in the Hamptons, but cultivated a dedicated fan base for her easy way of embracing mistakes in the kitchen with a laugh and a lesson. While those \u201cpicturesque seaside backdrops\u201d don\u2019t hurt, her recipes aren\u2019t for perfectionists \u2014 she\u2019s just making videos that get her followers out of their comfort zone. C.T.J.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tAlix Earle<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Steve Granitz\/FilmMagic\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @alixearle
Genre: Lifestyle Creator
Followers: 13.2 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tTikTok\u2019s most marketable personality Alix Earle, 24, has had another big year. She appeared in a Super Bowl commercial, became an investor in canned cocktail brand SipMargs, and was announced to be on the upcoming Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars. Yet she\u2019s still thinking of ways to keep in touch with her most loyal fans, the ones who adore her for the way she keeps it real and tells stories about regretting getting veneers or her acne struggles: After leaving Alex Cooper\u2019s Unwell Network, she announced that her podcast, Hot Mess With Alix Earle, will be more video-forward, which she\u2019s calling a \u201cvlogcast.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s been almost three years that I\u2019ve really been doing this, and the question of making something that lasts is always at the front of my mind,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s people posting more than ever. So when it comes to your content, it\u2019s really important to have a strong voice, and opinion, and storytelling, because otherwise you\u2019re going to be another video that people are watching and then scrolling past.\u201d Steffi Cao<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tSabrina Brier<\/p>\n
\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo courtesy of Sabrina Brier\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t
Handle: @sabrina.cinoman.brier
Genre: Comedian
Followers: 1.4 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tSabrina Brier, 31, was working as a Hollywood assistant in a Zoom writers room just five years ago, but today, the comedian is at the forefront of people\u2019s screens. Whether she\u2019s playing \u201cThat Friend Who Is Always Right\u201d or the \u201cExtremely Passive Aggressive Roommate,\u201d there\u2019s always something quotable in the skits she puts together. Look no further than one moment of her simply saying \u201cOh!\u201d that became a viral meme. This year, Brier wrote and recorded her first audiobook, That Friend, which tells the story of a \u201cself-proclaimed Queen of the West Village\u201d who also happens to be named Sabrina. \u201cThe way the media landscape is changing is actually a really beautiful thing, because a lot of different boxes that artists and creators usually get put into are all kind of mixing up in this exciting, unexpected way,\u201d she says. \u201cI can work off this extreme privilege of making my own money as a content creator, have a direct line to my audience \u2014 that\u2019s all I need to be creative and find my way.\u201d S.C.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tTheo Von<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by John Nacion\/”Variety”\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @theovon
Platform: Podcaster
Followers: 26.3 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tIt could be easy to label Theodor Capitani von Kurnatowski III, known to fans as Theo Von, as yet another crude manosphere influencer. The podcaster and self-declared \u201cwhite trash\u201d comedian, 45, sat in front of Logan and Jake Paul at Donald Trump\u2019s inauguration and regularly brings a host of right-wing personalities onto his show, This Past Weekend. But Von skirts the typical red-pilled content: He\u2019s now the podcast bro de facto for any politician trying to connect with the American public for both parties. Everyone from Bernie Sanders to Ro Khanna have guested on his show, while Von himself has become a megaphone for the worries that millions of guys have: Fears around the cost of living, the concern of being addicted to porn, and what political affiliation actually means today. S.C.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tAnayka She<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Craig Barritt\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @anaykashe\u00a0
Genre: Lifestyle Creator
Followers: 2.1 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tThese days, viral moments and Anayka She, 27, go hand in hand. The creator\u2019s platform is full of witty clips, whether it\u2019s a fun fact about ancient Egypt or what stainless steel actually means. Millions of people have fallen in love with her comedy over the past five years, but it didn\u2019t come overnight. \u201cI feel like a lot of people think, \u2018One thing will happen and I\u2019ll be a superstar,\u201d she tells Rolling Stone. \u201cFor a lot of people, it\u2019s incremental. I try to reflect and realize that I\u2019m in the position I always wanted to be in.\u201d For She, that means finally getting to work on her music career \u2014 she released an R&B single earlier this year, and will soon be going on her very first tour. S.C.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tIronmouse<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Akagi\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @ironmouse
Genre: VTuber
Followers: 5.2 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tPuerto Rican Twitch creator Ironmouse may remain anonymous, but she\u2019s become iconic for her pink-and-purple haired avatar and high-pitched, squeaking voice alone \u2014 which is real, she claims, a result of a lung infection due to Covid-19 complications. The vlogger and gamer is a mainstay in VTubing (virtual YouTubing, or using graphics and motion-capture software to mask one\u2019s identity) and the most subscribed female Twitch streamer of all time. \u201cI feel like people are embracing VTubers more than ever, and it\u2019s really cool to see,\u201d she tells Rolling Stone. Aside from streaming, she\u2019s also a singer \u2014 she\u2019s released two singles in the past year, as well as being featured on Canadian rapper bbno$\u2019s single \u201c1-800.\u201d S.C.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tIlona Maher<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Christopher Polk\/penske media\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @ilonamaher
Genre: Sports Creator
Followers: 9.1 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tWhen Team USA Rugby star Ilona Maher became the unofficial behind-the-scenes chronicler of the 2020 Olympics, people were drawn to her upbeat, goofy humor. But in the years since, Maher\u2019s impassioned and unique devotion to women\u2019s sports \u2014 and body positivity \u2014 captured hearts worldwide. A runner-up on Season 33 of Dancing With The Stars, Maher demands one thing from her audience: confidence. \u201cTake up space,\u201d Maher, 29, said while accepting her 2025 ESPY Breakthrough Athlete award. \u201cPitch it faster. Run harder. Put another plate on the bar. And never tone it down.\u201d C.T.J.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tSpeedy Morman<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by John Nacion\/WireImage\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @speedymorman
Genre: Journalist
Subscribers: 1.6 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tIf there\u2019s a viral interview clip making the rounds, there\u2019s a good chance Speedy Morman is at the scene of the crime. The New York native started at Complex as an intern, and quickly became one of the most recognizable interviewers online with his jovial spirit and fast-paced style. Morman\u2019s nice, but he\u2019s no pushover, quick to interject with a one-liner or a pointed question. And while he doesn\u2019t consider himself a comedian \u2014 he tells Rolling Stone he leaves comedy to people like Druski \u2014 that hasn\u2019t kept his interviews from becoming meme fodder. Whether it\u2019s snapping Ray J\u2019s unbreakable glasses, or complimenting GloRilla\u2019s thick Memphis accent and another artist\u2019s \u201cbeautiful spirit\u201d (pronounced brrr-tferrl), Morman, 31, and his series, 360 With Speedy, have become a go-to press stop for everyone from rappers to movie stars to sitting presidents. \u201cI try to remain true to the essence of journalism, while also interjecting personality and fun,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m a journalist first. And then the rest is just vibes.\u201d C.T.J.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tTefi Pessoa<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Cindy Ord\/VF25\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @hellotefi
Genre: Lifestyle Creator
Followers: 2.5 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tEstefan\u00eda Vanegas Pessoa, known to the world as Tefi Pessoa, often thinks back on the time a storyteller visited her Miami middle school. \u201cI remember thinking, \u2018That is what I want to do. That\u2019s real power.\u2019\u201d Now 35, Pessoa effortlessly switches from red-carpet interviewer to the voice of wisdom. Her content is lifestyle mixed with her signature blend of big-sister energy, but storytelling remains at its heart. In May 2025, she started an advice column with The Cut, Ask Tefi, and in August, she launched a podcast, Tefi Talks. And for those who might not get all their answers from there, Pessoa\u2019s TikTok account is still a fount of insight \u2014\u00a0formulated just for the girlies. \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever made a video with a man in mind,\u201d Pessoa says. C.T.J.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tDrew Afualo<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Maya Dehlin Spach\/FilmMagic\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @drewafualo
Genre: Lifestyle Creator
Followers: 10 million<\/p>\n\n\tFor Drew Afualo, 29, describing her content lane is easy. \u201c<\/strong>I just fuck up terrible men on the internet,\u201d she tells Rolling Stone. The job is a long cry from the sports journalist career Afualo dreamed of after college, but she has turned her viral rants tearing down misogynists into a TikTok empire. She\u2019s completed a national tour, become a New York Times bestselling author for her memoir, Loud, and still found time to record her popular (and often viral) podcast, The Comment Section. Afualo is an era-defining creator whose voice represents TikTok\u2019s rise in the digital economy \u2014 think a household name but on for-you-pages \u2014\u00a0and she\u2019s kept her crown by never backing down from a fight. \u201cInfluence online is having the ear of millions of people,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd that is a wonderful and horrifying thing all at the same time.\u201d C.T.J.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tDuke Dennis<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Prince Williams\/WireImage\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @dukedennis
Genre: Streamer
Followers: 25.2 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tFor a while, Duke Dennis, 31, functioned as a meme, his name shorthand for a guy who could steal your girlfriend if he wanted to. Over time, though, his brand has expanded and his relationship with his audience solidified. As a member of AMP, he\u2019s something like the older brother of the group, offering a model for how the young men around him should act. This year, Dennis visited China to stream and says his biggest goal is to be featured on Law & Order. \u201cOne episode, even if I\u2019m just a dead body or something. I\u2019m cool. That\u2019s my peak,\u201d he told Rolling Stone earlier this year. This spring, after it was revealed that he had children, Dennis became the butt of online jokes, as various women posted claiming to be the mothers of those kids. In reality, Dennis hasn\u2019t come forward with the children\u2019s identities in order to protect them from online attention. In all, he handled the ridicule gracefully, opening up to his audience about a part of his life he\u2019d long kept quiet. The result: even more aura. Jeff Ihaza<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tJake Shane<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by JC Olivera\/GA\/\u201cThe Hollywood Reporter\u201d\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @octopusslover8
Genre: Comedian
Followers: 4.9 million<\/p>\n\n\tIt\u2019s been two years since influencer and comedian Jake Shane turned his octopus-dish-review account into a comedy journey. After he shifted to improv based on historical or biblical events \u2014 What if John Wilkes Booth went into the wrong theater? What did Jesus\u2019 disciples gossip about? \u2014 Shane has exploded from viral account of the week into a mainstay in creator spaces. While he\u2019s still open about his struggles with mental health, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, Shane, 25, has become synonymous with a self-deprecating sense of humor that lets fans in on the joke. He has presented at the American Music Awards, had a recurring role on Hacks, and dispelled the yearslong theory that Lea Michele can\u2019t read on an episode of his Therapuss podcast. Now, on his second stand-up tour, Shane says he\u2019s focused more on screen roles. But fans still react the strongest when he\u2019s doing what he started with: shitposting at home with his best friends. C.T.J.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tAlex Cooper<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Rob Kim\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @alexandracooper
Genre: Lifestyle Podcaster
Followers: 9.5 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tWhen lightning strikes in the pop-culture zeitgeist, Alex Cooper, 31, is often at the center of it. The Call Her Daddy host and Unwell Network founder has invited guests like Chappell Roan and Kamala Harris onto her podcast, which boasts more than 250 million streams. Though she\u2019s known for her access to high-profile figures at the height of their popularity (even Kamala Harris sat in the Call Her Daddy chair during her presidential bid), she\u2019s branching out, releasing a tell-all documentary, Call Her Alex, on Hulu earlier this year, executive-producing a new reality dating show for the streamer, and launching an electrolyte drink line called Unwell Hydration. S.C.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tCamilla Araujo<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Alena Zakirova\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @camilla
Genre: OnlyFans Model
Followers: 18.5 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tAfter a cameo in MrBeast\u2019s massive \u201cSquid Game\u201d YouTube video in 2021, OnlyFans star Camilla Araujo, 23, has become a master of internet virality, using rage bait and provocative comments \u2014 and a strategic, data-driven approach similar to that of MrBeast \u2014 to fuel her explosive growth. Araujo\u2019s rise reflects a growing class of Gen Z influencers who are using OnlyFans to springboard into mainstream internet fame. She\u2019s part of the Bop House, the mega-viral OnlyFans content house, and runs her own social media consultancy, but that\u2019s just the start. \u201cI want to be everywhere,\u201d she says. \u201cI want to be unavoidable.\u201d Taylor Lorenz<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tHasan Piker<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Justin Nunez\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @hasanabi
Genre: Political Streamer
Subscribers: 10.5 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tThe biggest socialist in streaming isn\u2019t slowing down. \u201cPeople are looking for someone willing to fight against the Trump administration,\u201d Piker says \u2014 and he\u2019s up for the job. Piker, 33, covered the L.A. ICE protests, interviewed leftist leader Jean-Luc M\u00e9lenchon in France, toured Queens with NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, and visited the headquarters of the Japanese Communist Party. Freedom of speech is top of mind: He was detained by border security and questioned about his political views when returning from a trip abroad in May. \u201cThat was an interesting experience,\u201d he jokes. And yet his recent international focus is no accident. It\u2019s about \u201csolidarity with other working-class movements all around the world,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s a united struggle.\u201d Miles Klee\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tMrBeast<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by John Nacion\/”Variety”\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @MrBeast
Genre: Stunt YouTuber
Followers: 871.6 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tWhether he\u2019s making 2,000 people fight for $5 million or spending seven days stranded at sea, stunt YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, a.k.a. MrBeast, continues to wield staggering influence. This year alone, Donaldson, 27, has flirted with taking over as the new X CEO and made a bid to buy TikTok. But controversy has dogged his high-octane productions: His Amazon show Beast Games led to a class-action lawsuit after contestants revealed poor working conditions. S.C.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tCaleb Hearon<\/p>\n
\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by River Callaway\/\u201cVariety\u201d\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @calebsaysthings
Genre: Comedian
Followers: 1.6 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tThe stand-up comedian is known for his sharp jabs at everything from fatphobic trolls to HOAs. But he\u2019s more than a jokester, hosting a hit chat podcast, So True With Caleb Hearon, and branching into acting. He starred in the 2024 film Sweethearts on HBO Max, was recently cast in the long awaited Devil Wears Prada sequel, and will star in director Lilly Wachowskis\u2019 solo feature debut \u2014\u00a0which Hearon co-wrote. \u201cI think it\u2019s radical that I don\u2019t dislike myself as a fat person in a society that hates fat people,\u201d Hearon, 30, told Rolling Stone in 2024. \u201cI want fat people \u2014 especially little fat gay kids in red states \u2014 to watch my stuff and go \u2018Oh, actually, a cool life is possible for me.\u2019\u201d C.T.J.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tQuenlin Blackwell<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Antoine Flament\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @quenblackwell
Genre: Comedian
Followers: 20.8 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tQuenlin Blackwell, 24, is everywhere. The comic, model, and creator \u2014 known online as Quen \u2014 was a popular staple on the dearly departed video app Vine, but survived its fall to become a Gen-Z voice almost synonymous with internet content. She thrived on Twitter before it was X, raked in the views on YouTube, then made her mark on TikTok in 2019. Now, she\u2019s on YouTube cooking for PinkPantheress for her Feeding Starving Celebrities series, onstage with Charli XCX for her \u201cGuess\u201d performance at the 2025 Grammys, and on set for a role in Rachel Sennot\u2019s untitled upcoming series for HBO. \u201c[It girl] means you\u2019re authentic and you aren\u2019t scared to be exactly who you are,\u201d she tells Rolling Stone. \u201cIf you\u2019re actively trying to be an It girl, you\u2019re already doing it wrong.\u201d C.T.J.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tKai Cenat<\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Aaron J. Thornton\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @kai_cenat
Genre: Streamer
Followers: 80.1 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tBy now, there\u2019s a deep archive of Kai Cenat content, going back to his teenage years as a YouTuber. Watching the now-23-year-old streamer develop has been actually quite instructive, as he embodies his generation\u2019s ethos perfectly. He\u2019s open with his audience in a way that builds a genuine connection. Increasingly, he\u2019s become a mogul within the world of streaming and content. For his \u201cStreamer University\u201d from this spring, dozens of creators from around the country descended upon the campus of Ohio\u2019s University of Akron for four days of audience cross-pollination. (They lived in dorms and attended classes run by established streamers like Agent and DDG, who taught the basics of online drama.) Cenat remains a central figure in the world of streaming and, as he matures, appears to be set on innovating any way that he can. \u201cI want to act and direct my own shows and more movies,\u201d Cenat told Rolling Stone earlier this year. He\u2019s well on his way. J.I.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tMs Rachel<\/p>\n
\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo courtesy of Netflix\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @msrachelforlittles
Genre: Children\u2019s Entertainer
Followers: 27.8 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tNo other creator has stood by their channel\u2019s mission as strongly and fearlessly as children\u2019s musical-content creator Rachel Anne Accurso has this year. The 42-year-old educator first gained popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic for her YouTube series Songs for Littles. But in 2024, she became the center of discourse after speaking up about the children suffering in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Even when others tried to criticize her for it, she continued to raise awareness and money for child victims of systemic violence worldwide. \u201cIt\u2019s sad that people try to make it controversial when you speak out for children that are facing immeasurable suffering,\u201d she said. In a landscape increasingly saturated with e-commerce and milquetoast principles, Accurso has spent the past year embodying what it means to be an influencer who chooses to live in the same reality as her audience, rather than removed from them entirely. S.C.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tDruski<\/p>\n
\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Abiel Garcia\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @druski
Genre: Sketch Comedian\u00a0
Followers: 28.4 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tWhen it comes to the stiff competition for funnymen online, 30-year-old Drew Desbordes, a.k.a. Druski, continues to set the tone. The Instagram-bred comedian has flexed his skills on the BET Awards stage with Kai Cenat and on his satirical game shows Coulda Been Love and Coulda Been House (Season Two of the latter features appearances by Rick Ross and Lil Yachty), and continued to make millions laugh with characters like \u201cthe white boy that\u2019s accepted by the hood\u201d or \u201cthose fashion dudes [who] try to be so mysterious and weird.\u201d His slapstick humor and quick wit remain both relatable and repostable nearly a decade deep. He\u2019s had to build his comedy empire largely on his own, self-funding projects since the beginning. \u201cWe tried too early on to push our stuff out there to the bigger people \u2014 like [Netflix and Amazon],\u201d he recently told Afrotech. \u201cIt quickly turned into a no, but I think with the success of the shows and us doing it on our own proved to me that we can do this by ourselves.\u201d S.C.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
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\tIShowSpeed<\/p>\n
\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Photo by Jesse Grant\/Getty Images\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\tHandle: @ishowspeed
Genre: Streamer
Followers: 135 million<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\tHow do you become a global phenomenon? For IShowSpeed, it starts with never turning the camera off. IShowSpeed has transformed a childhood nickname (Speed) and his longtime love of video games into an IRL streaming empire. Born Darren Watkins Jr., the Ohioan, 20, is best known for his worldwide streaming tours, where the camera stays rolling as he meets foreign dignitaries and sports legends, plays in pickup soccer matches, films music videos for his budding rap career, or is hounded by massive crowds. Speed\u2019s teen antics have gotten him in hot water, but he\u2019s addressed each controversy with a genuine apology, all while drawing millions of views with his boisterous energy and cultural curiosity. In 2024, he set a record for the most concurrent streams for an individual on YouTube, reaching 1 million live viewers while on a tour of Indonesia. \u201cFor an artist, the only time they\u2019re talking to their fans is at a concert,\u201d he told Forbes in 2024. \u201cBut with livestreaming, we\u2019re always there.\u201d C.T.J.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From streamers and podcasters to OnlyFans models and TikTok megastars, here’s the people shaping the culture of 2025…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":177180,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[21756,100483,171,563,2397,67,132,68,3894],"class_list":{"0":"post-177179","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-creators","9":"tag-creators-special-2025","10":"tag-entertainment","11":"tag-instagram","12":"tag-tiktok","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us","16":"tag-youtube"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115095437855927730","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177179","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177179\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/177180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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