Does IShowSpeed actually have a kid?
Introduction
Remember how the only way to become famous was to travel to Hollywood and seek your fortune or to send a demo tape to a music producer in the hopes of being signed to a lucrative record deal?
Well, thanks to the wonders of the internet, particularly YouTube, those days are behind us.
Nowadays, anybody with a strong online presence and engaging content can become famous and make a fortune on YouTube.
With YouTubers such as Logan Paul, KSI, Mr Beast, PewDiePie, and countless others all rising to fame thanks to millions of adoring young fans, and with a net worth of millions upon millions of dollars, it’s easy to understand why so many people choose to get in YouTubing.
One hugely popular YouTuber and social media influencer who has been grabbing a lot of attention lately is IShowSpeed.
Whereas YouTube channels can cover all manner of different topics, gaming channels have proved especially popular amongst younger audiences.
Add to this, the popularity of Twitch, and you can see why so many YouTubers choose gaming content.
IShowSpeed is no exception.
Because he is so popular, people often ask about his personal life and whether he has children. So, does IShowSpeed have a kid?
Let’s find out.
Who is IShowSpeed?
IShowSpeed pitch side before the Premier League match at Craven Cottage, London – @Getty
IShowSpeed, or Darren Watkins Jnr, as his real name, is an American YouTuber, rapper, singer, and streamer who primarily plays video games on his YouTube channel.
He has more than 19.3 million subscribers on YouTube and has amassed more than 2 billion views!
Having first come onto the scene in 2017, IShowSpeed had very humble beginnings online.
His YouTube channel was marginally successful, though he could hardly call himself a megastar at the time.
IShowSpeed would mainly focus on gaming and would enjoy modest growth on his channel for the next several years until his channel really took off in 2021 and 2022.
From here on out, he became one of the biggest and most popular YouTubers in the industry, and his channel continues to grow every single day.
He does, however, have somewhat of a controversial past, but don’t worry, we’ll be addressing that a little later on.
Needless to say, because he is so popular, people often ask about his personal life.
After comments he made a short while back, speculation surrounding whether he had children began to grow. But does IShowSpeed have a kid? Don’t worry; we’ll get to that.
Early Years
IShowSpeed at The 2023 Streamy Awards held at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel – @Getty
Born January 21, 2005, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Watkins was an avid gamer from a young age and would spend hours gaming.
In 2016, he joined YouTube, and in 2017, it went live with his channel and would start uploading clips from his gaming.
He would primarily focus on games such as Minecraft, Roblox, FIFA, and Fortnite, as well as NBA 2K.
His channel did very poorly to begin with, as he only obtained 2 viewers.
In April 2021, however, all of that started to change.
Rise to Fame
‘IShowSpeed’ gestures during the second half of a U.S. Open Cup semifinal match between Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati – @Getty
In April 2021, IShowSpeed began ramping up his social media efforts and saw a sharp rise in subscribers.
He went from 100K subscribers in April to 1 Million in June 2021.
This was largely thanks to his TikTok clips going viral. A year later, he was at 10 Million subscribers.
Ironically, it wasn’t his gaming content that helped him to go viral. Instead, it was his angry reactions to gaming.
Those who have played FIFA will know all too well just how frustrating the game can be.
He would shout, swear, break furniture, and rage quit his games, much to the amusement of his fans.
After his fans began sharing clips of his outbursts on TikTok, this drew more eyes to his YouTube, and his subscribers quickly grew.
In 2022, at the 12th “Streamy Awards,” IShowSpeed was named Breakout Streamer of the Year.
Watkins knew that his fanbase wanted to see angry outbursts, and most believe that he would play up to this and would really let loose.
His violent outbursts have resulted in bans from Twitch, which is why he now focuses on YouTube.
Like most so-called “influencers,” Watkins would up the stakes, and in 2022, he set off a firework in his bedroom while streaming and nearly burnt it down.
It wasn’t just his anger that got him fame; however, a game named ‘Talking Ben the Dog’ also helped hugely.
Talking Ben the Dog, music career, and controversy
IShowSpeed attends the Strawberries & Creem and 2k management party at One Marylebone – @Getty
More than a decade after its release, the mobile app game ‘Talking Ben the Dog’ began trending and surged in popularity as IShowSpeed began streaming it. It became the best-selling game on the app store.
In 2021, he would release his first single entitled ‘Dooty Booty,’ followed by one named ‘Shake.’ They were hits on TikTok and YouTube.
After nearly burning down his bedroom, being arrested during a livestream, and cheating on an exam live, Watkins has amassed even more infamy.
He has had to issue apologies for racism, sexual harassment, bigotry, misogyny, and fraudulent activity when he allegedly promoted a crypto scam while live streaming.
So, does IShowSpeed have a kid?
Okay, so the moment you’ve all been waiting for, does IShowSpeed have a kid? Well, to cut a long story short, we don’t know, but we suspect not. After making comments during an interview, IShowSpeed apparently claimed that he lived at home with his mother, his two siblings, and his daughter. In June 2022, he posted a video with a little girl on his stream and would call her his daughter in the video’s title.
Many skeptics believe that he is trolling, however, or is simply looking for ways of getting more views, more subscribers, and staying relevant online.
So, while some claim he had a daughter at just 16, there is not enough evidence to suggest that he does have a kid, so, for now, we’re treating it purely as a rumor.
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Lee Parry is a writer and blogger originally from Manchester, UK, and he has a B.A. in Modern Languages from Manchester Metropolitan University. Parry occasionally teaches English and spends most of his free time reading.