The quick rise to fame of IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., went from thousands of viewers to millions in just a few days. Born on January 21, 2005, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Darren created his YouTube channel in 2016, primarily uploading gameplay videos on an occasional basis. Around December 2017, he began livestreaming and sharing videos of games like NBA 2K and sometimes Fortnite, but he only averaged a few viewers, often just two per livestream. At that time, he was only 12 years old, and not many people were tuning in to watch his streams, aside from friends and family.
This began to change between 2021 and 2022 when he gradually gained traction across multiple social media platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. Speed became well-known for his dramatic and energetic behavior during his livestreams, which included antics like barking and getting angry while playing games. In April 2021, he achieved a significant milestone when his YouTube channel reached 100,000 subscribers. Just two months later, he hit 1 million subscribers.
His prominence grew as fans began sharing clips of his often outrageous behavior during livestreams, which quickly gained popularity and became widely circulated memes on TikTok. However, there were consequences for his actions; soon after, Darren was banned from Twitch and the game Valorant for making inappropriate comments to a female player, violating community guidelines on both platforms.
One notable contribution to Speed’s popularity was his content surrounding the mobile app Talking Ben. His videos showcased the character Talking Ben the Dog, which had gained significant attention, especially after Lifehacker credited him with bringing the app back into the spotlight. The game became the best-selling app on the App Store in April 2022, over a decade after its original release.
Kotaku, a well-known video game website, described Watkins as “one of the biggest and fastest-rising streamers” on YouTube. On July 4, 2022, he attracted media attention for setting off a Pikachu firework in his bedroom, nearly causing a fire. Remarkably, he hit 10 million subscribers that same month, having reached 1 million just the previous year, which means he achieved this milestone in just one year.
Despite his rapid ascent, he faced setbacks, including a community guidelines strike and a one-week ban on YouTube after livestreaming an inappropriate Minecraft mod. In addition to being a content creator, Watkins is also a musician. He has released several songs and EPs, gaining a sizable following for his music, which is often described as fast-paced and in the Brazilian hip-hop style. His first single, “Dooty Booty,” was released in August 2021, and a later single titled “Shake,” which sampled “Ready or Not” by the Fugees and “Hit The Road Jack” by Ray Charles, went viral, amassing over 211 million views on YouTube.
For years, Watkins created content centered around his love for footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. His dedication paid off in June 2023 when he met his idol after a match in Portugal, an emotional moment that quickly went viral. As of September 2024, IShowSpeed is one of the most viewed English-speaking streamers, drawing over 1.04 million concurrent viewers to an “IRL Stream” from Indonesia, making him the most popular English-speaking streamer in history and breaking a record previously held by Australian streamer LazarBeam.
Darren is now gaining traction because of a stream he made back in 2021 were he was playing Fortnite with a kid who was wagering him for money and what is making people go crazy over this is the way the kid was handling the situation. The kid was putting up an act trying to make Darren feel bad but what happened next is what is making speed trend again, It’s him making facial expressions because of what the kid had said the kid had said “Please Speed I need this, My mom is kind of homeless I live with my dad. I want to help her out.” said the kid. When the kid had said this speed made a a face of him trying not to laugh making him go viral and people to make remixed versions of his face and using them all over the internet.
