I have to admit, most of the YouTubers I watch frequently run gaming channels and put out Let’s Plays as opposed to Q&A’s. However, that does’t mean that I can’t also watch YouTubers outside of that genre.
11. Grace Helbig (graciehinabox)
“I think if you ask people why they watch me, there would be some common thread among all of them that I’m somewhat of an awkward older sister. I have a teen, mostly female demographic. How that happened, I don’t know. But I think they see me as some sort of bizarre role model, and I’ll keep trying to do that for them.”
It takes a certain kind of person to pull off the dry, sarcastic sense of humor effectively. However, Grace carries it out well. That little aspect of her personality also ties in well with the personalities of the other YouTubers that she collaborates with. She’s just genuinely funny and clever, and I think that alone describes her perfectly.
10. Lilly Singh (IISuperwomanII)
“There is no shame in falling down. But there is pride in getting back up.”
I never knew who she was until one of my friends showed me one of her videos. I thought it was funny, but didn’t think about it again until I was shown another later on. Now, I’m glad to see that’s she’s gained quite a bit of popularity as of late, and by a bit, I mean a lot. Her videos overall have hundreds of millions and views, and they’re well-deserved. In her videos she often used two “characters,” if that’s what you’d like to call them. She pretends to be her parents, going all out with a drawn on beard and mustache for her father and emphasizing her accent for both her mother and her father.
9. Hannah Hart (MyHarto)
“Nobody is wired wrong, because there’s no wrong and right in the way we are.”
While some people come off as genuinely humorous, others come off as genuinely kind before they come off as funny. Hannah Hart seems to always make sure to try and make people feel good about themselves. I remember watching one of her videos and she was having other YouTubers read hate comments. After a few nasty ones, she made sure to end the video off by showing them kind, supportive comments. She’s an avid supporter of LGBT rights, has her own parody cookbook, and also adopted a puppy (Pit Bull mix) from a shelter in Southern California. Doesn’t that just scream “good person”?
8. Phillip DeFranco (sxephil)
“Don’t live like there’s no tomorrow, that’s stupid. But live your life like it’s a story that you would want to tell someone else.”
An odd choice for the first YouTuber someone watched frequently, I remember watching Phillip DeFranco’s videos when I first discovered what YouTube was. He’s been around since 2006, and has kept up with consistent videos since then. Back in the day, he was one of the most subscribed people, and it’s oddly surprising to me that so many have surpassed him. However, he does have three million subscribers, and that’s still a lot. I think the main thing that stands out about him is the fact that he’s great about sharing the news in a humorous way. I’ve always thought of him as the Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart of YouTube.
7. Dan Howell and Phil Lester (danisnotonfire and AmazingPhil)
“To me the meaning of life is to be happy, it’s to achieve happiness right now. It’s to make sure you’re happy in the future, and that generally when you look back on your life, you’re like: yes, that was satisfactory.” (Dan)
I’m sure if you’re a fan of these two, at some point, you’ve probably compared them to you and your best friend. I remember being a huge fan of these two many years ago, and loving the fact that they weren’t afraid to embarrass themselves. They told embarrassing stories and were blatantly honest, all while mastering the art of story-telling and making everything they say sound interesting. As a duo, their personalities seem to just mesh together perfectly. They’re very similar, all while being very different when it comes to smaller details.
6. Ryan Higa (nigahiga)
“Everything that I’ve ever done and everything I’ve ever accomplished was all thanks to you guys.”
Some people have been on YouTube for what seems like forever, and Ryan is definitely one of those people. He created his channel in 2006 and had over three million subscribers by 2010. That’s more than what many of the “top” YouTubers have today. Now, he’s at over 13 million subscribers and was the number one most subscribed person on YouTube in the past. I think his clever sense of humor is what really makes his videos special, and he is yet to recycle any ideas or lose relevancy. It really says something that someone who has been around for so long could maintain so many subscribers, and continue to gain more and more.
5. Shane Dawson (shane)
“No matter how old you are or how young you are, or how many obstacles you have- just keep doing what you think you were born to do.”
Another one of the YouTube giants who have been around since practically the creation of YouTube. Shane is knowing for saying what he wants, and doing things that will leave your jaw on the floor… while laughing, of course. While he may not seem like it at first, any long-term Shane Dawson fan will tell you that he’s incredibly thankful, and has gone through many of the troubles that his fans go though. Suffering his own fair share of body image issues, he always makes sure to let his fans know that they’re never alone, despite what they may be going through.
4. Kian Lawley and JC Caylen (KianAndJC)
“So wake up every morning smiling and tell yourself that it’s gonna be a good day, ’cause it’s gonna be.”
Out of all of these, I’m sure this is more of my guilty pleasure. After O2L (Our 2nd Life) fell apart, all of the members seem to have dispersed and done their own things. Kian and JC, however, have definitely stuck together. The popular YouTube channel O2L was something I honestly never watched. I had always preferred to watch what the members of the group had on their own personal channels, and all of the collaborations they had done with one another. These two are young and talk about and do the things that nobody else would really do. They say what they want (in terms of embarrassing themselves, not being offensive) without caring about what people are going to think of them, and despite the fact that many consider them to be immature, I still find them to be funny and enjoyable.
3. Bunny Meyer (grav3yardgirl)
“Believe in yourself, love yourself- embrace your individuality.”
Despite her username, this beauty guru has an incredibly bright personality. Although she would technically be considered a beauty guru, that’s not all she is. Most of her popularity came from her “Does This Thing Really Work?” series, which shows her testing out products (mostly ones advertised on television) in a humorous way. I see her as the definition of being herself, and it really shows. Not only does she come off as completely genuine in her videos, telling her experiences with anxiety and knowing that many of her fans can relate to her. However, she doesn’t tell it in a boring way, instead making light of her situation to give her viewers a good laugh. It’s also clear that out of all of those on the list, she may have the best community behind her. In her comment section, everybody seems to help and support each other, which is exactly what Bunny wants in the first place.
2. Jenna Mourey (JennaMarbles)
“Don’t ever, ever, ever give up, because you’re here for a reason, even if it’s just to laugh at cats on the internet.”
Does this need any explanation? Jenna may just be the definition of a YouTube giant, and someone who has now reached the television screen and red carpets. She’s the most subscribed woman on YouTube, and the 7th most subscribed overall with over 14 million subscribers. Jenna even as her own brand of dog toys, based off of her own dogs Cermet and Marbles. She managed to continue to put out relatable videos that may be a bit exaggerated, but are still funny nevertheless.
1. Tyler Oakley (tyleroakley)
“If someone attacks you because of who you are, know that there are millions of people who appreciate you living your own truth.”
There’s no doubt that Tyler has gotten an insane amount of recognition lately. He’s been on red carpets, on television, and is a huge supporter of The Trevor Project, an organization for the prevention of suicide, especially among LGBT youth. He is also a known supporter of Kids Beating Cancer, whose mission is to help children with life-threatening diseases have better access to treatment. His charitable work isn’t the only thing that put Tyler on my list, but also the fact that I find him to be completely hilarious. After all, I think he has the most contagious laugh on YouTube.
