The Hottest YouTube Stars Alive!
26. Sonia Gil
25. Lindsey Stirling
Subscribers: 4.9 million
After being rejected from "America's Got Talent," Lindsey Stirling, 27, proved that her hip-hop violin skills actually could become a viable career. YouTube helped to broaden the audience that she developed while on the show, as her music videos, covers, and vlogs receive millions of hits. She's now released two albums, and recorded with stars like John Legend.
24. Todrick Hall
Subscribers: 865K
Todrick Hall came to YouTube fame with some of his Weird Al-style song parodies like "The Wizard of Ahhhs" and "I Want You Black" after appearing on the ninth season of "American Idol." Toddy is now represented by Justin Bieber's agent, Scooter Braun, and recently appeared on Forbes' 30 Under 30 Entertainment list.
23. Cassey Ho
Subscribers: 1.5 million
Cassey Ho manages to make fitness fun with her energetic, yet tough routines. The 27-year-old certified Pilates instructor started her channel when she moved to Boston as a way to continue motivating her ex-students. The videos ended up being wildly successful to more than just her classes; her Call Me Maybe Mighty Squat Challenge is a pop pilates video with over 4 million views.
22. Natalie Tran
Subscribers: 1.5 million
Tran uses humor to vent about everyday, normal problems like what happens when you lose your phone while it's on silent, or how to fake a six pack. The Sydney native is the most-subscribed Australian YouTuber of all time, and it was reported in 2010 that she was earning over $100,000 a year from her video content — not bad for a then-24-year-old!
21. Peter "Nice Peter" Shukoff and Lloyd "epicLLOYD" Ahlquist
Subscribers: 9.8 million
"Nice Peter" and "epicLLOYD" started making their staged, comedic rap battles between historical figures in 2010, and their videos were soon breaking records. The thirty-somethings just kicked off season 3 of their Epic Rap Battles series, featuring Edgar Allen Poe vs. Stephen King, Muhammed Ali vs. Michael Jordan, and more to come.
20. Carli Bybel
Subscribers: 1.6 million
Carly Bybel's channel has really grown over the past year as more and more fans tune in to watch her how-to style and beauty advice videos. She partnered with Macy's in the past to help promote their clothing and lure more millennials like herself into shopping at stores nationwide.
19. Scott Bradlee
Subscribers: 538K
Growing up, Bradlee, 32, trained as a jazz pianist and had a longstanding "love/hate relationship with pop music." Through his project Postmodern Jukebox, Bradlee re-records popular hits and puts his own unique spin on them with new vocals, melodies and, of course, some piano playing.
18. Ingrid Nilsen
Subscribers: 2.6 million
Nilsen is another beauty expert who has garnered a major following from her instructive, laid-back tutorials. Her DIY videos teach everything from how to style short hair to how to make your own deep conditioning treatments. The 25-year-old is also known by her YouTube username, "Miss Glamorazzi."
17. "Dude Perfect" (Coby Cotton, Cory Cotton, Cody Jones, Tyler Toney, Garrett Hilbert)
Subscribers: 2.7 million
Dude Perfect is a quintet of five twenty-something friends — basketballers and then classmates at Texas A&M — who started making extreme trick shot videos that went viral. They make perfect shots from the roofs of buildings, ziplines, and a number of other seemingly impossible places, and they now have their own popular iPhone game.
16. Rosanna Pansino
Subscribers: 2.1 million
You may have seen Pansino's face plastered on subways or in TV commercials. One of the new faces of YouTube, Pansino is widely subscribed to for her adorably geeky signature cupcakes. The "Nerdy Nummies" baker launched her famous line of Angry Birds cupcakes at New York's Little Cupcake Bakeshop in April.
15. Tyler Oakley
Subscribers: 4.5 million
Tyler Oakley is a 25-year-old advocate for LGBT youth. His first YouTube video in 2007 received an overwhelming 70,000 hits, and since then he appeared in a Superbowl commercial introducing Beyoncé and, through his online presence raised over $525,000 for his favorite crisis intervention charity, The Trevor Project.
14. Zoe Sugg
Subscribers: 4.9 million
Zoe Sugg, 24, charms the internet with her sweet British accent, doe-eyed smile, and brilliant lifehacks for hair, makeup, and all things style. Her videos are quirky and informative, ranging from tutorials to product promos to collaboration videos with other YouTubers (like her brother, fellow YouTuber Joe Sugg).
13. Nick Pitera
Subscribers: 570K
Pitera's incredible vocal range is what first got him noticed on YouTube. His ability to sing — and sing well, we might add — both the Aladdin and Jasmine parts in a home video recording "A Whole New World" earned him more than 32 million views. The 28 year old has an innate love of Disney, which could come from his job at Pixar.
12. Justine Ezarik
Subscribers: 1.9 million
The woman known as iJustine, as the name implies, is a vlogger with a tech focus who got her start after a video of her 300 page iPhone bill went viral. Justine, 30, also posts comedy videos, like music video spoofs or quick snaps of her being silly.
11. Ryan Higa
Subscribers: 12.3 million
A Hawaiian native, Higa, 24, discovered YouTube in 2006 and used it as a means to rant about parents, bromances, and being a ninja. A student at the University of Nevada – Las Vegas majoring in film, Higa has made promo videos for films like "Despicable Me" and companies like Carl Jr.
10. Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla "Smosh"
Subscribers: 17.9 million
Smosh is an eclectic channel with different comedy sketches that parody everything from selfie addictions to Pokemon. The Smosh series has grown tremendously, gaining over 19 million followers becoming the most subscribed to YouTube channel three times. The two stars, both 26, have expanded their success to include eight Smosh-connected channels on the site.
9. Dulce Tejeda
Subscribers: 1.6 million
Dulce Tejeda, 26, started vlogging on her 15-month tour in Iraq in order to feel feminine while in the military. Once she returned, her beauty and fashion how-to videos really took off and led her to work with brands such as Macy's and L'Oreal.
8. DeStorm Power
Subscribers: 1.6 million
YouTube helped DeStorm Power turn his entire life around. An aspiring rapper, DeStorm went after his dreams but ended up living on the streets. Eventually, he realized the potential of the site to make money and gain recognition for his music. DeStorm posts hip-hop and fitness videos for over a million subscribers, and has mastered the ways to make money from his YouTube fame.
7. Ray William Johnson
Subscribers: 10.7 million
Ray William Johnson, also known as RWJ, is the creator of popular web series "Equals Three" and "Riley Rewind." Johnson, 32, started creating YouTube videos while he was a student at Columbia University, and his success has driven him not only to the TV channel FX, for which he's writing a sitcom, but also to acting himself.
6. Jenna Marbles
Subscribers: 13.3 million
The YouTube comedian, Jenna Mourey, better known as Jenna Marbles, is not afraid to make fun of anything or anyone, especially herself. The 27-year-old is a reigning female star on the site who can make any topic so hilarious that you won't be able to stop clicking on tutorials like "How to trick people into thinking you're really good looking" or informative rants like "Why girls hate each other."
5. Mike Chang
Subscribers: 2.6 million
Mike Chang used to be an overweight guy who couldn't seem to shed the pounds until he discovered "the Afterburn Effect." From there he worked his way to a super-ripped six pack, and now he's making it his goal to help one million guys get their dream bodies by 2017 through easy-to-follow workout videos and other training products.
4. Michelle Phan
Subscribers: 6.5 million
Phan, 27, was once turned down for a position at her local Lancôme beauty counter because she lacked experience, but after her videos went viral the company eventually hired her as their official video makeup artist. Last year the No. 1 YouTube beauty guru launched em michelle phan, a line of makeup inspired by her fans’ requests.
3. Jack and Finn Harries
Subscribers: 3.5 million
JacksGap is a video project documenting the life of 21-year-old twins Jack and Finn as they travel during their gap year. The brothers create inspirational posts from around the world, and have mastered the art of recording fun, well-made, and impactful YouTube videos. They're handsome, they're charitable, they have British accents — and there are two of them!
2. Felix Kjellberg
Subscribers: 27.4 million
Felix Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, is the most subscribed YouTube user around, knocking out even the celebrity VEVO channels of celebs like Rihanna and Eminem. This Swedish star, age 24, specializes in video game montages that are quirky and definitely one-of-a-kind. PewDiePie reportedly makes about $4 million per year from ad sales for his videos.
1. Bethany Mota
Subscribers: 6.3 million
Bethany Mota is a California teen who posts bubbly videos of clothing, make up, and DIY projects. Her videos run the gamut from date outfit inspiration to the perfect messy bun. Mota almost always has a smile on her face and tons of energy as she chats to the camera. The 18-year-old has earned major recognition because of her fans, even landing her own fashion line with Aeropostale.
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