25 Most Influential Creators of 2024 (2024)

August 26, 2024

• Wendy Guevara

  

  Handle: @soywendyguevaraoficial
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 4.6 million

  Once known as “la perdida,” or “the lost one,” Mexican star Wendy Guevara is a former sex worker and YouTube livestreamer who was first introduced to Spanish-speaking audiences in 2017 when she and a friend went viral for getting lost in a forest. She deepened her voice, joked about her trans identity, and let out her signature infectious cackle. A few years, hundreds of livestreams, and a reality-show win later, Guevara, 31, is now the most sought-after internet celebrity in Latin America. -Tomás Mier

• Nimay Ndolo

  

  Handle: @nimay.ndolo
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 2.4 million

  Software developer and content creator Nimay Ndolo, 30, has used her platform to talk about politics, entertainment, technology, and fashion, sharing sharp takes laced with relentlessly funny quips. Her witty, rambling monologues have encouraged discourses on topics like voting, mental health, Gen Z aging, and New York City, where she recently moved. “I’ve found that comedy is the best way to start conversation — once you get people laughing, sh*t is easier,” she says.-Steffi Cao

• Mandy Lee

  

  Handle: @oldloserinbrooklyn
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 530,600

  When 30-year-old Mandy Lee asked people to try not buying any clothes for the first three months of2024, her #75hardstyle trend went from a local Brooklyn challenge to a wide-ranging exercise in sustainability — raking in 30,000 participants and millions of views. Lee is committed to getting buyers to be thoughtful about every purchase, bringing that perspective to collaborations with Proenza Schouler and Tory Burch. “When people know their style, they inherently waste less,” she says.

• Reece Feldman

  

  Handle: @guywithamoviecamera
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 2.4 million

  Though he first went viral for his funny behind-the-scenes clips from the set of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and later The Summer I Turned Pretty, Reece Feldman, 26, has since evolved from a fly on the wall to a star in his own right. While at first, Feldman, then working as a production assistant, filmed without studio permission, now he’s completely changed the way studios approach their digital marketing strategies, and has collaborated on the rollouts of films like Twisters and Wonka.-SC

• Aliyah’s Interlude

  

  Handle: @aliyahsinterlude
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 2.9 million

  “Bitch, you know I’m sexy. Ugh, don’t call, just text me.” With those 11 words, Atlanta creator and rapper Aliyah’s Interlude, 21, cemented her It-girl status. She’s also the originator of “Aliyahcore,” her take on Y2K harajuku — complete with massive fur boots, colorful fishnets, and fuzzy headphones — which turned into a highly re-created fashion aesthetic. “I create content for people who don’t feel accepted within their own lives, who are outcasts within their communities,” she says. -CT Jones

• Monet McMichael

  

  Handle: @monetmcmichael
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 3.8 million

  Monet McMichael was at Rutgers University when her chatty GRWMs turned her into everyone’s “internet bestie.” This year, the 24-year-old dropped a fragrance, appeared on the Oscars red carpet, and partnered with brands like Garnier. McMichael’s relationship with Love Island contestant Jalen Noble enraged her fans after he spoke about his thoughts on “providers” in heterosexual couplings — and the fact that so many feel entitled to have opinions shows how popular she’s become. –SC

• RDCWorld1

  

  Handle: @RDCworld1
  Platform: YouTube
  Subscribers: 7 million

  Anime and the NBA might not seem like obvious bedfellows, but for the Texas-based collective RDCWorld1 — short for Real Dreams Change the World — that pairing (along with comedy, football, rap, and a slew of other interests) has led to a massive fan base that includes J. Cole and LeBron James. Though the channel launched as a way to promote their manga show, The Resistance, it was when they started posting basketball-themed skits that the NBA community took notice — and their careers took off.-Elisabeth Garber-Paul

• Toni Bravo

  

  Handle: @bonitravo
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 582,000

  L.A.-based beauty creator Toni Bravo, 24, can still remember not being able to find foundation that matched her dark complexion. It’s that memory that led Bravo to post makeup reviews focused on inclusion. “The messages I would get after posting made me feel this is a lot bigger than just finding a lip liner that works for my skin tone,” she says. Bravo is now one of the fastest-growing beauty voices on TikTok — proving that developing makeup for everyone is good for brands’ images, and bottom lines. -CTJ

• Omar Herz Show

  

  Handle: @omarherzshow
  Platform: Instagram
  Followers: 1.6 million

  Omar Shareed and Mohammed Herzallah, both 19, were two friends who had just started at university when Israel’s bombing of Gaza began last October. After months of violence, the duo began documenting their “daily routine in the war zone” in April. Within three months, they amassed more than 1.6 million Instagram followers. Shareed and Herzallah have shared a perspective that no other media outlet would be able to offer, recording the smallest details of how civilians adapt and survive. -SC

• Wisdom Kaye

  

  Handle: @wisdm8
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 11.6 million

  This Nigerian American fashion creator — dubbed the “best-dressed guy on TikTok” by Vogue — first defined his presence by remaking viral runway looks on a budget and styling outfits from prompts as simple as fruits or a color. Mainstream fashion houses took note, turning Kaye, 23, into one of the most influential voices in fashion’s online world. Now, he’s turned his millions of followers into a career as an IMG model, walking for brands like Dior, Fendi, Ralph Lauren, and Coach. -CTJ

• Hasan Piker

  

  Handle: @HasanAbi
  Platform: Twitch
  Followers: 2.7 million

  Hasan Piker, 33, has gained legions of fans from his multi-hour streams — expletive-laced, sometimes-controversial breakdowns of current political events (“satirical” comments he made about Rep. Dan Crenshaw managed to piss off both sides) — and won him collabs with everyone from AOC to Valkyrae. “I’ve always been of the mindset that if a person online is showing positive values, then that’s a pretty positive way of trying to get others to copy that behavior,” he says. “That’s what I try to do.”-EGP

• Jake Shane

  

  Handle: @octopusslover8
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 3.1 million

  Until early 2023, Jake Shane, 24, used his account, Octopusslover8, to post reviews of octopus dishes. But when he started doing historical improv — Noah (of ark fame) as a club bouncer, the Boston Tea Party, now with matcha — he hit 1 million followers, and was thrown into a reality where he did Pilates with Glen Powell and hung backstage with Reneé Rapp. His best quality, though, remains his self-deprecating comedy, which he’s translated into a hit podcast, Therapuss With Jake Shane. -CTJ

• Druski

  

  Handle: @druski
  Platform: Instagram
  Followers: 8 million

  Not long after Drew Desbordes, a.k.a. Druski, 29, began posting comedy sketches, he opened for Jack Harlow and appeared in music videos like Drake’s “Laugh Now Cry Later.” But it was the Instagram sketch series Coulda Been Records, where he played a label head searching for the next biggest star, drawing in musicians like Chance the Rapper and Ice Spice, that blew him up. This fall, he’s launching Coulda Fest in Atlanta, where he will co-host comedians and rappers alongside DJ Fresh. -SC

• Plastique Tiara

  

  Handle: @plastique_tiara
  Platform: TikTok
  Subscribers: 11.6 million

  “I’m a content creator before a drag queen,” says Plastique Tiara, 27, who rose to fame posting eye-popping, gender-bending content that shows her transformation in real time. “I’m creating a persona.” On TikTok, the Vietnamese star and former Drag Race contestant’s social media channel, launched during the pandemic, pioneered a new way for queens to experiment with and showcase their drag. She ushered in a new class of “social media queens” inspired by her style of internet-first content. -TM

• Anthony Fantano

  

  Handle: @theneedledrop
  Platform: YouTube
  Subscribers: 2.9 million

  Known to fans as “the internet’s busiest music nerd,” critic Anthony Fantano’s channel started as a show for a local public-radio affiliate. Fantano, 38, decided to move the show onto YouTube after seeing the burgeoning community on the platform, in contrast to the “fake, boring personalities” on TV. His reviews for albums like Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly and Tyler, the Creator’s IGOR rake in millions of views, inspire internet discourse, and draw reactions from the artists themselves. -SC

• Theo Von

  

  Handle: @theovon
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 6.7 million

  Theo Von’s wide-reaching viewership speaks to his comedic authority, but the self-declared “white trash” creator, 44, has also become a staple in the TikTok entertainment space for his explosive celebrity interviews. Everyone from Sexyy Red to Ed Sheeran to Kat Von D has spent time on Von’s This Past Weekend — not to mention other popular comedy creators like Brittany Broski and Druski — where he constantly churns out sound bites for pop-culture fans.-SC

• Keith Lee

  

  Handle: @keith_lee125
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 16.5 million

  TikTok’s preeminent food critic Keith Lee has boosted businesses and spurred crowds of followers to visit places he recommends. Largely focusing on local and Black-owned businesses, the former MMA fighter, 27, is nothing if not modest — “I’m not famous, I’m just popular,” he told Rolling Stone earlier this year — but his content shows just how much impact social media can have on the corporeal world: The way customers flow in after his recommendations is dubbed “the Keith Lee Effect.”-SC

• Alix Earle

  

  Handle: @alixearle
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers 7.1 million

  TikToker Alix Earle first went viral for detailing her experience with relatable topics like acne, breakups, and mental illness. Since then, Earle, 23, has continued to drive conversations with raw glimpses of her life, including showing an infamous “puke dress” during a closet clean-out. She is the cover star of Sports Illustrated’s first digital issue and landed a spot in the Kid LAROI’s “Girls” video. “One of the biggest compliments I receive is when girls tell me they feel like they’re my best friend,” she says.-SC

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• Pokimane

  

  Handle: @pokimane
  Platform: YouTube
  Subscribers: 6.6 million

  The 28-year-old Imane Anys, better known as Pokimane, rose to prominence for her League of Legends and Fortnite play, but has since built a devoted fandom through her charismatic vlogs encompassing food and fashion. Though she recently branched out from Twitch and joined YouTube, she retains an influential following: During a charity fundraiser auction, bids for a game session with Pokimane quickly surpassed $500,000, as celebrities like Mark Cuban vied for the opportunity to play with her.-SC

  Correction: This story has been updated to clarify that Pokimane has not left Twitch, but has expanded to YouTube.

• Alan Chikin Chow

  

  Handle: @AlanChikinChow
  Platform: YouTube
  Subscribers: 53.6 million

  Maybe you recognize him from his cameo in the Mean Girls musical,or his high school comedy YouTube show, Alan’s Universe, or his guest turn on Grey’s Anatomy — whatever the case, you’ve almost certainly run across Alan Chikin Chow, one of the most-watched YouTube Shorts creators. Chow, 27, who recently signed with CAA, built his following through his family-friendly, oversaturated videos, drawing more viewers to his serial sketches than opening weekends for films like Dune: Part Two. -SC

• Duke Dennis

  

  Handle: @dukedennis
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 5.5 million

  Playing NBA 2K during his downtime in the Army, Duke Dennis didn’t realize it could be a career — but soon, the future mega creator found he could make money posting clips on YouTube. Now, Dennis, 30, has his biggest following on TikTok, where his charm with the ladies has made him an almost mythic figure for teenage boys. He still has millions of subscribers on YouTube, though, where he posts videos of IRL street games in New York and hanging out behind the scenes at the Super Bowl.-EGP

• Nara Smith

  

  Handle: @naraazizasmith
  Platform: TikTok
  Followers: 9 million

  In just a year, Nara Smith, 22, has gained millions of followers posting TikToks of her making store- bought goods from scratch. While she’s earned a devoted fan base, there has been discourse around her husband’s Mormon faith and their children’s names (Rumble Honey, Slim Easy, Whimsy Lou), as well as accusations of copying smaller creators. Her lilting voice-overs, picturesque kitchen, and glam wardrobe have been meme’d and dissected, but she seems to be only leaning in. -SC

• MrBeast

  

  Handle: @MrBeast
  Platform: YouTube
  Subscribers: 308 million

  Whether he’s giving away houses, sponsoring surgeries, or making YouTubers fight one another for money, stunt creator Jimmy Donaldson — known online as MrBeast — continues to make his mark on internet history. In July, the 26-year-old became the first creator to cross 300 million subscribers, making his the most-subscribed channel. He’s also inspired an entire genre of “philanthropic content,” reality-television-style videos centered around giving people large amounts of money and filming their reactions. People debate the ethics and authenticity of his high-production charitable feats, his all-encompassing platform, the impact he’s had on his North Carolina hometown, and the working conditions on his shoots, which are currently under scrutiny — but he intends to keep putting philanthropy first. “People get mad and say I shouldn’t be doing this and governments should,” he tweeted amid backlash over a recent stunt video. “Ideally, a YouTuber isn’t the one fixing these issues, but I’m not just gonna stand by and do nothing.” -SC

• Rhett and Link

  

  Handle: @GoodMythicalMorning
  Platform: YouTube
  Subscribers: 18.7 million

  Before they were the hosts of the Webby Award-winning YouTube talk show Good Mythical Morning — known for its wacky game-show segments revolving around food taste tests, science experiments, and celeb guest stars — Rhett McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln Neal III, both 46, were best friends and class clowns in elementary school. “We’re desperately holding on to the silliness that brought us together in first grade, trying to prove that friends who laugh together, stay together,” they tell Rolling Stone. In the past 18 years, they’ve transformed from those giggly schoolboys to titans of the creator industry, with more than 30 million subscribers spread across seven channels and a constantly growing production company, Mythical. The comedy duo, or “internetainers,” as they like to call themselves, are betting big on their absurdist version of online comedy, producing a dominating slate of podcasts, variety shows, and live events — hand-rearing the next slate of internet personalities. -CTJ

• Kai Cenat

  

  Handle: @KaiCenat
  Platform: Twitch
  Subscribers: 12.7 million

  Kai Cenat, 22, has continued to flex his influence since he started on Twitch in 2021 — tracking millions of views, popularizing terms like “rizz” and “gyatt,” and hosting stars such as Tyla, 21 Savage, and Kevin Hart on his channel, where he splices his witty, chatty conversations amid hours of streamed video games. While he currently has the most subscribers of any influencer on Twitch, he has a massive draw IRL, too, making headlines last year after he told his followers to come to Union Square in Manhattan for free PlayStation 5 consoles, prompting thousands of people to flood the park, resulting in several injuries. (He was charged with inciting a riot, but the charges were dropped after he apologized and paid for the damage.) Some accuse him of peddling misogynistic and hom*ophobic humor for his core audience of teenage boys — but his pull is undeniable. “I can’t get comfortable,” he told Complex of his incredible following. “But it feels good right now while I’m in the moment.” -SC