Meet Ryan Kaji: The Highest-Paid Youtuber for Three Years Running

When you think of YouTube, you think of funny challenges with late-night talk show hosts, beauty gurus, and celebrity vloggers littering your feed. Did you know though, that the highest-paid Youtuber (for three years straight!) is actually 9-year old Ryan Kaji?

Meet Ryan Kaji: The Highest-Paid Youtuber for Three Years Running
Photo from People

It’s true! Last year, Forbes named Kaji as the highest-paid Youtube star for 2020. The 9-year old raked in $29.5 million from his popular children’s YouTube channel, Ryan’s World.

Most of his earnings, according to Forbes, came from licensing deals for more than 5,000 Ryan’s World products ranging from bedroom décor to action figures. Kaji also signed a likely multimillion-dollar deal with Nickelodeon for his TV series Ryan’s Mystery Playdate.

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Photo from NickALive

Supported by 29 million subscribers, Ryan’s World is a mish-mash of kid-friendly videos that show Kaji unboxing and reviewing toys, conducting educational science experiments, and engaging in playtime with family members.

Ryan’s most popular video, which garnered two billion views on Youtube

Many people postulate that the content Ryan’s World produces is distinctly popular because of its simple appeal to children.

Toys and playtime are what children are interested in, and because the channel mostly features a regular kid doing what kids do best, the videos become largely relatable.

Currently, the Texas-based child influencer lives alongside his budding Youtube star twin sisters, Emma and Kate, and parents, Shion and Kien. The family also runs nine other channels, with Ryan’s World being the most frequented.

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Ryan with twin sisters, Emma and Kate
Photo from Naibuzz

If you’re wondering what Kaji has been doing with all this money, don’t worry — his parents put it in a trust. Fortunately for Kaji, his parents are more focused on his education than his fully ripe YouTube career.

“The moment he’s not having fun anymore, that’s when it will be time to stop,” said Kien, Kaji’s father, in an interview with Netline. “The main thing is Ryan’s privacy and his childhood. We wanted to prioritize Ryan’s education over anything else.”

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