American YouTuber, gamer, vlogger, and musician IShowSpeed shot to fame with his NBA 2K-related videos on YouTube. Known for his reckless, short-tempered, foul-mouthing, and eccentric character, he has received a life-time ban on Twitch for cracking a rape joke. He has been dragged into multiple other controversies too. He is also known for making the character Talking Ben famous through his videos.
Early Life
Infamous and controversial American YouTuber IShowSpeed was born Darren Jason Watkins Jr. While studying at the Purcell Marian High School, he was part of their football and basketball teams. He now stays in Cincinnati, Ohio.
There has been a confusion over his real age. While he was born on January 21, 2005, some of his fans once claimed he was born in 2003. This confusion was apparently the result of him claiming he was older than he was, just to enter dating contents on Discord. However, he later stated in a video that he was born in 2005.
Social Media Career
IShowSpeed, also known to fans as Speed, or Speedy, launched his YouTube channel in March 2016. Best known for his NBA 2K gameplays and tutorials on the platform, he has gained millions of subscribers on YouTube.
One of his best-known videos on the platform has been I MADE A HOMEMADE ZEN AND USED IT ON MY POSTSCORER IN NBA2K21! THIS RUBBERBAND METHOD TUTORIAL. He once tried winning 81 straight NBA 2K games as a tribute to the late basketball icon Kobe Bryant.
A huge fan of sports legend Lionel Messi, IShowSpeed once posted a TikTok video of getting a Lionel Messi tattoo. The video was watched more than 75 million times.
He became the youngest YouTuber with the fastest-growing channel in 2021, after gaining over a million subscribers in over a few days. Some of his TikTok clips have become viral memes. He is also known for his videos showing him interacting with the character Talking Ben. Of late, he has also experimented with hip-hop music and released tracks such as Dogs on Spotify.
Controversies
Controversy’s favorite child, IShowSpeed has been banned on Twitch for life for repeatedly cracking a rape joke on a livestream. He was previously banned by Riot from all games because of his misogynistic comments. He has also been in trouble for lighting a firecracker inside a room on a 4th of July stream and was criticized for promoting a fake cryptocurrency project named Paradox Metaverse. He made racist comments while interacting with a Chinese spectator at a football World Cup match too.
Family Life
Rumors claim that IShowSpeed fathered a daughter named Diamond at 16. He has apparently dated Ermony Renee, or Dream. He also apparently had a relationship with transgender singer and TikTok sensation Ava Barbie.
He grew up with a younger brother named Dian and a younger sister. When Darren lived with his mother, she would often be heard screaming in the background as he livestreamed. He is known to be eccentric, brash, extravagant, and short-tempered.
