The highest-paid YouTube star of 2018 probably isn't who you think. While the names that come to mind when you think "YouTube star" are a rundown of symmetrical Millennials, the highest paid creator on the platform might even be too young to be counted as part of Generation Z. According to Forbes, YouTube's highest earner is a 7-year-old toy reviewer named Ryan.
The Ryan ToysReview channel has 17 million followers who watch him talk the pros and cons of Legos and toy cars. From June 2017 to June 2018, the reviews netted Ryan an estimated $22 million. While a good bit of that comes from Ryan's channel, he's already expanded his brand to include merchandise that sells in a more traditional money-making behemoth: Walmart.
The rest of the top 10 contains the people we've come to associate with YouTube stardom. Both of the Pauls made the list, with Jake pulling in $21.5 million while his brother Logan made $14.5 million. The list contains four gamers including PewDiePie and Vanoss Gaming.
The impressive stunts of Dude Perfect were enough to land the No. 3 spot with $20 million earned. MySpace standout Jeffree Star has shifted with the times to become a marketable makeup artist who made $18 million via the service and a line of cosmetics.
Scandals couldn't knock either PewDiePie or Logan Paul off the list. Paul was removed from Google's program that gave favorable advertising rates to the most-popular YouTube channels after filming an apparent suicide in Japan. While his income dwindled, he still made enough to land in the top 10. PewDiePie was chastised for sharing anti-Semitic rhetoric on his channel, but it didn't stop his most loyal fans.
Take a look at the whole list over at Forbes.
