Kai Cenat
Born 2001 · Age 24
American online streamer, YouTuber, and internet personality known for comedic live streams, member of AMP, record-setting Twitch subathon streamer and cultural influencer.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Brooklyn, New York
Kai Carlo Cenat III is born in Brooklyn, New York City to parents from Trinidad & Tobago (mother) and Haiti (father).
Posted first Facebook video
Published his first Facebook video (earliest-known public short-form upload).
Begins posting on Instagram
Starts posting short-form comedic content on Instagram during middle/high school (first posts recorded 2017).
Uploaded first YouTube video
Uploaded 'MY FIRST YOUTUBE VIDEO!! (Introduction)' — began publishing prank and challenge videos on YouTube.
Graduated Frederick Douglass Academy (high school)
Completed secondary education at Frederick Douglass Academy (graduated in 2019).
Moved into college / began at SUNY Morrisville
Started attending State University of New York at Morrisville to study business administration.
Viral 'ding dong ditch' prank video
One of his early videos (EXTREME DING DONG DITCH!!! *COLLEGE EDITION*) went viral, increasing his visibility on YouTube.
Dropped out of SUNY Morrisville
Left college in 2020 due to difficulties balancing schoolwork and growing content creation commitments.
Joined AMP collective (Any Means Possible)
Became a member of YouTube collective AMP after being discovered by fellow YouTuber Fanum; began regularly appearing in group videos.
Launched Twitch streaming career
Began streaming on Twitch (February 2021), migrating some activity from YouTube to live broadcasts (gaming and reaction content).
Created Kai Cenat Live YouTube channel
Established second YouTube channel 'Kai Cenat Live' for live/reaction/gaming content (channel joined Feb 1, 2021 per fandom record).
Reached 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers
Hit the 1 million subscribers milestone on his primary YouTube channel (Social Blade date: Aug 9, 2021).
Acting role in Polo G 'Distraction' trailer
Appeared in the trailer for Polo G's single 'Distraction' (June 2022), marking an early cross-media appearance.
YouTube creator growth milestones (multiple channels)
By late 2022 amassed millions of followers across platforms (YouTube multi-channel growth, Instagram/TikTok follower increases).
Good Burger 2 cameo (film appearance)
Appeared as a disgruntled customer in the 2023 film Good Burger 2 (film production involvement announced/credited in 2023; tied to his rise in 2022–2023).
Reached 2,000,000 YouTube subscribers
Surpassed 2 million subscribers on his primary YouTube channel (Social Blade date: Mar 13, 2022).
Guest stream: Bobby Shmurda
Hosted Bobby Shmurda as a guest on a stream (April 2022), an early instance of celebrity guest appearances.
Released debut single 'Bustdown Rollie Avalanche' (feat. NLE Choppa)
Dropped his debut single with NLE Choppa; the track later achieved RIAA Gold certification.
Streamy Awards nominations (Streamer of the Year & Breakout Streamer)
Nominated at the 12th Streamy Awards in two major categories (October 2022 nominees announced).
Guest stream: Lil Baby
Hosted Lil Baby as a guest on a stream (October 2022), expanding celebrity guest roster.
Guest stream: 21 Savage — peak concurrent viewers
Hosted 21 Savage as a guest; stream peaked at ~283,245 concurrent viewers (November 2022), a personal viewership high at the time.
Featured in Lil Uzi Vert music video
Appeared in Lil Uzi Vert's 'Just Wanna Rock' music video (guest appearance, 2022).
Won Streamy Awards: Streamer of the Year (2022)
Awarded 'Streamer of the Year' at the Streamy Awards (listed as winning the category in late 2022).
Gyat nominated for American Dialect Society 2023 Word of the Year
Cenat is credited with popularizing 'gyat'; the term was nominated for the American Dialect Society's 2023 Word of the Year.
Started month-long 'Mafiathon' subathon
Launched a month-long subathon (began Jan 31 / Feb 1, 2023) streaming 24/7 with many celebrity guests to boost subscriptions and engagement.
Signed with United Talent Agency (UTA)
Signed representation with UTA for career management across areas (announced Feb 16, 2023).
Broke Twitch all-time subscription record (306,621 subs)
Reached 306,621 concurrent subscribers at peak during subathon (Feb 28, 2023), becoming the most-subscribed streamer at the time.
Reported sleep streams revenue
Reportedly earned approximately $23,280 per month from sleep streams (~$285,480 annually); sleeping broadcasts amassed over 5.6M hours watched.
Won Streamer Awards 2023: Streamer of the Year
Awarded 'Streamer of the Year' at The Streamer Awards (Mar 11, 2023).
Temporarily suspended from Twitch (April 2023)
Removed from Twitch temporarily (details undisclosed publicly at the time); later returned.
Released single 'Dogs' (with IShowSpeed)
Released non-album single 'Dogs' with IShowSpeed (April 27, 2023).
Featured on Rolling Stone's '20 Most Influential Creators'
Included in Rolling Stone's April 2023 list of the 20 most influential creators.
Announced Kai 'N Speed show on Rumble
Announced a livestreamed show with IShowSpeed exclusively on Rumble titled the Kai 'N Speed Show (May 2023).
Union Square giveaway turns into riot; arrested
Announced a PS5/giveaway event in Union Square that spiraled into major unrest; hundreds turned up; Cenat was arrested and charged with inciting/rioting (Aug 4, 2023).
Won 13th Streamy Awards: Streamer of the Year
Won 'Streamer of the Year' at the 13th Streamy Awards (Aug 27, 2023); also nominated in other categories.
Featured in Offset's 'Fan' music video
Appeared in the music video for Offset's single 'Fan' (Sept 2023), alongside Fanum.
Played in Sidemen charity match (London Stadium)
Participated for YouTube Allstars at the Sidemen charity football match (Sept 9, 2023); match raised large sums for charity.
Music-video directorial debut (A Boogie wit da Hoodie)
Made his music-video directorial debut with A Boogie wit da Hoodie (Oct 2023).
Oxford: 'Rizz' popularized; Word of Year 2023 announced
Cenat is credited with popularizing the slang 'rizz'; Oxford University Press named 'rizz' word of the year for 2023 (Dec 2023).
Nicki Minaj appears on stream — new peak viewers
Nicki Minaj guest appearance broke Cenat's previous peak, reaching ~348,593 concurrent viewers (Dec 14, 2023).
Announced partnership with Nike
Announced an official partnership with Nike (Feb 8, 2024); reported as the first streamer signed by the company.
Won Streamer Awards 2024 (Streamer of the Year & Best Just Chatting)
At the February 2024 Streamer Awards won 'Streamer of the Year' and 'Best Just Chatting Streamer'.
Union Square charges resolved with plea & restitution
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg dropped riot-related charges in exchange for an apology and $57,000 in restitution (May 2024).
Charity soccer match at Selhurst Park (AMP vs Beta Squad)
Participated in/organized a charity soccer match at Selhurst Park (June 2, 2024) to raise funds for The Water Project; match abandoned after a pitch invasion (6–6 recorded before abandonment).
Appeared in MrBeast '50 YouTubers Fight for $1,000,000'
Featured in a major MrBeast video (Jul 13, 2024) which included dozens of creators competing for $1,000,000 prize.
Named #1 on Rolling Stone's '25 Most Influential Creators of 2024'
Placed #1 on Rolling Stone's 2024 list of influential creators (Aug 2024), cited as the most-subscribed Twitch influencer.
Forbes Top Creators 2024: Ranked #24 (estimated earnings)
Ranked 24th on Forbes' Top Creators list for 2024 with estimated earnings of $8.5M (Forbes reported figure is annual earnings estimate).
McDonald's collaboration for Chicken Big Mac launch
Partnered with McDonald's to promote the limited-time Chicken Big Mac in the U.S. (Oct 2024).
Started 'Mafiathon 2' month-long subathon
Launched second month-long subathon (Nov 1, 2024) with many celebrity guests; pledged 20% of subscription proceeds to building a school in Nigeria.
Swatted and briefly banned from Twitch (6 minutes)
A day after Mafiathon 2 began, Cenat was swatted; Twitch issued a 6-minute ban tied to the incident (early Nov 2024).
Reclaimed record: most-subscribed Twitch streamer (337,000 subs)
Regained the record for most Twitch subscribers (337,000 subscribers by Nov 11, 2024) during Mafiathon 2.
Max Major hanging-stunt controversy
Drew backlash after magician Max Major was shown hanging himself as a stunt on Mafiathon 2; led to bans on magician acts and public dispute between parties (Nov 26, 2024).
Ended Mafiathon 2 with record subscribers (728,535)
Concluded Mafiathon 2 with 728,535 subscribers — doubling previous record and becoming the first streamer to surpass 500,000 subscribers during a subathon (Nov 30, 2024).
Won multiple 2024 Streamer Awards
At the Streamer Awards later in 2024 won Best Just Chatting Streamer, Best Marathon Stream (Mafiathon 2), and Best Streamed Collab (sleepover with Kevin Hart & Druski); also nominated in other categories.
Appeared on WWE Raw (announced Royal Rumble attendance)
Made an on‑screen appearance on WWE Raw and announced attendance at the Royal Rumble; called out fellow streamer IShowSpeed (Jan 27, 2025).
Played and scored in 2025 Sidemen Charity Match at Wembley
Participated for the YouTube Allstars and scored a goal in the 68th minute during the Sidemen Charity Match at Wembley Stadium (Mar 8, 2025).
Launched Streamer University (University of Akron)
Hosted a three-day 'Streamer University' event at the University of Akron, selecting 120 content creators for mentorship sessions and workshops (May 22, 2025).
Named on TIME100 Creators list (inaugural)
Included in Time magazine's inaugural 'TIME100 Creators' list (July 2025), recognized among influential digital voices.
Key Achievement Ages
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