Stokes Twins
Born 1996 · Age 29
American twin influencers (Alan and Alex Stokes) known for YouTube and TikTok. Built a global audience with high-production prank/short-format videos, large-scale set builds, and multi-language dubbing. Ranked on Forbes and TIME lists in 2024–2025.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth of Alan and Alex Stokes
Alan Chen Stokes and Alex Chen Stokes were born in Shenyang, China.
Family moves to Knoxville, Tennessee (childhood)
The twins moved from Shenyang, China to Knoxville, Tennessee and spent childhood between Liaoning (China) and Knoxville.
Summers in China with maternal grandfather
They spent summers in China raised in part by their maternal grandfather, whom they cite as a major influence on their work ethic and philanthropic outlook.
YouTube account creation (claim)
Some sources note the twins created/joined a YouTube account in April 2008 but did not begin uploading until years later; this is a contested/low-confidence item.
Enroll in pre-med at California community college (approx.)
The twins enrolled in pre-medical studies at a California community college before leaving to pursue social media full-time (they left in 2016). Year of initial enrollment is not precisely specified; approximate.
Period living in car (~18 months)
For roughly 18 months after leaving college they lived in their car, showered at public gyms, and created short 6-second Instagram sketches while building an audience.
Quit community college to pursue social media full-time
The brothers left pre-med studies at a California community college in 2016 to focus on social media full-time.
Posting 6-second sketches on Instagram
Before pivoting to YouTube the twins uploaded short sketches on Instagram (six-second clips) while living with minimal resources.
Join Sunset Park YouTube collective
The twins became affiliated with the YouTube group Sunset Park in 2017, appearing with other creators in collaborative videos early in their career.
Created joint 'Stokes Twins' YouTube channel
Alan and Alex created their joint YouTube channel (Stokes Twins) officially on March 11, 2017 and began posting longer-form content and sketches.
First known YouTube upload (Q&A) — (source claim)
Some sources report their first published YouTube video was a Q&A uploaded May 21, 2017 (this date is reported by some fan/secondary sites).
YouTube Creator Award: 100,000 subscribers
The channel crossed 100k subscribers and earned the Silver Play Button in 2018.
YouTube Creator Award: 1,000,000 subscribers
The Stokes Twins hit 1 million subscribers (Gold Play Button) in 2019 as their prank and skit content scaled.
Alex undergoes emergency appendicitis surgery
In February 2019 Alex Stokes had emergency surgery for acute appendicitis after a week of untreated symptoms.
Reached ~4 million subscribers (within 2 years)
Within two years of launching (by ~March 2019) the twins' joint channel had grown to roughly four million subscribers mixing pranks, skits and Musical.ly dance trends.
Filmed fake bank robbery prank (Irvine) — viral controversy
In October 2019 the twins filmed a prank in Irvine that resembled a bank robbery; onlookers thought it was real and the incident went viral and drew law-enforcement attention.
Arrest during second Irvine prank filming (reported)
Reports indicate the police arrested the twins during a second prank at UC Irvine the same day; subsequent legal issues unfolded over the following year.
Joined Brent Rivera's Amp/collective (Amp World / Amp Studios)
In 2020 Brent Rivera invited the twins to be part of his creator collective (Amp World / Amp Studios); they became affiliated with other mid-sized creators.
Charged over fake bank robbery prank (false imprisonment & false emergency)
In August 2020 the twins were charged with false imprisonment and falsely reporting an emergency related to the October 2019 prank.
YouTube demonetized channel for ~6 months
YouTube suspended channel monetisation for roughly six months in 2021 following the legal case; ads were restored later that year.
YouTube Creator Award: 10,000,000 subscribers
The twins reached 10 million subscribers (Diamond Play Button) in 2021 as their channel continued to grow despite temporary demonetisation.
Begin reinvesting ~US$10M/year into productions (post-restoration)
After ads were restored they began reinvesting heavily (reported as 'roughly US$10 million a year') into set builds, dubbing, and VFX/editor hires to scale production.
Plead guilty to misdemeanor; sentenced
On April 1, 2021 the twins pled guilty to misdemeanors, received 160 hours of community service and one year of probation; banned from UC Irvine. They avoided jail time.
Uploaded 'I Spent $1,000,000 in 24 Hours' (100M+ views)
Their 2022 upload titled 'I Spent $1,000,000 in 24 Hours' surpassed 100 million views, demonstrating reach of large-stunt formats.
Participated in #TeamSeas campaign
The twins were among influencers promoting the #TeamSeas initiative in 2022, supporting ocean cleanup fundraising and awareness.
Merchandise venture: 'Double Trouble' (reported)
They operated online merchandise under the 'Double Trouble' brand; the exact founding date is not precisely reported but the line existed by 2022 reports.
YouTube Creator Awards: 50M and 100M Play Buttons (2024)
Creator Awards entries show they earned 50M and then 100M subscriber play-button milestones during 2024 as growth accelerated.
Shift to multi-language dubbing and Shorts; major view spike
In 2024 they focused on multi-language dubbing and YouTube Shorts; average daily views rose from 3–5M to ~50M.
Featured profile on Forbes (profile published)
Forbes published a profile/report on the Stokes Twins (Forbes profile dated Oct 28, 2024) documenting their growth, earnings and business approach.
Channel surpasses 100 million subscribers
The Stokes Twins passed 100 million YouTube subscribers in November 2024, becoming one of the world's largest channels.
Appeared at Southern California food-bank drives
The twins participated in food-bank volunteer pushes in Southern California, appearing publicly at drives in late 2024.
Public recognition and press: Business Insider, Tubefilter, Jordan Matter relations
Between 2019–2025 they were covered by Business Insider and other outlets; creative collaborators like Jordan Matter publicly commented on their production style.
Lead creators for #TeamWater (2025) — $40M raised
They were lead creators supporting the #TeamWater initiative in 2025, a campaign that helped raise $40,000,000 to provide clean water to 2,000,000 people.
Ranked #19 in Forbes Top Creators 2025; 12-month earnings est. $20M
Forbes' 2025 Top Creators list ranked the Stokes Twins #19 and estimated their 12-month earnings at roughly $20 million.
Announced plans to launch teen-focused consumer product line
In early 2025 the twins announced plans to launch a consumer product line aimed at teens; details were not yet released.
Ongoing high production investments (VFX, dubbing, set builds)
By 2025 the twins continued to invest heavily in production — large set builds, dubbing into 8 languages, and hiring VFX-specialist editors — scaling global reach.
Estimated combined net worth (media estimates / combined reporting)
Various secondary sources have estimated combined net worth figures (e.g., Sportskeeda reported ~$32.2M; Forbes reported $20M earnings in a 12-month period). Media estimates vary; a mid-range working estimate in 2025 is roughly $60–75M combined depending on retained earnings and valuation.
Public statement on thumbnail process (public image)
In a 2025 interview the brothers said they now spend 'at least six hours' sketching each thumbnail to ensure originality after earlier criticism about thumbnails resembling other creators'.
Forbes-reported primary income from AdSense
Forbes reported most of the twins' income still comes from YouTube AdSense (alongside some brand deals); this contextualizes earnings reported in 2024–2025.
Public metrics — subscribers and views (May 21, 2025)
As of May 21, 2025 reported channel metrics included approximately 128 million subscribers and 24 billion views (infobox snapshot).
Named to TIME100 Creators list
The Stokes Twins were named to the 2025 TIME100 Creators list profiling the most influential people on the internet.
Key Achievement Ages
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