Remember, oh, 15 or so years ago when the phrase "YouTube star" had never been said? The world was a simpler place when six-year-olds didn't make millions for opening and playing with toys on camera. People like Logan Paul, Jake Paul, PewDiePie and Jeffree Star make solid livings on the platform. Since YouTube launched way back in 2005, it has become a factory for creating internet stars and millionaires – many of whom are not legally old enough to buy or consume an alcoholic beverage. The biggest YouTube celebrities have become masters at attracting an audience to monetize their sponsored videos and advertising. Along the way, these internet stars make a name for themselves offline too, often publishing books, or getting roles in television shows or deals from Netflix, Disney, or YouTube Red.
Logan Paul (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)
YouTube is a place where literally anyone can find fame if you have an idea that catches on. The 10 highest-paid YouTube stars made serious money last year, but we're used to that by now. If you take the amount these 10 YouTubers made in 2018 and calculate how much they made per minute of video on each other their YouTube channels – like a guy named Petey Vid did – well it's astounding.
Here's how much the highest-paid YouTubers from 2018 made per minute of video:
Jacksepticeye (aka Seán McLoughlin) — $1,075.57 per minute of YouTube video
2018 earnings: $16 million
Sean McLoughlin is the energetic, foulmouthed, most popular YouTuber in Ireland thanks to his colorful video-game commentary. His penchant for sweating hasn't kept him from going mainstream. He did a series for Disney and he's also developing exclusive content for Twitch.
Markiplier (aka Mark Fischbach) — $1,393.41 per minute of YouTube video
2018 earnings: $17.5 million
Hawaii-native Markiplier's YouTube channel is focused on gaming and his energetic personality has attracted followers to his content. Mark Fischbach plans to use his internet celebrity to launch a music and acting career.
DanTDM (aka Daniel Middleton) — $1,487.74 per minute of YouTube video
2018 earnings: $18.5 million
Daniel Middleton is known as TheDiamondMinecart. His channel focuses on the popular video game Minecraft. He posts daily reviews and gameplay videos. In 2017, he had a short lived web series on YouTube Red called "DanTDM Creates a Big Scene."
PewDiePie (aka Felix Kjellberg) — $3,319.71 per minute of YouTube video
2018 earnings: $15.5 million
PewDiePie is a Swedish video game commentator. His videos show him playing video games while a box at the top corner of the screen shows his reactions to what is happening. In January 2017, he ran into trouble when anti-Semitic messages were found in his videos. PewDiePie posted a video that featured two men laughing as they held a sign that said, "Death To All Jews." He had previously landed a multimillion-dollar deal with Disney to launch his own network. He was found to have made 10 videos with anti-Semitic comments or Nazi imagery. This led Disney and YouTube to sever ties with him. Since then, advertisers have returned, spending up to $450,000 for a sponsored video.
Ryan ToysReview (aka Ryan Kaji) — $5,204.92 per minute of YouTube video
2018 earnings: $22 million
Ryan of the YouTube channel Ryan ToysReview makes millions for his family simply by opening and reviewing new toys. Ryan is eight years old. Think about that for a moment. His YouTube channel has over 21.1 million subscribers. He released a line of collectibles and more, now selling at Walmart.
VanossGaming (aka Evan Fong) — $6,538.51 per minute of YouTube video
2018 earnings: $17 million
Evan Fong is a 27-year-old Canadian who launched the Vanoss Gaming YouTube channel. He posts comedic videos of him playing video games. He plays games like Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty. In his off time, he's launching a hip-hop career.
Jake Paul — $8,511.14 per minute of YouTube video
2018 earnings: $21.5 million
The energetic younger brother of Logan earned a career-best to-date income from his merchandise business. He attracted more than 3.5 billion views of his rap songs and goofy pranks over our scoring period. Jake Paul was a personality on Vine before it went under.
Jeffree Star (aka Jeffree Steininger) — $10,077.99 per minute of YouTube video
2018 earnings: $18 million
Jeffree Star is a makeup artist that has been famous since MySpace. He has since blossomed into a beauty mogul, co-founding Jeffree Star Cosmetics, which brings in more than $100 million in revenue annually.
Logan Paul — $11,688 per minute of YouTube video
2018 earnings: $14.5 million
Logan Paul is a former Vine star and older brother of Jake Paul. Logan posts comedic reaction videos and vlogs. In January 2018, he was kicked off YouTube's Google Preferred program after he filmed a video in Japan that showed a suicide hanging from a tree. His income from videos took a hit but loyal fans kept buying his merchandise.
Dude Perfect — $85,026.78 per minute of YouTube video
2018 earnings: $20 million
Dude Perfect is the brainchild of twins Cory and Coby Cotton and three other friends from Texas A&M. All five of the young men are former high school basketball players. They make comedy videos and do sports tricks.
