The Most Successful YouTube Stars of 2017

Ryan Higa

Channel: NigaHiga
Subscribers: 20 million

Ryan Higa was another one of the first major YouTube stars to gain popularity and success. He produces videos that are based around comedy, pop culture, music videos, and more. What makes his videos stand out are the incredible quality, and the care he takes in making them puts him on par with “normal” directors.

Lily Singh

Channel: iiSuperwomanii
Subscribers: 12.2 million

Lily Singh, a Canadian Youtuber of Indian origin, has not only made quite a splash on the website but also gained success outside of it from it. She makes funny video rants based on things that people go through every day, making her relatable and extremely likeable. She has been on two world tours, released a feature film based on one of them, and has a book out called “How To Be A Bawse”. She has appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show, and has had people like Michelle Obama, Victoria Justice, Selena Gomez, James Franco, and others on her videos! And on top of all that Lily is also third on Forbes’s “Highest paid YouTube Stars 2016”.

Anthony Padilla & Ian Hecox

Channel: Smosh
Subscribers: 22 million

Smosh has probably been around for as long as YouTube itself! The channel was founded by childhood best friends Anthony Padilla and Ian Cox, focusing on comedy sketches and parody videos about pop culture. These guys are the first to have wax figures made at Madame Tussaud’s and have three films out, two on YouTube Red and one feature length film on Netflix. Although Anthony Padilla has recently left Smosh, Ian Hecox says he and the team at Smosh are excited about what the future holds, so they aren’t going anywhere! Smosh is also on the list of “Highest paid YouTube Stars 2016”.