How YouTube Star KSI Amassed $30 Million by Not Following His Parents’ Career Advice

Published 09/28/2022, 1:10 PM EDT

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Content creation and streaming have become the new career norms these days. Millions of people are trying their hand in these fields. However, a few years back, it wasn’t seen as a job, and the biggest challenge for creators like KSI, MrBeast, and PewDiePie was to make their parents agree to this unique profession.

KSI is now a successful content creator and rapper with a net worth of over 30 million. He now owns every luxury he wants, from a $500,000 necklace themed after Beerus from Dragon Ball Z series to an exotic car like Lamborghini Aventador. However, the most challenging part of this successful YouTube journey was convincing his parents.

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KSI didn’t follow his parents’ career advice

Every parent wants the best for their kids, and so did JJ Olatunji’s parents. They wanted their son to study hard and get a good job, like becoming a doctor or engineer. However, the Englishman had some other plans in mind and wanted to become a full-time YouTuber.

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The Sidemen member once appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show, where he talked about how his parents were against him becoming a YouTuber. The Brit said, “Obviously, you know I had African parents. They were like, you have to be a lawyer or doctor, you know, the typical stuff.”

The 29-year-old said there was a lot of “back and forth” while trying to convince his parents to let him pursue YouTube as a career. They eventually gave the green light when they saw their elder son making money out of this field. Further, JJ’s younger brother Deji followed him and became a YouTuber as well.

JJ Olatunji earned more than his teacher

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KSI has been making money from his funny YouTube videos from an early age. At one point, the young JJ started earning more than his school’s teacher. He shared on The Jonathan Ross Show that he once revealed about his YouTube income to a teacher.

via Imago

The teacher was surprised to know about his student’s income. He said, “You’re making more than me.” These lines from his teacher made the young JJ Olatunji pursue making videos for YouTube as a full-time career. It paid off well as he’s now rich and famous, maybe the definition of a successful person.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Biggest Streamers Who Ruled Twitch and Youtube in 2021

What are your thoughts on how KSI’s life turned out by not listening to his parents? Share your answer in the comments.

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Written by:

Ripan Majumdar

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Ripan Majumdar is an esports and F1 writer at Essentially Sports. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's in Science from West Bengal State University, Kolkata. Ripan is a massive Red Bull Racing and Sergio Perez fan.
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Edited by:

Jito Tenson