YouTube/Rosanna Pansino
YouTube has exploded since it first launched in 2005, becoming the de facto launchpad for the next generation of internet celebrities.
It's no secret that YouTube's biggest stars are using sponsored videos and advertising to make a living on the platform, in addition to just making a name for themselves.
Over the past few years, they have also begun to snag big-time shows from places like Netflix or YouTube Red, the company's subscription tier, and pump out memoirs.
But who on YouTube is getting paid the most?
Forbes recently published its look at which YouTube stars made the most money in 2016. The publication based its rankings on raw, pre-tax estimates of earnings.
Here they are:
Maya Kosoff contributed to an earlier version of this post.
No. 9 (tie): Colleen Ballinger — $5 millionYouTube/Miranda SingsIncome: $5 million
Colleen Ballinger and her alter-ego, the hilariously incompetent Miranda Sings, have landed both a memoir, Self-Helf, and Netflix series, to go along with a standup tour.
No. 9 (tie): Rhett & Link — $5 millionRhett and Link
Income: $5 million
Rhett McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln Neal III are a little old for the YouTube star demographic — they're 38 and 37 years old — but they're insanely well-known on the video platform. Rhett and Link are best known for making hilarious local-style ads for real companies, like Ojai Valley Taxidermy and Red House Furniture, and they've gotten sponsorship from big brands for many of their videos. They host a morning talk show call "Good Mythical Morning" that snags superstar guests.
No. 7 (tie): Germán Garmendia — $5.5 millionGetty/Frazer Harrison
Income: $5.5 million
Chilean YouTuber Germán Germendia is Latin America's biggest YouTube star. The comedian and musician has two channels in the top 20. He released a book in 2016 titled "#Chupaelperro."
No. 7 (tie): Markiplier — $5.5 millionGetty/Tommaso Boddi
Income: $5.5 million
Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, is a YouTuber focused on gaming. He has an energetic style that involves a bit of swearing and a lot of emotion. Fischbach has ambitions beyond YouTube, as well.
“I want to push myself into music and acting—more traditional media stuff,” he told Variety earlier this year. “If someone wants to make a movie and have me in it, I want to make sure I have the skill set to do it properly.”
No. 5 (tie): Tyler Oakley — $6 millionYouTube/Tyler Oakley
Income: $6 million
LGBTQ activist and YouTube personality Tyler Oakley mixes comedy with pop culture and politics. It's no wonder that he's found a supporter in Ellen DeGeneres, who signed him to her production company. Oakley also released a memoir in 2015, called "Binge."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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