YouTube Stars Who Were Born Filthy Rich

Although Hollywood likes to sell the illusion of rags to riches as a common path to success, the rich and famous are rarely entirely self-made. Take the Kardashians for example — that billionaire family uses their last name to launch businesses, land book deals, and monetize their social media presence. Kylie Jenner alone was able to leverage her inherited fame to become one of the world's most famous influencers and beauty brand owners. She has earned over 300 million Instagram followers and 11.5 million YouTube subscribers.

The Kardashians are not the only famous family to use their wealth and connections to make a name for themselves on social media. Many of the YouTubers we watch actually grew up rich. Oftentimes, this is what enables influencers to gain followers so quickly. How else would they be able to afford the designer bags they show off in shopping haul videos or the million-dollar homes they live in before even monetizing their platforms? Inherited fortune within the YouTube community is more common than you think.

Here are a few YouTube stars who were born filthy rich.

Charli D'Amelio has made millions on her speedy journey to stardom. Her TikTok and YouTube videos bring in tons of views. She's successfully monetized her platform to earn an estimated net worth of $20 million. Charli may be new to fame, but her family has always been financially well-off. 

The influencer's father, Marc D'Amelio, had a brief career in politics. He ran for Connecticut State Senate in 2018 and tried for a representative role on Connecticut's Norwalk Public Schools Board of Education in 2017, but lost both races (via Ballotpedia). Marc has likely gained wealth from his two companies. His LinkedIn reveals that he founded Madsoul Clothing Company, where he was president for seven years. The business owner now runs Level 4 Collective Showroom, which is an apparel sales agency that "bridges the gap between brands and buyers," their site notes.

Charli's mother, Heidi D'Amelio, was previously a personal trainer, according to Bustle. She also spent time as a dancer. Both parents have become social media influencers; just like Charli, they snag brand deals and put out sponsored posts that add to their wealth. They also host a podcast that focuses on what life is like for parents of influencer teens. Heidi spoke about the podcast in an interview with New Beauty. "It's a place for us to talk about everything that's going on in our family, but we're also excited to bring on other parents who have kids going through the same thing in social media, music, or the gaming industry," the mom of two shared.

Charli's sister Dixie D'Amelio, who has her own $10 million estimated net worth, was lucky enough to grow up in the same affluent family. Her path to fame has been a bit different from her dancer sister. Like her mother, Dixie modeled before she found fame on TikTok and YouTube. She is also pursuing an acting career, but it seems that her primary passion is singing. Although Dixie likely benefitted from her family's wealth throughout her life, she primarily credits TikTok as what led her to success. "TikTok has not only changed my career ... it essentially created my career," the influencer said in an interview with Newsweek. 

Dixie also reflected on 2020 being one of the biggest years of her life as a content creator. "I graduated high school, released my first single, signed to a label, launched a podcast with my sister [Charli], and launched my YouTube channel," she told the outlet. Dixie arguably has her sister, Charli, and her wealthy parents to thank for her quick launch to fame on YouTube and beyond.

The "Beverly Hills Brat" Nicolette Gray first came into the spotlight via a "Dr. Phil" appearance. The episode highlighted the teen's lavish spending habits. On the show, she demanded that her financially well-off mother raise her allowance. "If you ask me, I think my mom should be giving me at least $2,500 a month, just to cover my basic expenses," the influencer said on "Dr. Phil." 

Long before the spoiled teen brought in her own income, her mother funded her lifestyle of high-end shopping and fine dining. The influencer's mom, Nina Gray, is a dentist who seemingly makes a decent salary. Nina's own YouTube channel shows that she lives in a spacious home and enjoys luxury vacations.

As for Nicolette's life after her "Dr. Phil" episode, she was able to launch a career as a social media influencer — and no longer had to rely on an allowance from her mom. Her YouTube videos quickly became hits, given that "Dr. Phil" viewers couldn't get enough of the Gray family. Nicolette went on to make money through Instagram, sharing sponsored posts with her 540 thousand followers.

Ingrid Nilsen established herself as one of the original YouTube beauty gurus when she began her channel. She helped pioneer what would become a widely successful niche within the YouTube space. Nilsen launched her channel, MissGlamorazzi, in 2009, and stepped away from the platform in 2020 to pursue other endeavors, per NoFilter. During the influencer's time on YouTube, her many successes included her activism work, Streamy awards, and collaborations with popular brands like Covergirl, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The beauty guru credits her late father with inspiring her to achieve such remarkable goals. "He was an architect, which is a huge reason why I pursued architecture when I was in school," Nilsen told Too Damn Young in an interview after her father passed away. Although the star's father aided and inspired her ambitions in her younger years, she told The Financial Diet that she faced financial struggles, including debt, after his death. 

"I was living with my mom. I didn't graduate from college. I don't have a college degree," she shared in part. The star revealed that she got her first big financial break when she received a monetary award from the NextUp contest. "I cannot deny how that $30,000 has affected the trajectory of my career," Nilsen admitted. The activist influencer now owns a candle business called The New Savant, which seems to be her primary focus.

We were introduced to Jordyn Woods through her televised friendship with Kylie Jenner that eventually ended when Jordyn's involvement with Tristan Thompson came to light. Many "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" fans assumed that Jordyn was introduced to a life of luxury through her best friend Kylie, but it turns out that she comes from a wealthy family herself. Jordyn's father, the late John Woods, was one of Will Smith's close friends. He met Smith on the set of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" while working as a sound engineer. As a result, Jordyn has always had a relationship with the Smith family. She even referred to Will Smith as "uncle willy" in an Instagram post she shared for the actor's birthday.

Jordyn's mom, Elizabeth Woods, is also prominent in the entertainment industry. Per her Instagram, she works in talent management. It seems that Jordyn might have her mother to thank for the many brand deals and sponsorships she has earned. Since moving on from the Kardashian family drama, the model and influencer has focused on producing content for her YouTube channel and other platforms.

Alexandra Pierce's fans love that the bold YouTuber isn't afraid to speak her mind. Perhaps this is why her YouTube channel, HRH Collection, has earned nearly 300 thousand subscribers. What many fans don't know is that Pierce has hinted that she's always had her family's money to fall back on. According to her jewelry company's website, she was able to study abroad as she finished her education. She wrote: "While getting my masters, I devoted some time to study abroad in Shanghai, China so that I could really experience the world from an international business perspective."

The outspoken influencer also revealed that she had a safety net after having trouble landing a job post-graduate school. "When I returned to the U.S. after finishing up my schooling in Shanghai, I moved back into my parents' home. The economy had just tanked, so even with my masters degree, things were so competitive and I was definitely not expecting it," Pierce revealed. A vlog posted to the HRH Collection YouTube channel suggests that the influencer's parents made enough money to support their daughter during her difficult job hunt. The video (posted in 2019, by which time Alex was in her own home), shows her parents' spacious home. One user even wrote, "Unless you bought them that house you def grew up rich."

It seems that TikToker and YouTube star Madi Monroe was destined for fame. Both of her parents have a history in the entertainment industry and the means to support their daughter through their wealth and connections. The influencer's mother, Erika Monroe Williams, was a TV personality for years. She has worked as a news anchor in California, Texas, and Arizona. She also starred on VH1 reality show "Baseball Wives." Erika moved on from TV to found Moxie Artists, which is a talent management company. Her LinkedIn reveals that she has worked in talent management since at least 2019.

Madi's father, Matt Williams, is an MLB veteran. Matt spent the latter half of his career playing for the Arizona Diamondbacks. During the baseball player's time as a professional athlete, he won multiple National League All-Star awards (via MLB). Matt and his wife Erika likely have a decent amount of wealth from their high-paying careers. Madi Monroe is probably set for life, with or without her TikTok fame.

It appears that YouTube beauty guru Blair Fowler has been no less than upper-middle-class most of her life. She is the daughter of Dr. Scott Fowler, who is president and CEO of Holston Medical Group (via LinkedIn). 

Fans may have noticed that Blair benefitted from having a doctor as a parent, because she frequently posted videos about her designer pieces and high-end makeup to her YouTube channel, Juicystar07. In Blair's early days on the platform, she received a fair amount of hate for showing off her expensive items in hauls and beauty videos. Haters might change their opinions today, though, because Blair seems to be making it just fine on her own now.

Over the years, the YouTuber's income has come from brand deals, collaborations, and a makeup line. Blair and her sister, Elle, spoke about their makeup products in a video with ClevverTV. "We wanted people to know that when they come and they get something that's Skylark it's going to be the best of the best out there," Blair shared. It seems the influencer was very passionate about developing a brand and business, so it is no surprise that she was able to build her own wealth. Although Blair was one of the first beauty gurus to make it big, she has stepped away from the platform. According to her Instagram account, she now is a full-time student.

Giselle Lazzarato (who is better known as Gigi Gorgeous) is known for her YouTube beauty channel. What many fans don't know is that Gigi Gorgeous was introduced to wealth long before her YouTube days. She is the daughter of corporate director David Lazzarato, who has a long-standing career working as a board leader for numerous companies, per his LinkedIn. Gorgeous' riches earned her a spot on Canadian reality TV show "The Avenue," which focuses on the YouTuber and her socialite friends as they navigate their upper-class lives in Toronto (via Queerty).

Gigi is seemingly drawn to anything that could potentially increase her net worth, since she has pursued many money-making opportunities over the years. She even married millionaire Nats Getty, whose billionaire family owns Getty Oil. Getty is reportedly worth about $30 million, according to The Sun. The heir embraced their oil money upbringing when they created the Strike Oil clothing line, which appears to be their main business focus. It seems Gigi is not afraid to show off the luxurious lifestyle she has with Getty — she frequently posts Instagram photos and YouTube videos that give fans a peek into their marriage.

Have you ever been curious about the exclusive process of purchasing an Hermès Birkin bag? Charles Gross has all of the answers. The luxury shopper made a name for himself on YouTube providing viewers with inside knowledge on the high-end fashion industry. Charles Gross removed all videos from his YouTube channel and now primarily posts on TikTok. Since so much of his online content has been deleted, it's not entirely clear how wealthy Gross' family is. Per Glossy, the influencer's designer parents "read him fashion magazines at bedtime" as he grew up.

While it is unclear why the social media star switched platforms, he has been able to successfully reinvent himself on TikTok to earn nearly 1 million followers. Charles spoke about his TikTok videos and passion for making luxury retail less intimidating in an interview with Fashionista. "When I feel like a brand or a certain topic has that air around it of exclusion — 'Oh, you have to have this much money to access it or know about it' — I think that's ridiculous. Everybody should have access to that information," he shared. This influencer's informative content helps out those who (unlike him) were not lucky enough to be born into fabulous fashion.

Kylie Jenner's YouTube channel is only one of her many money-making hobbies. The daughter of an Olympic athlete and a wealthy businesswoman, Kylie was given all the tools to live a life of fame and fortune. In 2019, Forbes received a great deal of backlash for labeling Jenner as a "self-made billionaire." Readers pointed out that the Kylie Cosmetics founder would not be where she is today if it were not for her inherited wealth and connections. To make matters worse, Forbes later alleged that Jenner's team had not been completely honest about her net worth.

The outlet published an article that claimed Kylie Cosmetics was not making as much money as previously reported. Jenner's legal team denied these claims in a statement sent to the magazine after the article was published. "The accusations that the Jenners, and/or their accountants, falsified tax returns and then lied about their 2016 revenues for the last four years, are absolutely false," the statement read, in part, per Forbes. While there is speculation around exactly how much money Jenner made from Kylie Cosmetics, it is obvious that she benefitted from her family's fame. The star has leveraged her last name to create a successful YouTube channel, skincare lines, swimsuit collections, and more.

Like many models, Karlie Kloss' chance at success in the cutthroat modeling industry was boosted by her family. While the model's parents are not big names in Hollywood, they likely made a decent living even before Karlie made millions from her runway shows. According to The Wall Street Journal, the star's mother, Tracy Kloss, was working as an art director when her daughter's career took off. Karlie's father, Kurt Kloss, is a doctor.

The Illinois natives packed up their life in the Midwest to be able to support their daughter's growing career. In addition to their full-time jobs, they made Karlie's career a family business. "Although we didn't know much about the fashion industry, we said from the beginning that it was going to be a business, and we're doing it together," Tracy told The Wall Street Journal.

Karlie perhaps inherited this business-minded approach to life from her parents, because the model went on to found Kode With Klossy, per Business of Fashion. The program offers free coding classes to young girls in an effort to get more women interested in male-dominated STEM fields. Karlie also started a YouTube channel where she promotes her various business ventures and collaborates with popular YouTubers. The supermodel married into wealth when she tied the knot with billionaire heir Josh Kushner, who is one of the founders of successful investment firm Thrive Capital (via The New York Times).

Olivia Jade is one of the most notorious examples of what inherited wealth can do for a YouTuber's career. The influencer quickly gained a following posting vlogs and other lifestyle content to her channel. Although Olivia has a loyal YouTube following, she is perhaps most well-known for the highly-publicized college admissions scandal involving her parents. The YouTuber's mom and dad, actor Lori Loughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, faced legal consequences as a result of the scheme.

According to NPR, it was revealed that the couple fabricated their daughter's involvement in her school's rowing team in an effort to get her admitted into the University of Southern California. They pleaded guilty to fraud charges and were sentenced to months in prison. Following this scandal, Olivia Jade went quiet on social media and took a break from YouTube.

She later took to "Red Table Talk" to offer an explanation for why her parents risked their reputation to get her into USC illegally. The influencer shared that it was mostly her father's idea. "He was so tunnel-visioned on 'I just want my kids to have a good college experience, and I just want them to have an amazing education, and I know I can give that to them,'" she revealed on the show. The YouTuber is now uploading videos to her channel monthly and has posted about her experience on "Dancing with the Stars."