- 7/13/2025
From riches to rags... Join us as we explore the dramatic financial downfalls of content creators who once ruled the platform! These internet celebrities had it all - fame, fortune, and millions of followers - until poor decisions, lavish spending, or legal troubles left their bank accounts empty.
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00:00I think it's very important that I get on camera and talk to you guys honestly about what is going
00:05on. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 YouTubers who went
00:12broke. Are you homeless right now? Um, I am more of a hobo, a traveling worker. So you're homeless
00:19by choice? Yeah. 10. Esme Denters
00:25Contrary to popular belief, Justin Bieber wasn't the first musician to go viral. In the mid-2000s,
00:33Dutch singer Esme Denters got discovered after uploading covers to her YouTube channel.
00:38The rest is still unwritten, written. She was signed to Justin Timberlake's label Tenman Records,
00:48and he also appeared on her song Love Dealer and produced her debut album Outta Here.
00:55Unfortunately, Denters was unable to keep up the momentum, getting dropped by the label in 2012.
01:06Although she continued to pursue music, seeing a brief stint on The Voice UK in 2015,
01:11she never quite managed to recapture the same magic. That said, Denters isn't crying a river.
01:26In 2018, she took to Instagram with a cover of Timberlake's song Say Something and expressed
01:32gratitude for the opportunity. 9. Overboard Humor
01:38This prankster's downfall is definitely not a funny story. While his official net worth is unknown,
01:46Gareth Garcia was once considered a YouTube millionaire thanks to his seven-figure subscriber
01:52count. On his channel, Overboard Humor, he was known for making inappropriate comments to strangers
02:01in public, much to their chagrin and his viewers' entertainment. But just a few years after his
02:08peak of reaching YouTube millionaire status, Garcia fell on rough times.
02:13Are you homeless right now?
02:16Um, I am more of a hobo, a traveling worker.
02:20So you're homeless by choice?
02:22Yeah.
02:22At his lowest, the creator found himself homeless outside of Los Angeles after a volatile relationship.
02:28He was even forced to sell his gold play button he earned for the subscriber milestone. However,
02:35Garcia has more recently featured in fellow YouTuber Danny Mullins' videos and appears to
02:41be doing much better.
02:42You've been sheltered for a while now. You still living in the broom closet?
02:47No, we moved in with our parents a couple months ago.
02:50Whoa.
02:51That's amazing, dude.
02:52Number 8. Thomas Halbert
02:54From catfights with their fellow beauty gurus to caring for their actual cats, Thomas Halbert
03:00stayed embroiled in controversy. In 2018, they became entangled in the beauty community's
03:07implosion, dubbed Dramageddon, after igniting a feud with Jeffree Star.
03:12Uh, and I'm not going to say this person's name only because we all know who it is.
03:16We all know who it is.
03:17But that wouldn't be the last time Halbert courted Scandal. The following year, they took to Twitter
03:23to ask viewers to donate to their cat Archie's emergency vet fund.
03:27It was money you didn't have.
03:29It was money I didn't have.
03:31It was money I did not have.
03:33So I asked for the GoFundMe.
03:34In the tweet, they claimed to have less than $100 to their name, and preemptively defended
03:41themselves against scamming accusations. This didn't sit well with some people, as Halbert
03:47was quite popular and publicly asking for money, conflicted with the lifestyle they presented
03:52on their channel.
03:53You did not buy yourself a $4,000 computer ever?
03:56I bought myself a $5,000 computer last year, but not a $4,000.
03:59When was that?
04:01That was March of last year.
04:02March of last year.
04:03So that was before, that was when you were making a lot of money, and you thought you were
04:08going to continue to make a lot of money.
04:09Meanwhile, others defended them, given the outrageous cost of medical bills regardless.
04:15Number seven, Count Dankula.
04:18When it comes to pranksters paying the price, this Count's was a pretty penny.
04:24Mark Meechan, also known as Count Dankula, found himself in serious trouble, and even
04:29got an innocent dog roped into the drama.
04:38In 2016, Meechan trained his girlfriend's pug to make a certain salute, and uploaded a
04:46video of the Obscene Command.
04:48In the couple's native Scotland, this falls under posting offensive material, which is
04:53punishable by law.
05:04Meechan claims the act was an inside joke with his girlfriend, and famous comedians and far-right
05:10figures alike supported his right to free speech.
05:13Nevertheless, he was fined £800, which he refused to pay, and instead donated to charity.
05:20The money was seized from Meechan's account anyway, ending the debate of the prejudiced pug.
05:26The cops had actually seized the £800 straight out of my bank account.
05:32Number six, Olivia Cara.
05:35California vlogger Olivia Cara has made two videos spilling the worst financial decisions
05:41she made in her 20s.
05:43We are going to talk today about the biggest financial mistakes that I've made in my 20s.
05:47Maybe I should be a little older for this.
05:48I'm 24 right now, but I've made so many financial mistakes.
05:52In the uploads, Cara was fully open about living beyond her means by leasing a Range Rover,
05:58renting an apartment she couldn't afford, maxing out credit cards, and attending expensive
06:03attractions like Coachella and Disneyland.
06:06But I still wasn't feeling it regardless, so I kind of knew like, okay, like this was
06:09a waste of money, cool.
06:11Even though these weren't the best choices at the time, mad respect to Cara for admitting
06:16her mistakes, growing from them, and allowing her past to serve as a cautionary tale for impressionable
06:22viewers.
06:23You don't have to have anything designer.
06:25Like, I don't think I own like one thing designer.
06:27Number five, David Dobrik.
06:30Far more than most creators, the vlog squad ringleader seemed primes to break out beyond
06:36YouTube.
06:37At the peak of David Dobrik's channel, he was pulling in tens of millions of views thanks
06:42to A-list collabs with Kylie Jenner and Justin Bieber.
06:45What do you think about Justin Bieber?
06:47Oh, so, I love it.
06:48I wanted to marry him, honestly.
06:49I'm sad.
06:51I'm honestly sad about Hailey.
06:52It's okay, though.
06:53You want to marry me?
06:55You want to marry me?
06:57Things came to a screeching halt in 2021 when news outlet Insider uncovered 2018 sexual assault
07:04allegations towards his fellow squad member, Dumb Zaglitis, or Dirty Dumb.
07:09It sounds like in the idea of the video, it was just kind of a mistake that it...
07:12For sure, yeah.
07:13It was a big mistake.
07:14It was...
07:14Like, the whole thing was just...
07:15It just wasn't a good idea, right?
07:16Yeah.
07:17It just wasn't very...
07:18It just doesn't seem like it was, like, super thought through.
07:20Although Dobrik addressed the claims in an apology video, fans were unsatisfied for several
07:25reasons.
07:26It was rather vague, posted on a smaller side channel, and the comments were turned off.
07:32I don't align with some of the actions, and I don't...
07:36I don't stand for any kind of misconduct, and I...
07:40I'm...
07:41I was just...
07:41I've been really disappointed by some of my friends.
07:44Several brands dropped him, and his channel was demonetized following the scandal.
07:49While he later returned to the platform, Dobrik has yet to reclaim his relevance in the YouTube
07:55zeitgeist.
07:57Number 4.
07:58Omi in a Hellcat
07:59From reality TV to TikTok, flex culture is seemingly everywhere.
08:05But just because someone flaunts a certain lifestyle through the screen, it doesn't mean
08:10you have the whole story.
08:12Bill Omar Carasquio, also known as Omi in a Hellcat, blew up on YouTube by showing off
08:18his luxury car collection.
08:20As much as I didn't want to get rid of it, I might get rid of this and get a McLaren.
08:24Just not to have too many Lamborghinis laying around.
08:28Because I got three...
08:28I got four Lamborghinis.
08:29However, it all came crashing down.
08:33In 2023, Omi was convicted on counts of conspiracy, money laundering, fraud, tax evasion, and more
08:40in a cable piracy scheme.
08:41I wouldn't have had this issue if I wouldn't have created the service.
08:44That's a fact.
08:46You know what I mean?
08:46That is a fact.
08:49I wouldn't have had this issue if I would have paid my taxes.
08:51Well, I would have had less of an issue.
08:53Some sources have estimated his net worth at $15 million.
08:57But following court orders, $30 million in assets will be forfeited, as well as $6 million
09:03in cash and several of his cars.
09:06It sucks to lose my house, to lose properties, money, all my cars, you know, my jewelry.
09:16It's an embarrassment.
09:18If you're ever feeling insecure about your used Honda, just be thankful for your clean
09:23conscience.
09:24Number 3.
09:25James Charles
09:26As far as his YouTube earnings go, this beauty guru has had to say,
09:32Bye, sister!
09:32Since rising to fame in 2016 as CoverGirl's first male spokesmodel, James Charles' online
09:38career has been a rollercoaster of scandals and drama.
09:42I will not ask for sympathy, and I will definitely not ask for forgiveness either, but I will
09:46ask that you watch this entire thing all the way through, before forming any further opinions
09:50or talking about the story more.
09:52And while his feuds with fellow creators Jeffree Star and Tati Westbrook were certainly insane,
09:58they were just the tip of the iceberg.
10:01In 2021, multiple young boys alleged that Charles had sent them explicit photos and groomed
10:07them via text.
10:08I think it's very important that I get on camera and talk to you guys honestly about
10:12what is going on.
10:13He responded in an apology video where he claimed not to know their ages, but the damage was
10:19already done.
10:21Besides YouTube demonetizing Charles' channel, cosmetics company Morph parted ways with him.
10:36Considering Forbes reported he earned $5 million on ad revenue annually, Charles' once-thriving
10:42brand took a major hit.
10:452.
10:46Boogie2988
10:48From gaming to boxing, this career YouTuber has worn many hats since his start on the
10:54platform in 2006.
10:56That being said, one he probably won't be trying anytime soon is a financial advisor.
11:03In 2022, Stephen J. Williams, also known as Boogie2988, uploaded a video titled I Need Your
11:10Help, in which he admitted to struggling with money and asked followers for support.
11:15This is a video I've dreaded making, but it's time, so I'm asking for your help as we head
11:22into the holiday season.
11:25Not happy about it, but here we are.
11:29While even big creators can fall on hard times, viewers found it disingenuous as Boogie had
11:35previously bragged about how much money he made off his channel.
11:38I got to see some multi-million dollar YouTubers who've made more in a single month than I have in my 16 years on this platform.
11:49Punch down and make fun of me for asking for help.
11:52Some criticized his past spending and saving habits, while others doubted he was even in financial ruin after all.
12:00Either way, the video was received as just another in a long line of boogie blunders.
12:06I'm sorry if you're mad, I just, I don't have the effort or the time to care anymore.
12:11Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel, and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
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12:27Number 1.
12:28Andrew Hales
12:29Not every YouTuber's financial sop story goes over like a lead balloon.
12:35In 2021, YouTuber Andrew Hales, or Loth, put it all out there with a video titled, How I Became Broke.
12:43Let's see, how I became broke.
12:47In the tell-all upload, Hales walked his viewers through all the money mistakes he made after hitting it big with his pranks and interviews.
12:55He admitted to finding himself $40,000 to $50,000 in debt by traveling and partying too much, paying for an apartment he couldn't afford, taking out credit cards, and getting lazy with his uploads.
13:19Unlike other creators' wallet woes, Hales' confession went over considerably better.
13:24However, it felt authentic and straight from the heart, and he took responsibility for his position without making excuses.
13:44Do any of these creators deserve a second shot at stardom?
13:48Let us know in the comments.
13:54We'll see you 되 ahead.
13:58ства printer
14:00It puts everything
14:02You
14:02D
14:12It looks like it's impossible for you to quit, and it doesn't
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