KSI is a massive online superstar, boasting millions of followers across multiple social media platforms… but his earnings from TikTok aren’t exactly what he expected.
KSI is one of the biggest influencers in the United Kingdom. The YouTuber has accrued a combined 39 million followers across his two channels, alongside an additional 11 million followers on Instagram.
The British star is also a rising rapper, boasting songs with features from the likes of Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and more — on top of his status as a budding pro boxer with an upcoming bout this August.
One of his other major outlets is TikTok, where he’s gained over 9.2 million followers, rendering him a bonafide celebrity on the site that’s known for pumping out viral content.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the viral video app is proving very profitable for the Down Like That rapper. KSI discussed his TikTok earnings during a recent episode of the ‘Sidecast’ podcast, where he claimed his profits from the site aren’t living up to his expectations.
First, the star listed off his ‘resume’ on TikTok: “9.2 million followers. 70 million likes. …maybe 200 million plus views. Guess how much I’ve made?”
In a twist, KSI’s co hosts from the Sidemen YouTube channel actually lowballed the amount. After tossing out numbers like £1600 or £2100, the rapper revealed that the real number is actually higher than their theorized payout.
According to KSI, he’s made only £3,000 from his TikTok channel (around $3778.90) — a shocking amount, considering his prolific profile.
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“3,000 pounds though, for the amount of views he gets?” his co host stated in shock.
“That’s mad,” another chimed in.
KSI isn’t the only influencer getting lowballed by TikTok; in January, YouTube star Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson spoke out about his wages from the platform, saying he’d made just $14,910.92 despite having over a “billion” views.
This is how much I've made from the TikTok Creator Fund since April 2021 with over 25 million views in that time
TikTok as a platform for creators has a lot of potential but I agree with @hankgreen that they really need to sort out their revenue sharing ►https://t.co/cg8FNVqumn pic.twitter.com/hhOz9vjhiZ
— Safwan AhmedMia (@SuperSaf) January 21, 2022
This news follows TikTok’s implementation of more upcoming features to help their creators earn money with a LIVE subscription beta, which acts similarly to Twitch Prime subscriptions.