Mathew Tyler Oakley (born March 22, 1989) is an American YouTuber, actor, activist, author, television personality and Twitch streamer. Much of Oakley's activism has been dedicated to LGBTQ youth, LGBTQ rights, as well as social issues including health care, education, and the prevention of suicide among LGBTQ youth. Oakley regularly posts material on various topics, including pop culture and humor.
Since uploading his first video in 2007 while a freshman at Michigan State University, his YouTube channel has garnered over 683 million views, and, at its peak, had over 8 million subscribers. He was featured in the 2014 Frontline investigative report "Generation Like", a follow-up on how teenagers are "directly interacting with pop culture" to the 2001 report, "The Merchants of Cool".
From March to October 2013, Oakley co-hosted a weekly pop-culture news update—"Top That!"—with Becca Frucht for PopSugar. In 2015, he released his first collection of humorous personal essays under the title Binge, via publisher Simon & Schuster.
In 2017, he was named in Forbes "30 Under 30".
Early life Mathew Tyler Oakley was born on March 22, 1989, in Jackson, Michigan. He has twelve siblings. When he was an infant, his parents divorced. When he was in the sixth grade, Oakley moved to Okemos, Michigan, and became involved in choir and drama. As a teenager, he had bulimia nervosa. Oakley came out as gay in high school.
Oakley graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in communication, marketing and social media from Michigan State University. While in college, he fell into a short depression after a breakup with a long-term boyfriend. Oakley admits he considered suicide at this time. His college years were also when he first became involved with YouTube, using the video sharing website to communicate with his high school friends, who were attending different schools.
Career
Social media Oakley began making YouTube videos in 2007, as video updates for his high school friends while he was in college. After graduating, he moved to San Francisco, California and began working as a social media manager, while making videos after his shifts. He began to gain a larger following after posting videos about his obsessions – namely artists Lady Gaga and One Direction and the television series Glee. By 2012, he had reached a million followers. Oakley was also known for his frequent collaborations with fellow big name YouTubers – Troye Sivan, Connor Franta, Grace Helbig, Zoella, Hannah Hart, and more. Oakley saw great success during this time becoming one of the first monetized YouTubers and 2013, he had amassed 3.9 million subscribers. This era is often described as the "Golden Age" of YouTube, as it saw the rise of vloggers that went on tour, published books, was the founding for VidCon, and reached outside the online atmosphere.
Through his success, Oakley was able to interview and collaborate with a number of celebrities and notable figures. In 2013, he interviewed One Direction for their documentary tour film One Direction: This Is Us and took part in their promotional seven-hour-stream 1D Day.
In 2014, he was given the opportunity to meet then U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House and do a video with First Lady Michelle Obama talking about education issues. The Advocate in their 2014 "40 under 40: Emerging voices" says that, due to Oakley's presence on YouTube, he is the first openly gay person that many people have met. Oakley was considered one of the world's leading celebrity influencers, having an Influencer score of 99 from the influencer marketing software Klear.
In 2015, Oakley was listed in TIME Magazines "The 30 Most Influential People on the Internet" and The Hollywood Reporters Top 25 Digital Stars. In December, he released his documentary film, Snervous, with Awesomeness Films. The film focused on his rise to fame and his journey on a sold-out tour.
In 2016, Oakley launched The Tyler Oakley Show, which aired weekly on Ellen DeGeneres' ellentube platform. That year, he also interviewed then-presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during campaign season.
By 2017, he had amassed almost eight million subscribers. In December 2020, Oakley announced he was taking an indefinite hiatus from making YouTube videos. He is currently actively streaming on Twitch, and sporadically uploads on YouTube.
In 2025, Oakley was inaugurated into Vidcon's Hall of Fame for his early work and contributions to digital culture.
Television On screen, Oakley has done appearances on broadcasting platforms, with some airing on national TV. He was seen on Insider Tonight, featuring co-hosts Kevin Frazier and Thea Andrews. He has interviewed live from the 2014 Kids Choice Awards red carpet, along with many other events that have him meeting and speaking to celebrities. In 2015, he appeared on MTV's reality television show Catfish: The TV Show as a guest host, alongside Nev Schulman.
Oakley, alongside best friend Korey Kuhl, competed in the 28th season of The Amazing Race, which aired in 2016. The pair finished in third place. The two returned for the 31st season of the show, where they finished in second place.
In 2017, Oakley appeared on the YouTube Premium show Escape the Night, appearing as "The Thespian" for 10 episodes in Season 2. Oakley also made a guest appearance on the tenth episode of the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, where he was paired with Monét X Change for a makeover challenge.
Other works In 2014, Oakley premiered a live show tour, "Tyler Oakley's Slumber Party", featuring him in pajamas and doing skits, and interactive segments with the audience. His two initial shows sold out in 72 hours, and the tour eventually added 40 cities internationally. Oakley had also been a part of DigiTour's 2014 US Summer tour of YouTube and Vine personalities. That same year, Oakley launched his podcast, Psychobabble, with his best friend, Korey Kuhl.
In October 2015, he released his memoir Binge, covering his life in Michigan, relationships, fame, and his struggles with eating disorders and domestic violence. The book was a New York Times bestseller for 11 consecutive weeks.
In 2016, he released a line of eyewear in collaboration with Warby Parker.
LGBTQ advocacy Oakley is an avid supporter of The Trevor Project, an organization for the prevention of suicide among LGBTQ youth. He interned with them in 2009 and since 2011 has co-hosted TrevorLIVE, the charity's annual red carpet event. Since 2013, Oakley has raised over a $1 million for the organization.
Oakley attributes his success only in part to his accessibility as a young gay man. "It's not all about me being gay. It's kind of like an underlying theme for me [with gay life] sprinkled throughout the videos." He has stated that Ellen DeGeneres was a role model: "She embodies what I want my experience to be and my influence to be, where it's a positive one, it's a happy one, it's not something about the bad parts of life or the downsides of a lot of things. She's using her influence for good, and everyone knows who she is, what she stands for, and that she is a lesbian." Much of his online persona and videos focused on his life as a gay man. He also used his platform to advocate for other LGBTQ+ people by sharing their stories. His 2017 online documentary Chosen Family was an eight-part series that focused on the stories of LGBTQ+ refugees.
In 2012, singer Ricky Martin credited Oakley's 2008 "Coming Out Day" video as inspiration for his coming out. In 2015, Oakley was honored by GLAAD, receiving the Davidson/Valentini Award for making a significant difference in promoting equality for the LGBT community. He was also awarded by Attitude with their Young Hero Award for his advocacy in 2016.
Bibliography
Filmography
Television YearTitleRoleNotes2012Watch What Happens Live with Andy CohenSelf - BartenderEpisode: "Tamar Braxton & Denise Richards"2014Becoming YouTubeSelfEpisode: "Everything Changes"2014 - 2015The TalkSelf - Guest5 episodes2015Catfish: The TV ShowSelf - Guest Host2 episodesVirtually FamousSelf - PanellistEpisode #2.22016The Jim Gaffigan ShowSelfEpisode: "Ugly"2017Escape the NightThe Thespian12 episodes2016Team KaylieSelfEpisode: "Winging It"2016 - 2018The Amazing RaceSelf - ContestantSeasons 28 & 312018RuPaul's Drag RaceSelfEpisode: "Social Media Kings Into Queens"2021ExposureSelf - Guest JudgeEpisode: "Ready, Set, Shoot!"
Film YearTitleRoleNotes2015Luna Goes CruisingCroutonShort filmSnervousSelfDocumentary film2019Pokemon: Detective PikachuRoundhouse SpectatorUncredited
Online series YearTitleRoleNotes2013My Drunk KitchenSelfEpisode: "Flan Girl"The Mythical ShowSelfEpisode: "Smosh & Star Trek"1D DaySelfSmoshGeorge Tyler WashingtonEpisode: "The End of Christmas: Part 2"2014YouTube Rewind: Turn Down for 2014Self2014 - 2015Smosh BabiesBaby Tyler5 episodes2016On the SpotSelfEpisode: "The Amazing Jock Models"
Awards and nominations YearAwardCategoryNominatedResultRef.2012The QueertiesYouTube IdolHimselfLOL Of The Year"Tyler Oakley Chats with Straight British Twins" 2014The Shorty Awards YouTube Star Himself Video Blogger Blogger Activism Petty Category First Person The Trevor Project Awards Trevor Youth Innovator Award OUT100 OUT100 Readers' Choice Young Hollywood Awards Viral Superstar Teen Choice Awards Choice Web Star: Male Choice Web Collaboration "The Boyfriend Tag" with Troye Sivan Streamy Awards Entertainer of the Year Himself Activist Icon of the Year First Person The QueertiesTwitter Account You Should Be Following 2015Podcast Awards Best LGBTQ+ Podcast Psychobabble with Tyler Oakley & Korey Kuhl Webby Awards First Person Himself The Shorty Awards Podcast GLAAD Davidson/Valentini Award Streamy Awards Entertainer of the Year First Person Series Social Good Campaign MTV Fandom Awards Social Superstar of the Year Teen Choice Awards Choice Web Star: Male Choice YouTuber 2016Webby Awards Web Personality Best Web Personality/Host Shorty Awards YouTuber of the Year Streamy AwardsFirst PersonTeen Choice Award Choice Web Star: Male 2017People's Choice Awards Favorite YouTube Star Out Web Fest Vanguard Award 2018Streamy Awards Streamy Legacy Award Out Web Fest Visibility Award Out Power 50 Awards Power of Originality Award Teen Choice Awards Choice Male Web Star 2021The QueertiesBest PodcastPsychobabble with Tyler Oakley & Korey Kuhl2022Best Podcast
See also
List of YouTubers
References
External links
Tyler Oakley's official Wattpad profile