In the up-and-coming generation, it’s weird not to be constantly online and in the spotlight but it’s not always easy when you choose to show everything about yourself to the world. That’s why social media stars like Tyler Oakley create such a lasting impression with us, they bare it all, good and bad, and we as an audience get to know the whole person rather than a carefully crafted persona as with celebs of yore. This becomes especially important as Tyler is openly gay in a world desperately in need of LGBT+ role models. So, is Tyler Oakley the real deal? He’s rumoured to be worth a lot but is it all hype? Let’s meet the newest YouTube sensation!
Born Matthew Tyler Oakley on March 22, 1989 in Jackson, Michigan, one of 13 total children, making his family a real baker’s dozen! Though his parents divorced when he was still a baby, Tyler had a fairly normal childhood, finding an early affinity for the visual arts, namely choir and drama. These talents would serve him well when he began attending Michigan State University in 2007, the fateful year he shot and uploaded his first video to YouTube. At first seeing the new social media platform as a way to stay in touch with his high school friends (who had all gone to different colleges), Tyler soon found that YouTube was a great outlet for expression of his unique, fun personality. His first video, ‘Raindrops’, has since amassed nearly 500,000 views, and it was clear that there was something about him that people could connect to and relate with.
Since 2007, Tyler’s life has been on a serious upswing. His videos feature news, pop culture, celeb life, LGBT+ issues, and often times skits and just general fun and goofing off. A former member of the collaborative YouTube channel ‘5awesomegays’, he was featured in a Frontline investigative report on the digital generation’s relationship with pop culture, ‘Generation Like’, and was a regular co-host of PopSugar‘s ‘Take That!’ pop culture news show until 2013. Tyler has done professional voice actor work (YouTube series ‘The Most Popular Girls In School) and competed in a season of The Amazing Race (season 28, 2016) as well as tried his hand at writing in 2015, authoring Binge, a book of essays and musings (published by Simon & Schuster). In 2016 Tyler debuted his newest creation, The Tyler Oakley Show, which airs weekly on Ellen Degeneres’ EllenTube (he’s always maintained that he’s a “super fangirl” of Ellen’s and cites her as a major role-model and inspiration). Most recently, he was named one of the top ’30 Under 30′ by Forbes magazine in 2017.
It’s not all silly celeb social media with Tyler Oakley, however. He’s been the subject of a documentary, SNERVOUS, and has received serious attention from famous individuals, both pop culture and professional. In 2014 he met with former President Obama at the White House and interviewed former First Lady Michelle Obama on her education reform initiatives. Conscious of his influence as a social media celeb, Tyler’s always maintained that people with influence should use that power for good, to be positive role-models and exemplars. The Advocate magazine has also praised him for his work as an LGBT+ activist.
Tyler Oakley’s Personal Life & FAQ
Is Tyler married?
Tyler Oakley is not married but sorry to burst your bubble, gentlemen, because he’s not single either! It’s known that he has a ‘secret boyfriend’ but the normally forthcoming star hasn’t spilled the beans on just who that is. He’s said that he’s very much in love and had previously stated he did want to one day marry, so there’s hope yet for a set of matching rings to come out of this fine bromance! On the serious side, Tyler is the survivor of an abusive relationship while he was in college, an issue he covered in his book Binge, one he’s encouraging more people to talk about in an effort to stamp out the stigma of being a domestic abuse victim. Surely at some point Tyler and his special guy will feel comfortable breaking the news but until then, speculations continue to run wild.
Did Tyler go to college?
Tyler attended Michigan State University in 2007, studying communication, marketing, and social media. He graduated in 2011 and has since become a serious celeb alum of MSU, meaning that degree was something he put to work right away, if his astronomical social media following is any indication.
Has Tyler won any awards?
In the past few years, Tyler Oakley has been a virtual fixture on the red carpet and it’s not hard to see why! In 2014 alone, he won the Trevor Youth Innovator Award, the OUT100 Reader’s Choice award, 2 Teen Choice awards (Choice Web Star: Male and Choice Web Collaboration for ‘The Boyfriend Tag’ with Troye Sivan), and 2 Streamy awards (Entertainer of the Year and Activist Icon of the Year). In 2015 Tyler won Best LGBT+ Podcast at the 10th Annual Podcast Awards, was named one of TIME magazine’s 30 Most Influential People on the Internet, was named one of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Top 25 Digital Stars (and would be again in 2016), and was awarded the GLADD Davidson/Valenti award. In 2016, he won the Webby Award for Best Web Personality/Host, was named as one of OUT magazine’s Power 50 as well as the designation of ‘Famechanger’ in Variety‘s Top Digital Stars.
What causes are important to Tyler?
From the beginning, Tyler has been an outspoken advocate for the rights and issues that affect LGBT+ teens, especially teen suicide. He is a vocal supporter and contributor to the Trevor Project for teen suicide prevention and has helped raise over $1 million for the charity. In a rapidly polarising world where LBGT+ individuals are facing an increasingly hard backlash and are seeing their human rights/healthcare threatened, Tyler stands as a bit of hope in a frightening world, a reassurance that it does “get better”. He’s also spoken out about his battle with an eating disorder, that he felt “unlovable” before but is managing the issue, encouraging an open dialogue about issues teens are often too ashamed to discuss and end up suffering all the more for.
What does Tyler do with his wealth?
We know Tyler Oakley is worth $8 million but what the heck does he DO with it all? If you guessed flashy cars, NYC shopping sprees, wild parties, or exotic vacations, you’d be dead wrong! There are no million dollar mansions in this stud’s story and it’s really no wonder, as Tyler studied marketing in college and seems pretty business savvy in managing his brand. Blowing everything on clothes and cars is SO 80’s and the modern celebs of the digital generation know the value of a dollar and understand that in this volatile economic situation, those dollars are going to really come in handy later on in life. Nevertheless, Tyler isn’t above a bit of splurging here and there and always looks his best whether in front of the camera or strolling down the red carpet.
Tyler Oakley – Beyond Fame
The future couldn’t be brighter for social media megastar Tyler Oakley. With nearly 8 million YouTube subscribers, nearly 7 million followers on Instagram, nearly 6 million Twitter followers, and hundreds of thousands of Tumblr followers, he’s a man that’s taken his talents and made good. With his career really taking off, we’re looking forward to only the best from one of the brightest stars born on YouTube since the platform started and for Tyler, the sky certainly isn’t the limit!
