Twitch and YouTube superstar Kai Cenat tries on an Iron Man suit given to him by another internet influencer, Mr. Beast.
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Twitch and YouTube superstar Kai Cenat tries on an Iron Man suit given to him by another internet influencer, Mr. Beast.
Kai Cenat/YouTube
Internet sensation Kai Cenat is almost through an uninterrupted 30-day stream, also known as “subathon.” That’s right, 30 days straight, 24/7 — he’s even streaming himself sleeping, even though he’s (thankfully) off camera when he goes to the bathroom!
It is an achievement that is becoming more and more popular. Kai’s attempt attracted a lot of attention and succeeded in its purpose: he is now the most subscribed Twitch streamer in the world, where he encourages others to try the marathon format themselves.
The non-stop activity also challenged Cenat’s creativity. To date, he has brought audiences for karate classes, yoga, police dog training, hypnosis and even a date. He was dressed as a Hogwarts student on the new day Harry Potter game released, involving special effects and the help of some friends from Gryffindor to create magical content.
Kai Cenat tries ‘goat yoga’ LIVE from his home studio.
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Kai Cenat tries ‘goat yoga’ LIVE from his home studio.
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His large, multi-story house is also equipped with cameras that can follow him wherever he goes. Fans seemed to get a kick out of the subathon’s antics, as TikTok clips from the stream garnered thousands of views.
Cenat’s success also came despite run-ins with Twitch censors. His fourth and final ban lasted a few days before the start of the subathon. It follows him grabbing edibles and broadcasting on-stream (Twitch’s guidelines forbid “dangerous consumption of alcohol or other substances that lead to impotence”).
Who is Kai Cenat?
Raised in the Bronx, Kai Cenat first went viral with videos he made as a college student. He streams games like Call of Duty, NBA 2K, Grand Theft Auto and courage, and distinguished himself with pranks, skits, and sit-ins with special guest artists. These include throwing water at his roommates, cooking during college lectures, pretending to be a hibachi chef and a prank called (extreme) ding-dong-ditch.
Celebrities like A Boogie, Drake, Ice Spice, Lil Baby, Lil Uzi Vert, NLE Choppa and more have also joined his streams. He even appeared in a video with Lil Uzi Vert for his latest hit song, “I Just Wanna Rock” and recorded a song with NLE Choppa titled “Bustdown Rollie Avalanche.”
A promotional YouTube image for AMP, the media group that Kai belongs to.
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A promotional YouTube image for AMP, the media group that Kai belongs to.
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Kai Cenat is also part of AMP (Any Means Possible), a group of young men of color making waves in an industry that has always been white dominated. Its six members engage in various exploits that range from hosting a talent show, to managing a farm, to rapping at their annual AMP cypher event, to creating also in a Japanese game show challenge called ‘silent library.’ The group has more than 2 million subscribers on YouTube, while Cenat himself has more than 3 million on YouTube and more than 4.5 million on Twitch. He also recently won Streamer of the Year at the 2022 YouTube Streamy Awards.
Thanks to his subathon, Cenat now holds the title for the most subscribers on Twitch, with over 200,000 active subscriptions that financially support him. He’s also a fixture on TikTok and YouTube, and even wants to grace the silver screen one day. So while the streaming business is constantly shifting, Kai Cenat appears to be at the top of his game.
Nick Charles and James Perkins Mastromarino contributed to this article.