Have you heard? Rumble stock is surging, TikTok is celebrating cybersecurity, and monkeys are loose

Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends, updates, business moves, and more from around the creator industry. This week, Kai Cenat’s Twitch sub-a-thon has stirred up drama, and the presidential election has sent some stocks soaring.

Creator commotion

The unwitting star of Kai Cenat’s Mafiathon is Halle Bailey’s infant son. The younger half of Chloe x Halle was initially incensed that ex-partner DDG brought their child Halo onto Cenat’s blockbuster stream, though she later said she “overreacted.” Halle may be ahead of her time; there’s a lot of talk right now about the morality of children’s on-camera appearances.

Casey Neistat’s David Dobrik doc may never see the light of day. Neistat is conflicted about a project that started as a celebration of Dobrik’s career but was complicated by numerous controversies orbiting the former Vlog Squad member. I understand that Neistat isn’t sure how to balance the feelings of his subject and his subject’s victims, though it’s too bad that we may never get a close look at Dobrik from that pivotal period in his life.

PBS’ NOVA built an escape room on Twitch. The project is part of a stream led by NASA vet Dr. Nehemiah Mabry. To get out, we may need to reach escape velocity.

Politics as usual

Rumble stock is going up, up, up. The right-leaning streaming hub had its biggest audience ever on Election Day, and its stock price has gone up by about 6% since then. For what it’s worth, Truth Social stock is already on its way back down.

There’s a new Trump on YouTube. Kai Trump is Donald Jr.’s daughter and Donald Sr.’s granddaughter. She’s a golf enthusiast who now has her own YouTube channel. So it begins…

David Letterman’s YouTube channel subtweeted Trump voters. The former late-night host uploaded a choice selection of archival clips after the 2024 election. Based on his choice of uploads (an attack on undecided voters and a live performance of Green Day’s “American Idiot”), it’s clear where Letterman stands on this year’s electoral outcome.

Platform headlines

TikTok wishes you a happy and safe Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It may seem ironic for a platform that struggles to secure user data to celebrate a month dedicated to digital security, but that’s exactly what TikTok is doing. It’s all part of the platform’s plan to promote transparency after enduring years of criticism related to its surreptitious data practices.

Banks are turning to Reddit for financial updates. By examining user behavior on some of the largest subreddits, banks can perform research about customer preferences. Let’s hope they can tell a troll from an honest opinion, because if not, their Reddit research won’t get them very far.

Kajabi’s “reality check” campaign tells some difficult truths. Despite the buzz around the creator economy, results are uneven, with some creators struggling to make a living off their work. Kajabi, which offers a variety of influencer-facing tools and services, wants to be the platform that brings equity to the creator space.

The biz

Cristiano Ronaldo is projected to surpass MrBeast (and earn $99 million in the process). Ronaldo wants to become the world’s most-subscribed YouTuber, and the latest projections say he’ll do exactly that in August 2026. I’m not surprised. Ronaldo is investing MrBeast-level resources on YouTube, so his high earnings and fast growth are to be expected.

Keith Lee is the latest creator catching the Texas bug. TikTok’s favorite food critic is moving to Houston. At this point, has Texas usurped California as the epicenter of the creator community? I imagine that once Gen Alpha comes of age, it will be Ohio’s turn to take over.

“The Boys” have a new hot sauce. No, not the Amazon series. I’m talking about the creator collective consisting of EddieVR, Your Narrator, JoshDub, Juicy, and Mully, who are doing spicy things through their Hungry Boy brand. Sean Evans, you listening?

The internet is a strange place

After the election, Steve from Blue’s Clues wants us to breathe. The one-time adult in the room on children’s TV took to TikTok to console bitter Americans after the reelection of Donald Trump. Somehow, a regression to childhood feels fitting for this era of history.

TikTok on the toilet can give you hemorrhoids. Doctors on the app are teaching viewers how to ration their phone time while sitting on the porcelain throne. Long story short: Don’t get carried away on your FYP and sit on the toilet for longer than you need, or else you could find yourself dealing with a bigger problem than TikTok addiction.

The monkeys are loose! Over 40 monkeys broke out of a research facility in South Carolina. I hear they’ll be forming a creator group any day now.