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, we might have our next political campaign from a creator, a streamer showed why his name is literally “Speed,” and the Super Bowl remains a busy moment.
Politics as usual
Trisha Paytas is considering a run for Congress. The actress, singer, and drama magnet may seem like an unusual choice to represent Southern California in the U.S. Capitol, but Paytas is fed up with the current state of the country and eager to make change herself. She has a few months to get her name on the ballot if she actually intends to follow up on her latest bit of big talk.
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Ms. Rachel made it onto Zohran Mamdani’s inaugural committee. The new Mayor of New York City gave YouTube’s biggest children’s entertainer a nod as he moved into Gracie Mansion. Ms. Rachel and Mamdani’s shared solidarity for Palestine will earn them both friends and enemies, but the littlest New Yorkers will probably feel the best about this appointment.
Is Silicon Valley getting a bigger say on an influential Congressional panel? Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) is set to become the top Democrat on the House Select Committee on the Communist Party, a group that played a big role in recent TikTok dealings. Khanna’s district includes the HQs of several Big Tech firms — will that fact affect his outlook on Chinese-owned social media companies?
Creator commotion
iShowSpeed beat a gold medal-winning sprinter in a race. If we’re being fair, we have to acknowledge that Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo slipped coming out of the blocks in his race against Speed. That doesn’t change the outcome, though, and Speed was quick to boast about his achievement. Is Noah Lyles watching?
Piper Rockelle made nearly $3 million in her first 24 hours on OnlyFans. Rockelle, who has been a popular creator since she was a kid, became active on OnlyFans as soon as she turned 18. Her sudden rise to adult stardom hasn’t sat well with everyone, but she has a message for the haters: “I’m not going to be a kid forever.”
After topping viewership charts in 2025, KIMPRO says thank you to fans. The Korean channel run by cousins Kim Dong Joon and Yu Baek Hap is bigger than anything else on YouTube. “We owe this entirely to you,” reads a post on the KIMPRO YouTube channel. “In 2026, we’ll keep improving and continue to deliver consistently good content. Thank you for being with us.”
Pop culture minute
Salesforce said MrBeast could make its Super Bowl commercial. Is he actually doing it? The biggest YouTube creator on the planet openly mused about the great ideas he has for Super Bowl spots. Salesforce’s Marc Benioff responded by calling MrBeast’s bluff, leading to a DM conversation between the pair. We’ll find out in February what Salesforce actually has planned.
Jon Youshaei is going behind the scenes of Beast Games season two. Speaking of MrBeast, when his Prime Video original series returns, it will include more behind-the-scenes footage than in the past. Jon Youshaei, a podcaster, creator economy expert, and personal friend of MrBeast, will launch a seven-episode docuseries about “the making of Beast Games.” Here’s hoping the production is a bit less dramatic than season one was.
Kumail Nanjiani is the next American comic to join Taskmaster. We previously wrote about how Taskmaster has used YouTube to bring more Americans into its fanbase. That effort already led to Jason Mantzoukas’ role as a cast member, and Kumail Nanjiani is now accepting the same position. You can see him on season 21 of Taskmaster.
Platform headlines
Kai Cenat took a hit in Twitch’s sudden emote purge. The streaming hub got rid of some of its emotes, and a few of the icons that got nixed had ties to creators. Farewell to Ironmouse’s IronMouseLuv, Kai Cenat’s StreamerU, and Ibai’s King World Cup. We hardly knew ye.
Triller has been delisted from the Nasdaq exchange. The one-time TikTok rival hasn’t quite lived up to the promise of its 2024. After reportedly missing multiple reporting deadlines, Triller has been removed from Nasdaq listings. There have been rumors of financial instability at Triller for a while, and this latest report will add more fuel to that fire.
Influencers and OnlyFans creators are taking advantage of O-1B visas. The visas are intended for “individuals with an extraordinary ability in the arts or extraordinary achievement in motion picture or television industry,” like John Lennon. I suppose OnlyFans stars fit that bill, especially in Trump’s America.
The internet is a strange place
Speaking of OnlyFans…its stars have caught football fever. Models are wearing soccer jerseys to reel in sports fans who would otherwise be unaware of them. If you thought that the 2026 World Cup content boom was only going to apply to streamers and TikTokers, well, I have a kit to sell you.
If you stream food deliveries on Twitch, you could be banned. That’s what happened to Swifty, who streamed his side hustle during the low-revenue month of January. Luckily for the longtime World of Warcraft player, his permaban was soon reversed, though the situation may have sent shivers down the spines of some internet-savvy delivery drivers.
The winner of a literature contest was stripped of its award after the novel was determined to be AI-generated. Somewhere, a tech-savvy grifter is frantically asking for ChatGPT’s advice on trophy heists.
