One year after putting MrBeast on the cover of its inaugural Creator Issue, Rolling Stone has given Emma Chamberlain her close-up. Chamberlain is the star of the second-annual Creator Issue, which arrived on April 18.
Rolling Stone profiled Chamberlain for a Creator Issue cover story that tracks the winding career path the erstwhile teen vlogger has taken. The piece characterizes Chamberlain — who now hosts the podcast Anything Goes and releases easygoing travel vlogs on her YouTube channel — as an unpredictable figure who is willing to go off-script in search of artistic fulfillment. “They gave me a script, but I don’t do scripts,” Chamberlain said before presenting at an event hosted by Spotify. “I do so much better off the cuff.”
Just as MrBeast (real name Jimmy Donaldson) was the perfect choice for the first Creator Issue cover story, Chamberlain is the right person to take Rolling Stone‘s annual tradition into its second year. Donaldson and Chamberlain rose to prominence around the same time, but their respective styles show two very different sides of the YouTube community. Rolling Stone‘s profile of Donaldson painted him as a calculating perfectionist whose mastery of online video has spawned a multi-million dollar empire. On the other hand, Chamberlain’s content is known for its intentional imperfections and loose feel.
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Despite that contrast, both Donaldson and Chamberlain have come up against the biggest roadblock in their industry: The constant grind that a life of content creation demands. Donaldson has invested millions to assemble the team and facilities he needs to keep up with his busy schedule.
Chamberlain, who took an extended YouTube hiatus after feeling the pressures of the platform, grinds on a more artistic level. She is constantly searching for original twists to add to her forthcoming-yet-easygoing persona. “You start to feel like, ‘Oh, fuck, this is getting boring,'” Chamberlain told Rolling Stone. “I’m bored of this. Everyone else is getting bored of this.”
Readers who leaf through Rolling Stone’s new release will get to witness the creator lifestyle from many different points of view. Personalities featured in the latest Creator Issue range from TikTok it girls (Alix Earle, The D’Amelios) to savvy streamers (Valkyrae) to YouTube legends (Coffeezilla, Logan Paul).
Presenting the @RollingStone Creators Issue cover star — Miss Internet 🌐 Emma Chamberlain
From YouTube to podcasting, she’s made an art of winging it, being herself, and getting everyone to follow her lead.
Story/Photos: https://t.co/SMXOBDjHLB pic.twitter.com/zUUm2YMGJz
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) April 17, 2023
Chamberlain’s cover story reveals much about the mercurial star’s past (one inspiration for her vlog was Lucas Cruikshank, aka Fred) and present (she’s about to bring her first guests onto Anything Goes). For the 12 million fans who subscribe to her on YouTube, one big question is left unanswered: Chamberlain hasn’t decided whether her YouTube home will offer more than the occasional travel update. “If I’m in the mood to film some shit, I’m going to do it,” she told Rolling Stone. “But God knows what that’s going to be. It’s not going to be like anything I’ve ever done.”
