What was IShowSpeed like as a kid? Streamer's childhood explored

YouTube streaming legend Darren "IShowSpeed" was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on January 21, 2005, and is currently 20 years old. Since then, he has amassed a considerable following, with over 44 million subscribers on the platform and tens of thousands of viewers tuning in every stream. His streaming career started as a teenager, in front of a desktop, where his wild antics gained traction online.

Before streaming, clips of a pre-teen IShowSpeed can be found on the internet. One notable video, reportedly taken when the streamer was about ten years old, featured a selfie angle of Speed getting his hair dyed while rapping and dancing.

Around this age is when he got the name "Speedy," specifically for his pace in running races. In an interview with DAZED magazine, he touched on the origin of his online persona:

"They used to call me Speedy because I was fast."

Soon after, he created a gamer tag based on his nickname and started streaming at fifteen. After he gained a bit of popularity online, the streamer's mother reportedly asked him to leave home after she noticed some of the negative attention online. The exile caused IShowSpeed to move in with his father in Detroit. Here's what he told DAZED:

"My mom got mad, [like], ‘Stop, stop, what are you doing, why are people talking about my son like this?"

After steadily gaining popularity, Speed reached the main stage at age 16, but soon after, Twitch permanently banned him following a controversial "E-Date" segment with Ash Kash and Adin Ross in which he made remarks deemed sexual coercion or intimidation.

An early classic from March 2021 features a basketball showdown between Speed and his younger brother, Jamal, which has over 600,000 views.

Towards the end of 2021, the streamer's broadcasts continued to garner attention, and by the end of 2022, he had about 15 million subscribers on YouTube.

---

IShowSpeed visits his childhood home in 2025

In late August 2025, IShowSpeed embarked on a cross-country tour across the United States, streaming 24/7 and traveling in a tour bus.

On the 12th day of his journey, he traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, to revisit his childhood home. He gave viewers a tour of his grandmother’s house, reconnected with relatives, and took the stream around the neighborhood while reminiscing about local landmarks and memories.

He also visited his elementary and high schools, where he met with his old teachers and caught up. To top it off, Speed recreated the infamous childhood picture of him and three girls.

IShowSpeed recreates a childhood photo (Images via Live Speedy/YouTube)

---

In other news, fans speculated that Speed and his cameraman, Slipz, had a falling out.