Shane Dawson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shane Dawson
Dawson in July 2016
Personal information
Born	Shane Lee Yaw (1988-07-19) July 19, 1988 (age 37) Long Beach, California, U.S.
Education	Lakewood High School
Occupation	YouTuber actor filmmaker writer musician
Spouse(s)	Ryland Adams ​ (m. 2023)​
Signature
YouTube information
Years active	2008–present
Genre	Docuseries vlog sketch comedy music beauty conspiracy theories
Subscribers	18.8 million (main channel) 29.25 million (combined)
Total views	4.4 billion (main channel) 4.85 billion (combined)
Associated acts	BlackBoxTV Lisa Schwartz Brittani Louise Taylor Jeffree Star Joe Nation
Subscriber and view counts updated as of February 6, 2025.

Shane Lee Yaw (born July 19, 1988), known online as Shane Dawson, is an American YouTuber, actor, filmmaker, writer, and musician. He was one of the first people to become famous on YouTube. He started making videos in 2008 when he was 19 years old. Within two years, his videos had over 500 million views.

In his early videos, Dawson made comedy sketches where he played original characters and impersonated celebrities. He also made parodies of popular music videos and released his own songs, like "Superluv!". Later, his videos drew criticism for some of the jokes he made.

In 2015, Dawson's content changed. He began making popular documentary-style series about topics like conspiracy theories and the lives of other internet stars, including Jeffree Star and Jake Paul. His series The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star received over 130 million views.

Dawson has also written two best-selling books, I Hate Myselfie and It Gets Worse. His three YouTube channels have a combined total of over 4.5 billion views. In June 2020, after people criticized his past comments, YouTube paused payments from his channels. He took a break and returned to making videos in October 2021.

Early Life

Shane Lee Yaw was born in Long Beach, California, on July 19, 1988. He has two older brothers, Jacob and Jerid. He grew up in Lakewood, California, and went to Lakewood High School.

As a teenager, Shane was often bullied for his weight. He later lost 150 pounds (68 kg). He first got interested in making videos when he started turning in video projects for school instead of written reports.

Career

Dawson at the 2nd Annual Streamy Awards in 2010

Becoming a YouTube Star

On March 10, 2008, Dawson created his first YouTube channel, "ShaneDawsonTV." He quickly became known for his comedy sketches where he played many different characters. One of his early popular videos was called "Fred is Dead!", which has over 25 million views.

By 2010, Forbes magazine named him their 25th most famous web celebrity. He also started a second channel for vlogs and other videos, which is now his main channel, "shane."

Music and Film Projects

Dawson at VidCon 2012

From 2010 to 2013, Dawson worked on projects outside of YouTube. He tried to create a TV show pilot called SD High and worked with Sony Pictures on other show ideas.

He also started a music career. In March 2012, he released his first single, "Superluv!". The song appeared on music charts in Ireland and the United Kingdom. He released other songs, including "The Vacation Song" and "Maybe This Christmas."

In 2012, he acted in the horror movie Smiley. In 2014, he directed and starred in the comedy film Not Cool. The film was part of a TV competition show called The Chair, which Dawson won. The prize was $250,000 to work on a new film project.

Books and Podcasts

Dawson with a fan at VidCon 2014

In 2013, Dawson started a popular podcast called Shane and Friends, which ran for four years.

He also became a successful author. In 2015, he released his first book, a collection of essays called I Hate Myselfie. It became a New York Times best-seller. His second book, It Gets Worse, was released in 2016 and was also a best-seller.

Documentary Series on YouTube

Dawson with a fan in 2016

Starting in 2017, Dawson changed his YouTube style to focus on long documentary series. These videos became incredibly popular.

• The Truth About TanaCon (2018): A three-part series about a failed fan convention. It received tens of millions of views in just one week.
• The Secret World of Jeffree Star (2018): A five-part series that gave a look into the life of makeup creator Jeffree Star.
• The Mind of Jake Paul (2018): An eight-part series where Dawson investigated the life and personality of YouTuber Jake Paul.
• Conspiracy Series with Shane Dawson (2019): A series where he explored popular conspiracy theories.
• The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star (2019): This series followed Dawson and Star as they created a makeup collection together.

These documentary series were praised for their in-depth look at internet culture but also received some criticism. Some people felt his videos on conspiracy theories could spread misinformation.

Personal Life

In July 2015, Dawson announced that he is bisexual. He began dating fellow YouTuber Ryland Adams in 2016. They got engaged in March 2019 and were married on January 3, 2023.

In December 2023, Dawson and Adams welcomed twin sons, who were born through surrogacy. The family lives on a farm in Colorado. Dawson has also spoken openly about his struggles with body dysmorphic disorder.

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and Nominations

See also

• List of entertainers who performed in blackface