Emma Chamberlain

1.1. Childhood and Family Background

Emma Frances Chamberlain was born on May 22, 2001, in San Bruno, California. She is an only child. Her parents divorced when she was five years old. In a 2018 interview with Forbes, Chamberlain shared that her family faced financial difficulties during her childhood, relying on commissions from her father's art. These "hard times" occurred particularly when he was ill and unable to paint.

1.2. Education

Chamberlain attended Central Middle School in San Carlos, California, and later Notre Dame High School, Belmont, an all-girl Catholic preparatory school. During her time in high school, she was an active participant in extracurricular activities, joining both the cheerleading and track teams. She was a competitive cheerleader for five years, competing with the California Allstars in Livermore, California, as part of the Senior Pink team. Chamberlain left high school during the first semester of her junior year but subsequently graduated after passing the California High School Exit Exam. In 2024, at the age of 23, she formally received her high school diploma with the Class of 2024.

2.1. YouTube Career

Chamberlain initiated her YouTube channel on June 14, 2016, driven by a desire to find a passion outside of high school, where she had become dissatisfied towards the end of her sophomore year. Her content on the platform has included diverse themes such as cooking videos, fashion hauls, car vlogs, and collaborations with other YouTubers. She became particularly known for her unique and authentic vlogging style, characterized by self-deprecating humor and a distinct editing approach that incorporated zooms, on-screen text, and deliberate pauses. As of August 2023, her YouTube channel had amassed 12 million subscribers and a total of 1.61 billion video views.

In June 2018, Chamberlain relocated from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, where she formed the Sister Squad with fellow teen YouTubers James Charles and the comedy duo The Dolan Twins. This group was featured in YouTube Rewind 2018 and was nominated for a 2019 YouTube Ensemble Shorty Award. Additionally, throughout 2018, Chamberlain collaborated with Dote-associated female YouTubers Ellie Thumann and Hannah Meloche, posting videos featuring each other on their channels under the group name "The Girdies."

Chamberlain was invited by Tana Mongeau to be a Featured Creator at Tanacon in Anaheim in June 2018, an alternative convention to VidCon. Her one-on-one onstage interview with Mongeau was the final event before the convention was canceled due to overcrowding. In July 2018, she was signed by United Talent Agency. At VidCon 2019, Snapchat announced that Chamberlain would premiere a Creator Show later that year. She won the Choice Female Web Star award at the 2019 Teen Choice Awards. During New York Fashion Week in September, Chamberlain hosted the Teen Vogue event Generation Next, attended by Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour. She was also nominated for the Social Star award at the 45th People's Choice Awards.

Chamberlain continued to expand her collaborations, launching a line of sunglasses with eyewear company Crap Eyewear in September 2019, which she helped design. She attended her second Louis Vuitton-sponsored Paris Fashion Week in October 2019, collaborating with Vogue for a preparation video about the process. She also partnered with Calvin Klein for a series of videos and photo shoots in November 2019. At the 2019 Streamy Awards, she received nominations for Creator of the Year, Editing, and First Person. She appeared in a series of videos on the Target YouTube channel, collaborating with The Office star Angela Kinsey and Fashion Police host Brad Goreski. Her Snapchat Creator Show, Adulting With Emma Chamberlain, premiered on November 4, 2019. In December 2019, she was featured in a segment on ABC News Nightline, where she was interviewed by Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon about her career. In November 2022 and again in February 2024, Chamberlain appeared on Hot Ones with Sean Evans, participating in interviews while consuming increasingly spicy chicken wings.

2.2. Podcasting

On April 11, 2019, Emma Chamberlain launched her first podcast, initially titled Stupid Genius, which was later rebranded as Anything Goes. This weekly series features Chamberlain engaging in ongoing conversations about various issues and topics. The program was initially produced by Ramble Official in partnership with Cadence13 and United Talent Agency. In February 2023, the podcast transitioned to become a Spotify exclusive. Through Anything Goes, Chamberlain explores a wide array of subjects, including relationships, mental health, fashion, and intuition, fostering discussions on self-acceptance and contemporary issues. Her work on the podcast earned her the Pop Podcast award at the 47th People's Choice Awards and the "Best Podcaster" award at the 12th Shorty Awards.

2.3. Fashion and Business Ventures

Chamberlain's engagement with the fashion industry and her entrepreneurial endeavors began early in her career. In March 2018, she became associated with the shopping app Dote. Dote sponsored her attendance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Austin, Texas, and a trip to Fiji with other female YouTubers in May 2018. In July 2018, Dote released "Low Key / High Key by Emma," a clothing line designed by Chamberlain. However, due to controversies related to Dote, Chamberlain ended her association with the company in early 2019.

In January 2019, Chamberlain announced a collaboration with Hollister, modeling for their 2019 swim collection. She attended Paris Fashion Week in March 2019 as part of a co-sponsorship between YouTube and Louis Vuitton, an arrangement facilitated by Derek Blasberg, YouTube's head of fashion and beauty partnerships. At this event, she was paired with model and YouTuber Karlie Kloss. Chamberlain has been an ambassador for Louis Vuitton since 2019 and for Cartier since 2022.

In December 2019, she launched her own online mail-order coffee company, Chamberlain Coffee. Her growing influence also led to her being featured on the cover of Cosmopolitan's February 2020 issue, where she was described as "The most popular girl in the world." In the accompanying interview, she discussed her experiences with body dysmorphia and struggles with eating disorders. She subsequently appeared on the covers of the Italian edition of Cosmopolitan and the Dutch version, Cosmo Girl.

In March 2020, Variety reported that Chamberlain had purchased a house in West Hollywood. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she participated in YouTube's "Stay Home #WithMe" PSA campaign. In April 2020, she appeared in an episode of Kevin Hart's YouTube series What The Fit, where she played soccer with the LA Galaxy.

Allure featured Chamberlain on the cover of its June/July 2020 issue. In the summer of 2020, Vogue Australia and Nylon published feature articles about her. Variety also included her in its 2020 "Power of Young Hollywood" list. On August 18, 2020, she published The Ideal Planner, a daily planner, through the Gallery Books division of Simon & Schuster. Her IGTV series Styled By Emma premiered on Instagram on August 26, 2020. On September 1, 2020, Chamberlain and James Charles collaborated on videos for their respective YouTube channels, marking their first joint content since December 2018.

On September 13, 2021, Chamberlain attended the 2021 Met Gala, wearing Louis Vuitton for the Lexicon of Fashion in America event. She also hosted celebrity interviews for Vogue at the event, which were later posted on Vogue's YouTube channel. Harper's Bazaar featured Emma Chamberlain as their March 2022 Cover Girl, showcasing her in Louis Vuitton and including an interview where she shared her thoughts on self-expression. In January 2023, Chamberlain became a brand ambassador for Lancome, with plans to feature in a web series on Lancome's YouTube channel and in shorter formats on Instagram and TikTok.

2.4. Film and Television Appearances

In 2023, Emma Chamberlain lent her voice to the animated teen fantasy comedy film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, where she was cast as the voice of a reporter.

3.1. Media Recognition and List Inclusions

Taylor Lorenz of The Atlantic described Chamberlain as "the most talked about influencer in the world." Time magazine included her in its 2019 list of "The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet" and its Time 100 Next list, recognizing her as a rising star shaping the future. Jonah Engel Bromwich of The New York Times wrote that Chamberlain was "the funniest person on YouTube" and credited her with inventing "the way people talk on YouTube now, particularly the way they communicate authenticity." In 2020, Forbes included Chamberlain in their '30 Under 30' list within the Social Media category. Variety also recognized her in its 2020 "Power of Young Hollywood" list.

3.2. Influence on Internet Culture

Chamberlain's impact on internet culture stems from her pioneering approach to vlogging. She is credited with shaking up YouTube's unofficial style guide by introducing a more authentic, raw, and self-deprecating style of content creation. This approach resonated deeply with young audiences, influencing a generation of creators and shifting the landscape of online authenticity. Her vlogs often featured unpolished, relatable everyday experiences, setting her apart from the more curated content prevalent at the time.

4.1. Relationships and Personal Interests

In 2020, Emma Chamberlain began a relationship with singer-songwriter Tucker Pillsbury, professionally known as Role Model. However, in October 2023, it was reported that the couple had separated after three years of dating. Chamberlain currently resides in Beverly Hills, California. As a personal interest, she practices drumming, and she has been seen playing the drums in several videos. Despite this hobby, she has expressed that she considers herself a "terrible" musician and does not intend to publicly perform or release music.