YouTube pioneer Shane Dawson who claims childhood bullies helped turn him into a multi-millionaire vlogger
YOUTUBE star's Shane Dawson's rise to fame and fortune is a true rags-to-riches affair with more than a few hurdles scattered along the way.
He is quick to tell how he was once just a poor "fat kid" from Long Beach, California, bullied mercilessly at school.
Dawson - born Shane Lee Yaw - found making videos was the perfect escape from his personal problems when asked to produce a film for a high school project.
Within a few years, his video kid hobby had turned him into a multi-millionaire with more than TEN MILLION subscribers on YouTube and a further 5m on Instagram.
He started his online career in March 2008. His main channel ShaneDawsonTV has had nearly three billion video views - earning him £3m.
His original skits featured him acting out with a cast of recurring zany characters he created.
In September 2008, he "went viral" when he uploaded the video about a wannabe YouTube star murdering a rival. Overnight he was an internet sensation.
The video now has nearly 25 million views. The success of that clip allowed him to focus on creating reams of new content.
By 2010, Shane was the third most subscribed YouTuber on the site.
However, he hit headlines this week for all the wrong after a clip emerged of him admitting to "Googling naked babies" and finding a six-year-old "sexy".
The 29-year-old quickly followed the revelation with a statement insisting it was all just a "s****y joke".
Although many argue his career peaked a good few years ago, his videos still receive millions of views.
Dawson also collaborates with other YouTubers and is estimated to earn more than £300,000 a year.
Shane was born on July 19th, 1988.
His early life was extremely tough, particularly during his teen years when he was grossly overweight .
However despite his own experiences at the hands of the bullies he still bizarrely believes it can be good for some kids.
“I would never be where I am today if I wasn’t bullied,” he explains.
“Barack Obama, he was bullied. Lady Gaga – she was bullied. Martin Luther King. All the biggest, influential people…Rosa Parks,” he said.
“Everyone my age who has been successful has been bullied.”
“I’ve noticed some of these kids need a f**king bully to tell them ‘b**ch you suck’ and maybe that will make them better.”
Shane - who has shed more than 11 stone since his teens - spent the early years of his career batting off gay rumours.
However, in a July 2015 video he came out as bisexual, and also confirmed his breakup with then girlfriend Lisa Schwartz. They parted ways amicably, and continue to collaborate in videos.
In the emotional video, which has so far gained more than one million hits, Dawson says he had been confused about his sexuality all his life.
“This is something I’ve come to the conclusion through therapy and from being honest with myself,” he said. “I am bisexual.”
Dawson says he never thought he would make the video but did so because he thought it could help people who were also unsure about their sexuality.
“There are a lot of coming out videos of people who are gay or lesbian and they’re so confident,” he revealed.
“But it made me cry because I’m not that, I don’t know who I am 100%. And I know that a lot of you guys might feel the same way.”
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This week's "paedophile scandal" isn’t the first time Dawson has faced an extreme backlash. In 2014, he i after he donned blackface.
And earlier this year he was accused of staging a kiss with another man at the Sundance Film Festival just to make a political statement.
Dawson - also described as an actor, comedian and musician - says he was subsequently kicked out for being “not straight.”
However, event organisers have denied that Dawson’s sexuality has anything to do with his eviction.
Dawson now lives in Los Angeles with boyfriend, Ryland Adams, his dog Uno and cat Cheeto and "several other animals."