Viral YouTube streamer IShowSpeed stops in San Francisco on U.S. tour

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - There were throngs of fans outside YouTube headquarters in San Bruno on Thursday, all to see the mysterious, unpredictable and viral streamer lovingly known as IShowSpeed. 

‘Super excited’ for Speed

"We're super excited," YouTube spokeswoman Jessica Stockwell said as the streamer, more commonly known as Speed, met with the company's CEO, Neal Mohan, on his 35-day tour of the United States. "He's got 44 million subscribers. He covers it all, gaming and all sorts of crazy stuff."

And that's just his YouTube following.

Speed — 20-year-old Darren Watkins Jr. who was born in Cincinnati, Ohio — is a livestreamer who also has 40 million followers on TikTok and Instagram. He races random and famous people, he challenges athletes in their sport, and his main schtick is just recording his everyday antics 24/7.

San Francisco is a stop on the tour

Like this current road trip he's on, which he is streaming for the world to see. The San Francisco Bay Area marks Day 29 of his more than monthlong national tour.

Speed was seen driving through Berkeley, stopping at San Francisco City Hall to speak to Mayor Daniel Lurie and visiting Twin Peaks and Dolores Park. 

He also gave a shoutout to KTVU after exiting the YouTube building. 

"Channel 2 Oakland, What's up y'all?" he said, grabbing the microphone. "About to be turnin' up. Oakland let me all see your energy." 
 

Energy, unpredictability

It's Speed's energy that his fans, mostly young men, gravitate to.

Jesse Rich of Santa Cruz said he loves Speed's "energetic vibe" and his unpredictability.

As of Speed streaming nearly his entire life?

"I don't think I could, but it certainly entertains his fans," Rich said.

Hamza Bakir of Jordan said he finds Speed "funny and respectful," and someone who offers silly content along with "wholesome moments."

Bakir said he's enjoyed watching Speed go from a "nothing" in 2016 to "a really big streamer." 

Speed's history

Speed started gaining attention in 2021, when he started barking and raging, sometimes violently, while gaming, and in 2022, he started shifting toward soccer-related content. He also raps. 

He is not beloved by all. In 2022, Sky Sports stopped featuring Stream on their platform, when some of his old misogynistic and derogatory comments surfaced.

There was one young girl and her mother at the event, but she was too little to see over the tops of the other fans' heads. 

"I was too short to see," she said. 

It's unclear where Speed will go next and what he'll do over the next six days of his road trip. 

"The mystique is that you don't know where he's going to go next," Stockwell said.