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SSSniperWolf
SSSniperWolf in 2022
Personal information
Born
Alia Shelesh

(1992-10-22) October 22, 1992 (age 31)
Liverpool, England
Nationality
  • British
  • American[1]
OccupationYouTuber
Organization(s)Channel Red, LLC.[2]
YouTube information
Also known assexysexysniper
Channel
Years active2011–present
Genres
Subscribers34.5 million[3]
Total views25.2 billion[3]
100,000 subscribers2013
1,000,000 subscribers2015
10,000,000 subscribers2018
Last updated: July 20, 2024

Alia "Lia" Shelesh (born (1992-10-22)October 22, 1992), better known as SSSniperWolf, is an English-American YouTuber. After having uploaded Call of Duty Let's Play videos as sexysexysniper, Shelesh registered the "SSSniperWolf" YouTube channel in 2013, which rose to prominence in the following years. According to British Vogue in 2020, she is one of the most recognisable social media personalities associated with online video games.[4] In 2017, she shifted her focus from video game-related content to reaction videos.

Despite a prominent popularity, Shelesh is also one of the most controversial figures on the platform. In 2023, after receiving criticism for "freebooting" TikTok videos in her reaction content,[5][6] she was involved in an internet scandal involving allegations that she doxxed a critic, YouTuber jacksfilms, resulting in temporary demonetization. Following this, other allegations about her surfaced.

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Alia Shelesh was born on October 22, 1992 in Liverpool, England.[1] She is Turkish through her mother and Greek through her father.[1] Her family moved to the United States when she was six, at which age she started playing video games.[7][8]

Shelesh started uploading videos to her YouTube channel "sexysexysniper",[6][video 1] consisting of Let's Plays of games such as Call of Duty.[6] This channel was active in 2011[video 1] and 2012.[video 2] She moved to the SSSniperWolf channel in 2013,[6] on which her first video was a compilation of fails in Call of Duty: Black Ops II.[video 3] She derived her handle from Sniper Wolf, a character from the Metal Gear video game series.[1]

Rise in prominence and shift to reaction videos

In 2016, she featured on Day of Doom, an event that was hosted by id Software.[9][10][11] In 2017, she hosted the show Clickbait in which social media influencers competed in unusual challenges.[12][13][14] The show aired on the subscription service Fullscreen.[15] She also made an appearance on FANtasies, an anthology series.[16][17]

In early 2017, the genre of her content changed from entirely gaming-oriented to primarily reaction videos.[18][19] That year, her channel grew to over five million subscribers, and she was among the ten entrants in Forbes' "Top Influencers" list in the "Gaming" category for 2017.[20][21] In 2018, she appeared on an episode of Fear Factor[1] and on an episode of Ultimate Expedition.[22][23][24] In 2019, she was nominated in the 2019 Teen Choice Awards in the category "Choice Gamer"[25] and won the "Favorite Esports Star" award in the 2019 Kids' Choice Sports.[26][27] In 2019 and 2020, she won the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in the category "favorite gamer".[28][29]

In 2021, YouTube ranked Shelesh third on its "US Top Creators" list.[30] In the same year, she won the Gaming Influencer of the Year Award at the American Influencer Awards.[31]

On August 1, 2023, it was reported that Shelesh was one of the highest-paid YouTubers with a net worth of US$16 million.[32] On August 17, 2023, Evan Young filed a lawsuit against Shelesh for breach of contract and financial misdoings in relation to content produced by Channel Red, their joint company. He accused her of not paying him for work he did for Channel Red.[33] Young also claimed he curated and scripted her content for years.[6] Shelesh filed a motion to dismiss on October 5, 2023, claiming the accusations were "vindictive". In the dismissal, attorneys claimed that not long after filing for divorce, Young locked Shelesh out of several YouTube channels they managed together, including the main SSSniperWolf channel and her personal channel Little Lia,[34] on which she uploads beauty-related content.[35]

Conflict with jacksfilms

YouTuber John Patrick Douglass, known as jacksfilms, accused Shelesh of profiting from other creators' work through monetizing her reaction videos, while frequently not providing proper credit,[32] and characterized her content as rudimentary and not transformative enough for fair use.[32] In 2022, he began using the "JJJacksfilms" account to parody Shelesh's videos.[36][37] In response, she made several social media posts accusing him of sexism and plagiarism.[32]

On October 13, 2023, Shelesh, while filming near Douglass's house, asked her followers if she should pay him a visit, stating that he lives near Shelesh's studio. She showed his house in an Instagram story[5] captioned "let's talk like adults",[36][38][39] which was quickly removed, but her followers shared screenshots.[36] Douglass responded by accusing Shelesh of doxing him,[5] called her actions "creepy, gross, violating",[40] and asked YouTube to demonetize her.[38] Douglass's wife expressed safety concerns,[37][41] and the pair contemplated moving.[42] Shelesh said that she had found the Douglasses' address on Google, that she "had no idea how to dox",[43] that Douglass was "creating drama to pay [the pair's] bills", and that he was a "creep".[44] Shelesh discussed seeking a restraining order against Douglass, whom she called "obsessed" over the matter.[45]

On October 18, YouTube's Twitter account posted "would it be too meta to do a reaction video to a reaction video", which multiple users interpreted as an offhand comment on the situation, causing a backlash.[46] By October 19, a Change.org petition to remove SSSniperWolf from YouTube gathered 13,000 signatures.[47] The next day, YouTube temporarily demonetized her channel,[48] while expressing disapproval of "both sides'" behavior.[5] Multiple YouTubers saw the latter as unfair.[49] Shelesh subsequently apologized to Douglass in a tweet, saying that her actions were "inexcusable" and that she respects YouTube's decision.[50] She continued to upload videos on her "SSSniperWolf Top Videos" channel, but it was later also demonetized.[51][52][53]

Personal life

In 2019, Shelesh and Evan Young, her partner at the time, bought a house in Henderson, Nevada,[54] which they sold in 2022,[19] after which they moved to Mummy Mountain, Arizona.[2][19] In September 2023, they were reported to be legally married,[19][33] though they had separated in September 2022[6] and filed for divorce in late 2022.[33]

Reception

In a review of her main channel, Kennedy Unthank from Plugged In commended her for seeking to "make people laugh through daily uploads" and the quantity of available videos. However, Unthank voiced concern that she "may be profiting from someone else’s work" with her reaction videos through YouTube's monetization system. According to Unthank, while some of her reactions provide additional insight or have a transformative nature, many of her videos did not offer anything substantial over the original clip that was being reacted to.[55]

Linguist John McWhorter of the New York Times commented on her use of Black English words and idioms, using her language as an example of "effortless infusion of Black English expressions".[56]

References

Works cited

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  2. ^ a b Reagor, Catherine (April 28, 2022). "Arizona Business Gazette 28 Apr 2022, page BG2". Newspapers.com. USA Today. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "About SSSniperWolf". YouTube.
  4. ^ Braun, Freddie (May 10, 2020). "Three Female Pro-Gamers On The Perks Of Online Community". British Vogue. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d "Two YouTubers Fought Over Doxxing Accusation. YouTube Criticized For Slow Response". TIME. October 20, 2023. Archived from the original on April 4, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Mather, Katie (September 29, 2023). "YouTuber SSSniperwolf is allegedly being sued by husband, former collaborator 1 year after breakup". In The Know. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  7. ^ Ayub, Simon (June 2, 2022). "Who is Sssniperwolf's boyfriend? Is she married to Evan Sausage?". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  8. ^ Ayub, Simon (September 7, 2022). "Who are Sssniperwolf's brothers? Does she have a half-brother?". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news. Archived from the original on November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  9. ^ "iJustine, Rob Gronkowski, And More To Compete In Live Doom Tournament On YouTube Gaming". Tubefilter. March 25, 2016. Archived from the original on November 8, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  10. ^ Futter, Mike (March 24, 2016). "Doom Preview - Bethesda Teams With Pro Athletes To Reveal New Doom Multiplayer Footage". Game Informer. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
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  12. ^ Hipes, Patrick (April 21, 2017). "Fullscreen Picks Up 'Clickbait With SSSniperWolf' Game Show With Social Media Stars". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
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  16. ^ Petski, Denise (May 25, 2017). "Fullscreen & Wattpad Partner on 'FANtasies' Scripted Anthology Series". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
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  19. ^ a b c d Goodykoontz, Bill. "These YouTubers paid millions for Arizona land. Who are SSSniperwolf and Evan Sausage?". The Arizona Republic. Archived from the original on December 16, 2022. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  20. ^ "Top Influencers of 2017: Gaming". Forbes. June 20, 2017. Archived from the original on August 8, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  21. ^ Crecente, Brian (June 20, 2017). "Markiplier named world's most influential gamer". Polygon. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  22. ^ "SSSniperWolf, Furious Pete To Compete In YouTube Red's 'Ultimate Expedition' (Trailer)". Tubefilter. December 14, 2017. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  23. ^ "'Ultimate Expedition' sneak peek: Chuck Liddell uses an MMA move on Steve-O". Entertainment Weekly. January 16, 2018. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  24. ^ Harris, Jacquari (February 20, 2018). "Celebrities Take 'Ultimate' Challenge with Jukka Hildén on YouTube RED". JMG. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  25. ^ "Teen Choice Awards 2019: See the full list of winners and nominees". Entertainment Weekly. August 11, 2019. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  26. ^ Bell, BreAnna (July 12, 2019). "Dwyane Wade, Megan Rapinoe Win Big at 2019 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Sports Awards". Variety. Archived from the original on May 20, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
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  28. ^ Bennett, Anita (March 24, 2019). "Kids' Choice Awards 2019 – Complete Winners List". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  29. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly (May 2, 2020). "Kids' Choice Awards: LeBron James, 'Endgame' Cast and Slime Featured in Virtual Show". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
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  31. ^ Segarra, Edward. "Bretman Rock, Trixie Mattel and more win at American Influencer Awards: See the winners list". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  32. ^ a b c d Mather, Katie (August 1, 2023). "YouTuber Jacksfilms alleges SSSniperwolf, one of the highest-paid creators on the platform, 'steals' content: 'Disheartening'". In The Know. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  33. ^ a b c Phillipp, Charlotte (September 29, 2023). "YouTube Star SSSniperWolf Sued by Estranged Husband, Former Collaborator for Breach of Contract". The Messenger. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  34. ^ Phillipp, Charlotte (November 9, 2023). "YouTube Star SSSniperWolf Pushes for Estranged Husband's Lawsuit to Be Thrown Out". The Messenger. Archived from the original on November 9, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  35. ^ "What's next for branded virtual experiences". Think with Google. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  36. ^ a b c Spindler, Emily (October 26, 2023). "SSSniperWolf and JacksFilms Wild YouTuber Drama, Explained". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  37. ^ a b "Jacksfilms urges YouTube to "step in" after SSSniperwolf doxxing allegations". Tubefilter. October 18, 2023. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  38. ^ a b Marshall, Cass (October 25, 2023). "YouTube demonetizes popular content creator SSSniperwolf after doxxing accusations". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  39. ^ Kalhan Rosenblatt; Angela Yang (October 20, 2023). "YouTube demonetizes prominent creator Sssniperwolf's channel following accusations of doxxing fellow creator". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 12, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  40. ^ Barovic, Andrej (October 14, 2023). "Jacksfilms says he was doxed by Sssniperwolf after shining light on reaction-style YT content". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on November 26, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  41. ^ Dodgson, Lindsay. "YouTuber Jacksfilms says a streamer he criticized showed up to his house and doxxed him to her 34 million followers". Insider. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  42. ^ Dodgson, Lindsay (November 5, 2023). "Jacksfilms said he was 'strongly considering moving' after getting doxxed by fellow YouTuber to her millions of followers". Insider. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
  43. ^ Placido, Dani Di (October 20, 2023). "SSSniperwolf Vs. Jacksfilms: YouTube Doxxing Controversy, Explained". Forbes. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
  44. ^ Arya, Vaishnavi (October 14, 2023). "Jacksfilms accuses SSSniperwolf of 'doxxing' him, asks YouTube to demonetize 'dangerous creator'". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  45. ^ "Jacksfilms calls out YouTube hypocrisy as SSsniperwolf remains unbanned after doxxing incident". Dot Esports. October 18, 2023. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  46. ^ Dodgson, Lindsay. "People are critcizing YouTube for inaction after Jacksfilms said he was doxxed by a rival creator to her 34 million followers". Insider. Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  47. ^ Tsiaoussidis, Alex (October 20, 2023). "Pressure mounts on YouTube to ban SSSniperwolf for doxxing after 'tone deaf' tweet". Dot Esports. Archived from the original on March 24, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  48. ^ Pequeño IV, Antonio. "YouTube Temporarily Demonetizes SSSniperWolf After Doxxing Controversy". Forbes. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  49. ^ "YouTube finally takes action in SSSniperWolf controversy—and everyone's still furious". Dot Esports. October 21, 2023. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  50. ^ "SSSniperwolf apologises as YouTube demonetises her over 'doxxing' incident". Hindustan Times. October 21, 2023. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
  51. ^ Schuhmann, Gerd (November 26, 2023). "31-Jährige verdient kein Geld auf YouTube trotz 7 Millionen Views am Tag, weil sie ungeschriebene Regel brach". Mein-MMO.de (in German). Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  52. ^ TeamYouTube (October 23, 2023). "It's not violating YouTube's ban evasion policy if you reupload your videos from a channel that isn't monetized on a monetized channel, right?". Reddit (User comment). Archived from the original on October 23, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023. Jumping in to confirm that the 'SSSniperWolf Top Videos' channel was also temporarily suspended from YPP per our Creator Responsibility guidelines. Consistent with that policy, we applied the YPP suspension to the creator's associated channels.
  53. ^ Mathias, Viny (December 2, 2023). "Youtuber com mais de 7 milhões de views por dia não ganha um centavo por ter quebrado regra básica" [Youtuber with more than 7 million views per day doesn't earn a cent due to breaking basic rules]. IGN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  54. ^ Wargo, Buck (August 16, 2019). "New Las Vegas mansions draw celebrities". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2023.
  55. ^ Unthank, Kennedy (August 25, 2023). "SSSniperWolf". Plugged In. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  56. ^ McWhorter, John (October 8, 2021). "Opinion | Cultural Appropriation Can Be Beautiful". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.

Video sources

  1. ^ a b Shelesh, Alia (April 22, 2011). STILL no PSN? WTF? (Video). sexysexysniper. Archived from the original on December 21, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ Shelesh, Alia (July 7, 2012). Caught With Porn in 6th Grade (Video). sexysexysniper. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Shelesh, Alia (January 25, 2013). BO2 Fails + Funnies #1 (Video). SSSniperWolf. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 12, 2023 – via YouTube.
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