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YouTube star Darren "IShowSpeed" has taken over the internet following his recent IRL streams from China. For those out of the loop, the content creator began his China tour on March 24, 2025, and has since traveled to and broadcast live from Beijing, the Forbidden City, and the Great Wall of China.
While thousands of fans have enjoyed and applauded IShowSpeed's content, some netizens claimed he was being paid by the Chinese government. X user @amuse's post on March 26, 2025, received over 1.2 million views. It read:
"CHINA: The CCP is offering ‘influencers’ first-class air, 5-star accommodations, meals, $25K gift bags, and $500 per diem to come rave about the country. CHINA: Wonder what ishowspeed got from the CCP for his visit?"
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On March 28, 2025, Slipz (@shotbyslipz on X), the Ohio native's cameraman, posted an update on the streamer's official X Community, SPEED GANG.
In response to allegations that IShowSpeed was paid by the Chinese government, Slipz wrote:
"Fact: amount of money IShowspeed has received from Chinese Government = $0. Posting so it can be used as an actual source 🤷♂️ Hi I am internal with the IShowspeed team. He is in China at his own expense, and will likely take a net loss."
One fan, @maurici12329592, asked how the China tour would result in a "net loss." Slipz replied:
"(X user @maurici12329592 writes, 'My Question is how is a net loss the amount of views he is getting on his main channel and his other channels, that makes no sense.') Traveling every other day with 6 people + himself in first class & 5 star hotels adds up rather quickly. The amount he spent on travel in 2024 is an insane number that I don’t think anyone here would guess or expect."
Chinese embassy in the US recently praised IShowSpeed
On March 26, 2025, the official X account of the Chinese embassy in the United States shared a post praising IShowSpeed. Lauding the YouTuber for "bridging cultural gaps," they wrote:
"The 20-year-old popular American YouTuber #IShowSpeed @ishowspeedsuii has kicked off a journey in #China that has already garnered massive global attention, which indicates a broader trend of digital influencers bridging cultural gaps and creating alternative channels for foreign audiences to understand a vibrant China."
In other news, IShowSpeed has hinted that he may collaborate with Jackie Chan during his IRL China stream.
