2018–2021: Early career Cenat uploaded his first
YouTube video on January 13, 2018, and began making videos surrounding
pranks and challenges. He joined the YouTube group AMP after being discovered by fellow
Bronx-born YouTuber
Fanum. He started regularly appearing in the channel's videos. He began
streaming on
Twitch in February 2021 after migrating from YouTube, broadcasting
video gaming and
reaction content.
2022: Initial popularity In 2022, Cenat began including celebrity guests on his streams, including
Bobby Shmurda in April,
Lil Baby in October, and
21 Savage in November, who helped him receive his highest viewership at the time with 283,245 concurrent viewers at its peak. On May 8, Cenat released his debut single "Bustdown Rollie Avalanche" with
NLE Choppa, that was later certified
Gold by
RIAA. In October, Cenat was nominated for the
12th Streamy Awards in the "Streamer of the Year" and "Breakout Streamer" categories,
2023: Mafiathon On January 31, Cenat began a month-long subathon, titled
Mafiathon, which featured guests such as
G Herbo, NLE Choppa,
Skai Jackson,
KSI,
DDG,
Rubi Rose, and Autumn Falls. On February 16, he signed with
United Talent Agency for representation in all areas. On February 28, he became the
most-subscribed Twitch streamer of all time at the time, reaching 306,621 subscribers at its peak. His record lasted until September 2024, when it was broken by
Ironmouse. In March, Cenat was reported to be making approximately $23,280 per month from his sleep streams, resulting in an annual income of $285,480. According to Streams Charts, his sleeping
broadcasts have amassed over 5.6 million hours watched, showcasing the significant viewer engagement during these streams. On March 11, Cenat won "Streamer of the Year" at the
2023 Streamer Awards. On April 17, Cenat was temporarily suspended on Twitch for reasons undisclosed, though he eventually returned, with him initially noting it as a permanent ban in error. Later that month, he appeared on
Rolling Stones list of the 20 Most Influential Creators in 2023. On August 27, Cenat won the "Streamer of the Year" award at the
13th Streamy Awards. He was also nominated for "Just Chatting" awards at the same ceremony. He was later charged by the NYPD with first-degree rioting, inciting a riot, and unlawful assembly. In September, Cenat was featured on the
music video for
Offset's single "
Fan" alongside Fanum. In the following month, he made his music video directorial debut with American rapper
a Boogie wit da Hoodie. On September 9, he participated in the
Sidemen charity match at
London Stadium, playing for YouTube Allstars. On September 26,
Forbes ranked him 44th on its Top Creators list, earning an estimated $4.7 million in 2023. On December 14,
Nicki Minaj appeared on Cenat's stream which broke his previous peak viewership record by 40,000 resulting in 348,593 concurrent viewers.
2024: Mafiathon 2 On February 8, during a livestream, Cenat announced that he has officially partnered with
Nike stating, "I would like to announce that we are officially a part of the Nike family". He became the first streamer to get signed with the company. Later on February 17, Cenat won "Streamer of the Year" and "Best Just Chatting Streamer" at the
February 2024 Streamer Awards. He was also nominated for "Best Streamed Event" at the same ceremony. On July 13, he appeared and participated in a
MrBeast video titled "
50 YouTubers Fight for $1,000,000". In August,
Rolling Stone listed Cenat at number 1 on their "25 Most Influential Creators of 2024" list, as the most-subscribed Twitch
influencer. In October,
McDonald's announced that they had teamed up with Cenat to promote the launch of chicken
Big Mac in the US. Later that month,
Forbes ranked him 24th on its Top Creators list, earning an estimated $8.5 million in 2024. On November 1, Cenat began his second month-long subathon, titled
Mafiathon 2, with 20% of the proceeds made from subscriptions going towards building a school in
Nigeria. The subathon featured numerous guests such as
Lil Uzi Vert,
Miranda Cosgrove,
Snoop Dogg,
Quavo,
GloRilla, members of the cast from the
Disney Channel sitcom
Good Luck Charlie,
Kodak Black,
Denzel Curry,
Serena Williams,
Marshmello, the
Jabbawockeez,
Soulja Boy,
Bill Nye,
Andre Iguodala,
Lil Dicky,
Ibai Llanos,
Benny Blanco,
Chris Brown,
Lizzo,
SZA,
Ludwig Ahgren,
Lil Yachty,
Travis Barker,
Mark Rober,
Sexyy Red,
Druski,
Kevin Hart,
Kyrie Irving,
NPC Miles Morales, and Ironmouse. On November 11, Cenat reclaimed the record of being the most-subscribed Twitch streamer, with 337,000 subscribers at the time. On December 11, Major released a statement on social media, stating that he did not lie to Cenat's team and the stunt had been already cleared by Twitch. On November 30, Cenat ended his month-long subathon with 728,535 subscribers, doubling the previous record held by Ironmouse.
2025: Streamer University and Mafiathon 3 In January 2025, Cenat made an appearance for
WWE on the January 27 episode of
Raw, where he announced that he will be attending the
Royal Rumble event and called out IShowSpeed. On March 8, Cenat participated in the
2025 Sidemen Charity Match, held at
Wembley Stadium in London, United Kingdom, playing for the YouTube Allstars team. He managed to score a goal in the 68th minute. On May 22, Cenat began his three-day long
Streamer University event, where Cenat selected 120 content creators to gather at the
University of Akron campus to "have the opportunity to showcase their personalities and brand and meet other creators". The event also featured other content creators, including
DDG and
ExtraEmily, acting as professors to mentor the 120 selectees through various topics such as "
internet beef" and
improv. On September 1, Cenat began his third and final month-long subathon, titled
Mafiathon 3, with 15% of the proceeds made from subscriptions continuing to go towards building the Nigerian school that was announced for the last subathon
. The subathon featured numerous guests such as
Miles Caton, the
Jabbawockeez,
Kim Kardashian,
Roman Atwood,
Ray J,
Mariah Carey,
Lizzo,
Ice Spice,
Latto, and
Linkin Park. In November 2025, he set a record on Twitch by became the first streamer to ever hit 20 million followers.
2026: Career expansion On January 13, 2026, Cenat released a YouTube video titled "I Quit", in which he announced a shift from streaming to broader pursuits. In the video, he addressed his
mental health, citing self-doubt and a need to reset from his streaming schedule. The video also served as the launch for his clothing brand, "Vivet", which he developed after traveling to
Italy where he participated in the
sewing and production of the line's apparel. In early 2026, Cenat began a series of daily livestreams focused on reading aloud to improve his literacy. Educators noted the positive impact of these broadcasts, crediting Cenat with normalizing reading challenges and encouraging literacy among young audiences. == Cultural impact ==