Who is FouseyTUBE?
FouseyTUBE is a Palestinian-American prankster and influencer who is active on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other social platforms. His real name is Yousef Saleh Erakat, and he was born on 22nd January 1990 in Fremont, California, United States. He is known for posting various pranks and motivational content on his social media.
Early life of FouseyTUBE
Yousef grew up in the United States alongside his parents and three siblings. One of his siblings is a sister Noura Ekarat, who currently works as a legal scholar. From an early age, Yousef displayed a charismatic and outgoing personality. He possessed a natural ability to entertain and make people laugh. As a child, he often entertained his family and friends with made-up performances and comedic acts.
Yousef's childhood was not without its challenges. Being of Palestinian descent, he was raised with a strong connection to his heritage and faced the obstacles that come with navigating cultural identity. Like many young people, Yousef faced personal struggles during his formative years. He battled with depression and self-acceptance, undergoing a journey of self-discovery and growth. These challenges, while difficult, ultimately fuelled his desire to make a positive impact on others.
Education of FouseyTUBE
Yousef likely attended primary and secondary schools in Fremont, California, where he grew up. While in high school, Yousef discovered a love for performing arts and creativity. He participated in school plays, talent shows, and local theatre productions, where he further bettered his skills as a performer and developed a passion for entertaining others. In addition to his interest in performing, Yousef had a deep love for sports, particularly basketball. He played on his high school basketball team, and his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport were evident to those around him.
Yousef's love for performing followed him throughout high school and further as he decided to educate himself on the matter. He applied to San Jose State University and majored in theatre arts once he got accepted. Once he graduated in 2011, Yousef began searching for a job as an actor alongside thousands of other theatre students. To stand out from the crowd, Yousef decided to post his work on YouTube to attract protentional employers. He even proposed his idea to his university's dean, who told him it was a really bad idea.
FouseyTUBE – YouTube beginnings
While starting a YouTube channel was one thing, Yousef still had to take care of himself before getting famous, as he had planned. As a freshly graduated actor, he worked as a waiter at Chilli's and a cashier at Best Buy at the same time. Even when he spent all his days working, Yousef was living from one paycheck to another. While his situation wasn't the best, Yousef followed his plan and created his YouTube channel in 2011. He named his channel by rearranging the letters in his first name.
Once he was all set, Yousef began thinking about how to execute his plan to change the world one smile at a time. In his first few videos, Yousef usually used some trending song and did an act to it. Since the sounds were trending, the YouTube algorithm was pushing his videos up, earning him his first hundred subscribers. Once he had something to work with, Yousef tried to create something which would allow him to implement more variety. His first viral video was called Middle Eastern Parents, and it collected almost 100 thousand views. The video was so popular because it had something the song covers hadn't: relatability. After this huge success, Yousef went on to upload several videos mocking middle eastern stereotypes.
FouseyTUBE – Prank videos
Yousef learned a lot from making videos about middle eastern stereotypes, whether it was about algorithms or about his fans. But while he enjoyed making the videos, he wanted to engage more fans than just those familiar with the middle eastern culture. In the early 2010s, pranking was just becoming a popular genre on YouTube. It was the perfect content for creators who didn't mind embarrassing themselves in front of an audience. Since Yousef was a theatre major graduate, he didn't mind getting a little shy about content.
Yousef's prank videos were known for their creative concepts, captivating storytelling, and unexpected twists. Whether it was staging a fake drug deal, orchestrating a zombie apocalypse, or organising a flash mob surprise, his pranks consistently garnered millions of views. While pranks were a significant part of Yousef's content, he also ventured into conducting social experiments that touched upon relevant societal issues. These experiments aimed to spread awareness, foster empathy, and encourage positive change. Whether he was exploring homelessness, racial discrimination, or body image, his videos sought to provoke thought and inspire viewers to reflect on their own actions and beliefs.
FouseyTUBE – Popular videos
Once he became comfortable in the prank genre, Yousef suddenly became one of the most popular creators on the YouTube platform. He didn't mind humiliating himself in front of a whole supermarket or shouting at birds in the parking lot. Yousef's dedication to the cause earned him millions of views for every single video. His most popular video is Spiderman in Real Life PRANK!, with over 173 million views. The said video had every precondition to become a hit: children, cute genuine reactions and a superhero. In the said video, Yousef made plans with parents of young kids to take them out to the park. Once they were there, Yousef's friend in a Spiderman costume came out, surprising the children in the park.
Yousef's other hit was a video called Mortal Combat Elevator Prank, with over 132 million views. In Yousef's second most popular video, he would dress himself up as one of the mortal Combat characters and wait in an elevator. Once someone entered the elevator, Yousef played the beginning music and pretended to attack the other person. Once they began fighting or screaming, he quickly assured them that it was just a prank. Since Yousef published both of the most popular videos in the same year, he got nominated for the Streamy Award in the Channel of the Year category. While he came to the ceremony expecting nothing, Yousef won the award for himself.
What happened to FouseyTUBE?
In 2016, Yousef's platform was doing better than ever, and it was the year when he finally reached 10 million subscribers. His views were better than he had ever imagined, and still, something was wrong. While talking to his audience, Yousef didn't seem to be himself at all, which took its toll on his views. In March, right after posting Try Not To Laugh video with Kevin Hart, Yousef disappeared from his platform for 7 months without saying a word. After the seven-month break, Yousef finally returned to YouTube with a video titled Dear YouTube. In the said video, Yousef explained that he forgot to take care of himself and that he missed self-love and respect, so he was forced to take a mental health break.
Besides that, there was another reason why Yousef felt unmotivated, to say the least. Once he hit the 10 million milestone, he became unmotivated because he achieved his biggest goal. Striving for 100 million could be another one, but there were several obstacles. First of all, reaching 100 million subscribers was an achievement only a few could ever hit. And second of all, in 2016, the prank genre began to fall. People felt like pranksters had shown everything they were capable of thinking of, and they were ready to move on to something else. And while Yousef was a versatile person, he couldn't deny that pranking was what made him famous in the first place.
FouseyTUBE – Hate Dies Love Arrives
As of 2017, Yousef's channel began to fall even deeper, and so did his mental health. His videos have lost the spark they once had, and Yousef sometimes looked even more miserable talking in from of a camera. On top of that, YouTube's policy had changed, and they began paying Yousef a lot less money than before. To try to make it right again, Yousef decided to host a massive event called Hate Dies Love Arrives. It was supposed to be a motivational event for Yousef's fans which would be as big as Coachella. Needless to say, many fellow YouTubers were sceptical about the event because of Yousef's mental state, but he decided to host it anyway.
Whether it was all a mistake or a planned attack didn't matter: the event turned out to be a disaster. Once the show started, someone called in about a bomb threat, causing thousands of fans to evacuate. That was obviously the last drop for Yousef's mental health as he continued to host the event in the streets, saying things about God's plan. After receiving only bad feedback, Yousef began attacking his fans, claiming that they caused him to want to kill himself.
FouseyTUBE – Fitness content?
After the disaster called Hate Dies Love Arrives, Yousef disappeared from YouTube once again for about 7 months. Once he returned, he showed an entirely new content called YouTube Cribs! He posted about 4 videos where he would ask popular YouTubers to show their mansions on camera. Surprisingly, those videos did really good, showing that Yousef still had something to offer. Unfortunately, it turned out that Yousef was still in a bad place, causing his to shut down the series and disappear once again.
After his disappearance, Yousef returned to YouTube in 2022 with brand-new content and a new persona. Apparently, Yousef had to battle some serious problems while being away, and he came up with a solution. While he always looked muscular and strong, Yousef never really talked about his physique on social media. But in 2022, he seemed to realise that the only way to keep his audience was to show them his true self. As of 2023, Yousef keeps posting mainly motivational and fitness-related videos, which he seems to enjoy. His views might have been down, but he finally seems like he dealt with all the evil in himself.
How much does FouseyTUBE earn? Net Worth
As of 2023, his net worth is estimated to be over 6 million US dollars. FouseyTUBE's success on YouTube, with millions of subscribers and views on his videos, contributed to his overall financial success. He has collaborated with various brands, appeared in movies, and embarked on live tours, all of which generated significant income.
Interesting facts about FouseyTUBE
- As of 2023, he is 33 years old.
- His zodiac sign is Aquarius.
- His height is 5'9" or 178 cm.
- Being of Palestinian descent, he was raised with a strong connection to his heritage.
- He attended San Jose State University and majored in theatre arts. He graduated in 2011.
- He decided to start his acting career through YouTube, even though his university's dean advised against it.
- He became known for his videos about middle eastern stereotypes.
- In 2013, he became a prankster, which caused him to attract millions of subscribers.
- He has over 10,4 million subscribers on YouTube, with an additional 1,7 million followers on TikTok.
- He created his channel's name by rearranging the letters in his first name, Yousef.
- His most popular video is Spiderman in Real Life PRANK!, with over 173 million views.
- He hosted an event called Hate Dies Love Arrives, which ended up in a disaster.
- He took several breaks from YouTube to focus on his mental health.
- He currently posts mainly motivational and fitness-related content.
- As of 2023, his net worth is estimated to be over 6 million US dollars.
