Who is Jesse Wellens?
Jesse is an American prankster and internet personality who is active on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and other social platforms. His whole name is Jesse Michael Wellens, and he was born on 25th September 1982 in Philadelphia, United States. He is known for posting various pranks and challenges on his social media.
Early life of Jesse Wellens
Jesse grew up as an active kid who loved spending his free time outside alongside the other kids. As soon as he was able to walk by himself, Jesse began testing his limits. Besides running and jumping around, Jesse began to be interested in extreme adrenaline sports at a young age. His first passion was skateboarding since it was the most accessible sport in his area. In a matter of weeks, Jesse also caused himself as many injuries as many tricks he learned. Even though he was getting really good at skateboarding, Jesse got bored of it.
Another passion of Jesse was definitely music. Every day, whether he spent it snowboarding, skateboarding or bike riding, Jesse found a moment to listen to some music. Once Charles Trippy began uploading videos, Jesse became one of his most loyal fans. He got inspired by his personality and persistence towards any goal. Jesse promised himself that he would try his best in any industry and that he would work hard to achieve his goals. Since Jesse was always true to himself, he made sure to keep his promise.
Education of Jesse Wellens
While he excelled at most fields and disciplines, Jesse was never big on education. He was a naturally smart kid who had general knowledge, but he was never academically smart. Once he started attending Council Rock High School in Newtown, Pennsylvania, Jesse found out that he suddenly had a lot less free time to pursue his hobbies. Because of that, Jesse wasn't eager to continue his studies, and he certainly didn't plan on pursuing any higher education. Once he finally graduated, Jesse was happy not to ever step foot in school again. To be clear, Jesse was never stupid or lazy. He just preferred studying alone, using his own resources. Eventually, Jesse grew up to be a generally smart adult who educated himself through reading, watching documentaries and travelling.
Jesse Wellens before fame
Since he was used to falling and training until failure, Jesse picked his career accordingly. Once he graduated from high school and looked for employment, he wanted to avoid office and government jobs altogether. He eventually ended up riding a bike until he was admitted as a member of a professional BMX team. As a BMX rider, Jesse had a flexible time schedule and a lot of fun, but he felt like he was stuck in one place. Once he began losing, Jesse retired from his position and began focusing on his new career. He once again remembered Charles Trippy and decided to start making music. For a few years, Jesse worked as a DJ in various clubs all over Philadelphia. Jesse stuck with DJing even when he became an internet personality. There is information out there that Jesse was in the military in the air force, but this information is yet to be confirmed.
Jesse Wellens on social media
Jesse initially created his YouTube channel as a joke, not planning any future in the field. His first ever video was called "Angry Xbox Gamer!!!", and it was posted on 26th November 2007. In the said video, Jesse is filmed while playing an Xbox game and getting angry and frustrated with it. While Jesse is yelling at the game, in the background are his friends, laughing at him. Jesse's content wasn't really popular until he teamed up with his girlfriend at the time, Jeana.
Prank vs Prank
Jesse and Jeana liked spending their free time pulling pranks on each other and challenging themselves. Since prank videos were just trending on YouTube, the couple decided to make their games public, so people would laugh with them. In 2009, Jesse and Jeana created their co-owned YouTube channel called PrankvsPrank. After a while, they created a second channel called BF vs GF, which offered their personal challenges. While Jesse and Jeana enjoyed their harmless little games, they never expected to get as popular as they did. At their peak, their main channel counted over 10 million subscribers who loved watching their pranks. While most of the pranks were funny and harmless, some evolved to be a little more challenging and sometimes scary. Especially any prank involving spiders or bugs seemed to be too much for Jeana.
Prank vs Prank – Popular videos
Even though the channel doesn't exist in its true form anymore, the most popular videos are still there to watch. Since Jesse began taking care of the channel on his own, he still profits from its old videos and pranks. His most popular video is Girlfriend Caught Cheating Prank – PrankvsPrank, with over 52 million views. Besides getting several sponsorships and brand deals, Jesse and Jeana got to dictate another direction of YouTube pranks. Since their channel was one of the most popular at the time, they stopped following trends and began creating new ones.
Personal life of Jesse Wellens
While still in the military, Jesse got a 30-day break to get home before moving to Korea. To make the best out of his holiday, Jesse would go out with his friends. One of their favourite restaurants was the one which Jeana was working at. One of Jeana's colleagues decided to set them up and said to Jesse that he should ask Jeana out. Since he was drinking and single at the time, Jesse decided to go for it and asked Jeana out on a date. They liked each other and went on several dates, having so much fun. The funny thing was that Jeana was the one who pulled the first prank. Since they didn't know each other very well yet, she came to Jesse and told him that he had a baby with a completely straight face. Once she revealed that she was just joking, Jesse already began planning his revenge.
Jesse and Jeana – Breakup
In May 2016, PrankvsPrank fans learned the really sad news. On their second channel, Jesse and Jeana posted a long video announcing their breakup. The news came as a shock to most of their fans because the couple had been together for more than 10 years. Even though they didn't have to, Jesse and Jeana explained as much of their motives as they felt comfortable with. Apparently, their breakup was caused by personal as well as creative differences. Even though they have been together for so long, Jesse and Jeana managed to stay friends after their breakup. Jesse kept their PrankvsPrank channel as his own, and Jeana moved her creativity to her personal channel. Since then, they occasionally appeared on each other's channels and remembered the good old days.
Jesse Wellens on YouTube
Since the couple separated, Jesse struggled to keep his audience. Even though he stated that their breakup was mutual, some fans decided to follow Jeana and left his channel. While maintaining the same quality of videos was challenging, Jesse managed to keep over 2 million followers on his channel. Since the breakup, Jesse stopped filming so many pranks and focused on his own output. One of the biggest changes in his life was moving into a van and travelling in it. He decided to learn as much as possible about other countries and cultures, all from his small van apartment. The more he learned, the more Jesse wanted to share his knowledge and feelings with his audience. Because of that, he began talking to them through a podcast, which posted new episodes every week or so.
How much does Jesse Wellens earn? Net Worth
As of 2023, his net worth is estimated to be over 4 million US dollars. Besides his popular YouTube channel and podcast, Jesse had other income possibilities. He made a few brand deals that promised to sponsor his creations and his videos.
Interesting facts about Jesse Wellens
- As of 2023, he is 40 years old.
- His zodiac sign is Libra.
- His height is 5'10" or 178 cm.
- He completed his education at Council Rock High School in Newtown, Pennsylvania.
- As a child, he learned how to skateboard, snowboard and other sports.
- He was a professional BMX rider for a while.
- He worked as a DJ in various clubs in the United States.
- He served in the military for 6 years.
- He created a popular YouTube channel PrankvsPrank with his ex-girlfriend, Jeana Smith.
- After their breakup, he kept the channel as a personal one.
- He has over 10,5 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, with an additional 1,6 million followers on Instagram.
- His most popular video is Girlfriend Caught Cheating Prank – PrankvsPrank, with over 52 million views.
- As of 2023, his net worth is estimated to be over 4 million US dollars.
