Liza Koshy

Early life

Liza Koshy was born on March 31, 1996, in Houston, Texas, to a nurse mother and a petroleum executive father. Of Indian and German descent, her upbringing was rooted in a mixed cultural environment that would later influence her comedic perspective. From kindergarten until fifth grade, she was placed in a dual language educational and cultural program, where she learned to speak Spanish.

It was during these early years that she developed a knack for performing arts and comedy, qualities that would later contribute significantly to her career.

She completed high school at Lamar High School, Houston, where she was known for her vivacious personality. Koshy became a student at the University of Houston, where she commenced her studies in business marketing. However, in 2015, she decided to leave her college education behind and relocated to Los Angeles, setting her sights on carving a path for herself in the media industry.

Career

Koshy’s digital career commenced in 2013 when she started posting Vine videos while in high school. She quickly accumulated a massive following due to her witty humor and distinctive characters, eventually amassing over 7 million followers on Vine.

When the social media platform Vine shut down in 2017, Koshy had already amassed a robust follower base of 7 million. Meanwhile, she was also establishing her name on YouTube by 2016. A significant highlight from that period was when she leveraged her YouTube channel to host an interview with President Barack Obama ahead of the 2016 election, promoting voter registration.
Known for her dynamic facial expressions, swift comedic rhythm, and willingness to appear as outlandishly humorous as her jokes demand, Koshy’s content style managed to engage a wide audience. Many of her videos tackle weighty topics such as anxiety, societal conformities, and cyberbullying, presented in an engaging, relatable manner.

In early 2018, she stopped uploading new content to her primary YouTube channel to focus more on acting and hosting jobs, a pause that continued until 2019 when she resumed content creation.

Koshy’s rapid growth in popularity saw her becoming the quickest YouTube personality to gain 10 million subscribers in 2017. Her primary YouTube channel boasted over 17 million subscribers and more than 2 billion views. Additionally, her secondary YouTube channel had gathered more than 8 million subscribers. In total, her channels accumulated over 3 billion views.

Beyond YouTube, her social media presence extended to Instagram with over 18 million followers, TikTok with more than 26 million followers, Facebook with over 4 million followers, and Twitter with a following of over 2.8 million.

Her significant influence on the internet was recognized by Time magazine, which included her in its 2019 list of the 25 Most Influential People on the Internet and its 2019 100 Next list.

Her impressive digital presence caught the attention of Hollywood, and she started gaining on-screen roles. Koshy landed a significant role in 2016 in the Hulu series, “Freakish,” and later secured a lead role in the YouTube Premium series, “Liza on Demand.” Koshy’s charismatic personality also led her to host duties, and she has hosted a variety of shows like “Double Dare” on Nickelodeon and “Floored” on Quibi.

In 2017, Koshy was the host of the live preshow for the Golden Globes Awards, an event that broke Twitter records with 2.7 million live viewers. She also hosted “Every Single Step,” a series by Nigel Lythgoe, and was notably the sole social media entertainer selected to promote the 2016 MTV Movie Awards.

Between 2017 and 2018, she was part of the host lineup for “Total Request Live” on MTV, in addition to being a producer and content developer for the network. Vogue magazine’s “73 Questions” web series featured Koshy as its first interviewee from the digital realm.

In 2018 and 2019, she was chosen by Vogue to interview celebrities attending the Met Galas. From June 2018 to December 2019, she hosted the revived version of the Nickelodeon game show “Double Dare.” In 2020, Koshy served as the host of the dance competition show “Floored” on Quibi.

Koshy’s online advertisements, specifically for Beats Electronics, have garnered exceptional engagement, pulling in four times more viewers than ads featuring other celebrities. Additionally, she has worked collaboratively with The Giving Keys, a jewelry company assisting and employing the formerly homeless, to create a necklace collection.

Koshy is a co-chair of “When We All Vote,” a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization aimed at promoting voter participation. She also lends her influencer status to endorse Beyond Meat.

Net Worth

As of 2023, Liza Koshy’s estimated net worth is $6 million, accumulated mainly from her YouTube career, television hosting roles, acting gigs, and endorsements. Her brand partnerships have included global brands like Calvin Klein and Beats Electronics, contributing to her significant wealth.

Achievement

Koshy’s achievements stretch across the digital and traditional media landscape. Here are some highlights and awards:

Breakout Creator at the Streamy Awards (2016)

The fastest YouTube personality to reach 10 million subscribers (2017)

Hosted the live preshow at the Golden Globes Awards, which received a record-breaking 2.7 million live viewers on Twitter (2017)

Hosted "Total Request Live" on MTV (2017-2018)

Favorite Funny YouTube Creator at the Kids' Choice Awards (2018)

Interviewed celebrities at the Met Galas on behalf of Vogue (2018 and 2019)

Best Acting in a Comedy for "Liza on Demand" at the Streamy Awards (2019)

Named in Time magazine's list of the 25 Most Influential People on the Internet (2019)

Featured in Time magazine's 100 Next list (2019)

Included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list (2019)

Hosted the dance competition show "Floored" on Quibi (2020)

Co-chair of "When We All Vote," a nonpartisan, nonprofit group dedicated to increasing voter participation.

Social Profile

Liza Koshy maintains an active social media presence. Her YouTube channel "Liza Koshy" has over 17 million subscribers and her Instagram account @lizakoshy has over 18 million followers, as of 2023.