Streaming may not be the easiest job, but it’s not harder than a standard 9-to-5 — or at least not according to Kai Cenat.
During an interview with Shannon Sharpe on the “Club Shay Shay” podcast, the online streamer was asked if his job is more difficult than a typical 9-to-5, to which he replied, “F-ck no.”
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“Anybody who says streaming is harder than a 9-to-5 is an idiot,” Cenat said. “I work so hard on my streams, it takes a lot of hard work, there’s a lot of planning. You got to be in front of a camera for dozens of hours. I understand that, it’s hard.”
“But harder than a 9-to-5? You’re talking about somebody that may not even want to be there,” he continued. “I love streaming. I think about it all the time… The average 9-to-5 worker don’t want to be there.”
Cenat added that when those that work a 9-to-5 job finally receive their paychecks, they often use them to pay bills and care for their children.
Cenat, a Brooklyn, NY, native, dropped out of college to chase his dreams and has established himself as one of the most influential streamers and content creators, AFROTECH™ previously reported. He made history in early 2023 by becoming the first Black Twitch streamer to reach 200,000 subscribers.
As part of the AMP (Any Means Possible) group, which also includes ImDavisss, Fanum, Duke Dennis, Agent 00, and ChrisNxtDoor, Cenat himself has built a loyal following of 11.5 million YouTube subscribers, 17 million followers on TikTok, and 12.8 million Instagram followers.
He recently reclaimed the title of most-subscribed streamer on the platform from Ironmouse in November 2024, as noted by AFROTECH™.
Twitch has facilitated some impressive collaborations for Cenat. His recent 24/7 event, “Mafiathon 2,” ran for 30 days throughout November 2024 and broke records by having an estimated 727,700 subscribers tune in, compared to Ironmouse’s record of 326,250. The event also had the potential to generate over $3 million in revenue based on the platform’s revenue model. Cenat’s livestream featured special guests such as GloRilla, Kyrie Irving, Snoop Dogg, SZA, Kevin Hart, and Druski.
Cenat had already gained viral attention with a June 2024 stream including Hart and Druski. It achieved historic numbers, breaking the Twitch North American record for viewership, according to AFROTECH™. It peaked at 712,600 concurrent viewers and garnered 4.95 million unique viewers over 11.5 hours.
During his conversation with Sharpe, Cenat also shared that he turned down a $60 million offer in 2023 from Kick, a competitor of TikTok. He noted that he chose to trust his instincts and forge his own path.
“I’m already blessed financially. Why would I need to do this? I’d rather pave the long and more natural organic route… It’s a great streaming platform and stuff and how it is,” Cenat said, according to AFROTECH™. “But I’m where I need to be at, and I’m not worried about money. I just built my community, and I don’t gotta worry about the extras I could get when I’m already blessed. So I just keep that mentality.”
As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Cenat has also racked up partnerships along the way, including with MacDonald’s, the NBA, Nike and Rumble. As such, he is currently ranked No. 24 on Forbes’s 2024 Top Creators list, having pulled in an estimated $8.5 million for 2024, as of Oct. 28, 2024.
