World-famous YouTuber IShowSpeed streams live from Boise, attracts big crowds
World-famous YouTuber IShowSpeed made a stop in Boise on Monday afternoon, causing a gaggle of fans to follow him around the city as he livestreamed on his YouTube channel.
IShowSpeed, who is more commonly known as Speed and whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., is touring cities throughout the United States and streaming the entire experience 24 hours a day, seven days a week. His stop in Boise occurred on day 26 of the 35-day tour, according to his YouTube channel.
That means he’s been streaming for over 600 hours straight as he heads through Boise.
The 20-year-old streamer, who has 44.2 million subscribers on YouTube and 3.7 million followers on Twitter, started attracting a crowd when he appeared in front of the Idaho Capitol and rang the bell that stands in front of the building. He also spent some time inside the Capitol and signed memorabilia for fans.
A small group of young fans was shown on the stream outside of the Capitol, cheering him on, but as word spread of his arrival in Boise, the crowds quickly grew. By the time he was walking down 8th Street, a throng of fans filled up the street, surrounding him and shouting excitedly.
After a stop at 3Peat Vintage and Streetwear on Main and 11th streets, Speed entered a car before driving to the Walgreens on Broadway Avenue. Young fans were seen chasing his vehicle and banging on the windows.
Over 60,000 people were watching his stream as of 2:40 p.m.
Boise Police spokesperson Haley Williams told the Idaho Statesman that police responded to a crowd at 11th and Main and “helped with some lane closures,” but that no roads were closed and the crowd had dispersed by 2:15 p.m.
Later in the afternoon, Speed visited The Village at Meridian, where a large crowd followed him around and chanted his name. Speed’s security frequently restrained people who were blocking his path or grabbing at him. At one point, fans were climbing trees to get a view of him.
Speed, who is from Cincinnati, began earning recognition in 2021 as a 16-year-old when he streamed himself playing the soccer video game FIFA. As his popularity grew, he met some of the world’s most famous soccer players, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Neymar.
Reporter Carolyn Komatsoulis contributed.
This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 3:19 PM.
