Lauren Kobayashi Riihimaki (born August 11, 1993)[2] is a Canadian YouTuber known for her video content on the LaurDIY channel as well as her vlog and podcast content on the LaurDIY Vlogs and WILD 'TIL 9 channels, respectively.[3] As of January 2022, LaurDIY has over 8.5 million subscribers, and LaurDIY Vlogs and WILD 'TIL 9 have a combined 535,000 subscribers.[4][5][6][7]
Lauren Riihimaki | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Lauren Kobayashi Riihimaki August 11, 1993 St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada | |||||||||
| Alma mater | Toronto Metropolitan University (previously known as Ryerson University) | |||||||||
| Occupations |
| |||||||||
| Years active | 2011–present | |||||||||
| Spouse |
Jeremy Lewis (m. 2024) | |||||||||
YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Channels | LaurDIY LaurDIY Vlogs WILD 'TIL 9 | |||||||||
| Genre(s) | DIY, Music, Beauty | |||||||||
| Subscribers | 8.37 million | |||||||||
| Total views | 439.25 million | |||||||||
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Last updated: August 23, 2022 | ||||||||||
| Website | laurdiy | |||||||||
| Notes | ||||||||||
Career
editRiihimaki began posting DIY tutorial videos on her blog in her first year of university in Toronto. She first joined YouTube on December 1, 2011,[3] originally to post her sewing videos on the platform.[8] In 2015, she graduated from Toronto Metropolitan University (previously Ryerson University) with a degree in graphic communications management.[9] She won a Shorty Award in the "House & Home" category at the tenth annual ceremony.[10] She also won a Streamy Award in the "Lifestyle" category at the Awards' debut ceremony in 2017.[4] In the same year, her web series Served By LaurDIY premiered on Facebook Watch.[11]
In 2017, Riihimaki appeared as The Engineer, in season 2 of the YouTube Premium series, Escape the Night, created by Joey Graceffa.[12]
In 2019, Riihimaki was announced to host and executive produce a future HBO Max competition series called Craftopia.[13]
Personal life
editRiihimaki is of Finnish and Ukrainian descent through her father, and of Japanese descent through her mother.[14]
Riihimaki dated Sebastian "Baz" Morris from 2010 to 2015, with the pair remaining friends after they split. Morris died in late May 2020 after an accidental drowning. She started dating fellow YouTuber Alexander "Alex" Burriss, also known as Alex Wassabi on YouTube, in 2015. They broke up in 2018.[15][16]
In 2019, Riihimaki began dating singer and entrepreneur Jeremy Lewis. They met for the first time when she was filming the "Roast Yourself Rap" that was popular in 2015. He worked with her to create her video. She recounts in her podcast (Wild Til 9) that she and her assistant initially thought he was gay.[17] In December 2022, Riihimaki and Lewis publicized their engagement on social media.[18] On April 7, 2024, Riihimaki married Lewis.[19]
References
edit- ^ Draw My Life (YouTube video). 24 April 2016. Event occurs at 0:15.
- ^ Riihimaki, Lauren [@laurdiy] (11 August 2018). "25 🎈". Retrieved 28 December 2018 – via Instagram.
- ^ a b Hamanaka, Kari (2018-08-08). "YouTuber LaurDIY Continues on Bid to Be the Millennial Martha Stewart". Women's Wear Daily. Archived from the original on 2018-09-25. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- ^ a b Belanger, Lydia (2018-09-19). "How LaurDIY Went From Dorm Room Blogger to YouTube Star With 8.4 Million Subscribers". Entrepreneur. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- ^ "LaurDIY's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) - Social Blade Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ "LaurDIY Vlogs's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) - Social Blade Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ "WILD 'TIL 9's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile) - Social Blade Stats". Social Blade. Archived from the original on 2022-01-30. Retrieved 2022-01-29.
- ^ Israelson, David (2014-10-30). "Student fashions herself into a YouTube star". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
- ^ "Lauren Riihimaki". Alumni in the News. Ryerson University. Archived from the original on 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
- ^ "LaurDIY". The Shorty Awards. Archived from the original on 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2018-09-26.
- ^ Weiss, Geoff (2017-10-18). "Lauren Riihimaki Debuts 'Served By LaurDIY' Cooking Series On Facebook's Watch". Tubefilter News. Archived from the original on 2019-01-05. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (2017-05-25). "YouTube Red's 'Escape the Night' With Joey Graceffa Season 2 Adds Tyler Oakley, Liza Koshy, Other Digital Stars to Cast". Variety. Retrieved 2021-07-05.
- ^ Petski, Denise (2019-10-09). "HBO Max Orders Kids Competition Series 'Karma' & 'Craftopia' Hosted By Michelle Khare & Lauren Riihimaki". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2019-12-20.
- ^ Spangler, Todd (July 3, 2019). "Digital Star LaurDIY on Building a Business on YouTube, Avoiding Burnout and Protecting Her Private Life". Variety. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
- ^ Riihimaki, Lauren (2013-06-05). 50 Facts About Me | LaurDIY. Event occurs at 4:54. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
My mom is Japanese, and my dad is Finnish and Ukrainian.
- ^ Kim, Serena (5 February 2019). "LaurDIY is the Queen of YouTube". KoreAm. Archived from the original on 17 February 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2019.
- ^ "LaurDiy Dating Jeremy Lewis: Details on her new boyfriend". J-14. 8 October 2020. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Lauren Riihimaki on Instagram: "YES!!!🌹"". Instagram. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ "Lauren Riihimaki on Instagram: "mr and mrs jeremy and lauren lewis🕊️04.07.2024"". Instagram. Retrieved 2024-04-12.