KSI revealed he was earning more than his own teachers at school, despite failing his A-levels, after finding success on YouTube. 

The social media star, 31, came to fame making videos on the platform from 2009, beginning with gaming content before moving towards more vlog and comedy style videos.

KSI – whose real name is Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji but goes by JJ – now has 41.6 million subscribers combined over his three channels.

He reportedly has amassed a staggering £20 million fortune and last week was listed in the Sunday Times’ inaugural top 30 Gaming Rich List, alongside creators behind games like Candy Crush and Grand Theft Auto.

Appearing on Thursday’s This Morning on GCSE results day, KSI gave hope to any teenagers who were disappointed by their grades.

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KSI revealed he was earning more than his own teachers at school, despite failing his A-levels, after finding success on YouTube

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The social media star, 31, came to fame making videos on the platform from 2009, beginning with gaming content before moving towards more vlog and comedy style videos

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KSI – whose real name is Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji but goes by JJ – now has 41.6 million subscribers combined over his three channels and reportedly has amassed a staggering £20 million fortune (pictured November)

He explained how he had failed his A-levels, but after learning he was already earning more money that his teachers, decided to leave school and pursue a career in entertainment.

The influencer has expanded beyond YouTube and made ventures into boxing, music, television and his own energy drink.

Speaking to hosts Rochelle Humes and Joel Dommett, KSI recalled starting out making videos, saying: ‘I remember in 2009, this was around the time I was doing my A-levels and I failed, I flopped it.

‘I was getting to a point like what do I want do with my career and I was just enjoying YouTube. I never expected to be in the position I’m in today, but I just worked hard and enjoyed it and became obsessed with it.

‘I learned everything about it from the editing, to how to be comfortable in front of the camera, how to just be myself. And then after time more opportunities came from that, like the boxing, the music, all these things just happened.’

Reflecting on his time in education, he said: ‘I’m living proof that not everyone is academic. In school I wasn’t very good at maths or English, but for me entertainment was my field.

‘It took a while to get to that point, but you have to try stuff. I feel like a lot of people are scared to try new things.

‘This is the time, especially when you’re young to try stuff. Figure out what you like, figure out what you don’t like and use that to guide your career. It feels the end of the world but you’ve got so much time.’

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Appearing on Thursday’s This Morning on GCSE results day, KSI gave hope to any teenagers who were disappointed by their grades

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He explained how he had failed his A-levels, but after learning he was already earning more money that his teachers, decided to leave school and pursue a career in entertainment (pictured in 2016)

He revealed his teachers had even encouraged him to leave school after discovering how well he was doing online.

KSI recalled: ‘I do remember, I was making around £1,500 a month from YouTube and I told my teacher and he was like, “Wow, that’s more than me! Why are you here?”

‘And then I was like, “You know what, why am I here?” And then I left and I was like YouTube 100 percent, let’s go!’

KSI went to public school Berkhamsted School – where the yearly fees are currently £21,000 per pupil –  and initially did well, scoring three As, five Bs and a C in his GCSEs.

Coining the YouTube moniker KSI, standing for knowledge, strength and integrity, he began gaining in popularity and raking in the pounds through his videos, but his grades soon began to suffer.

He previously admitted that his choice to focus on YouTube over school did not impress his parents, and they were not supportive of his decision.

He explained: ‘It was one of those things where you have to pick one or the other and I picked YouTube, which at the time, my parents were heavily against.’

KSI added that his mother and father had even tried to cut his internet or hide his XBox to make him prioritise his education.

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He revealed his teachers had even encouraged him to leave school after discovering how well he was doing online (pictured in October)

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KSI has gone on to build success in the music industry, with his debut album Dissimulation charting at number two on the UK Albums Chart in 2020, while his track, Lighter, peaked at number three and was nominated for BRIT Award (pictured in 2022)

Speaking on This Morning in January 2023 about their reaction, he said: ‘They wanted me to be a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer, all of that and I had no interest in that.

‘First of all, I just wasn’t smart enough – that was just a lot for me to do. I couldn’t go into sport because I was just terrible. I was just terrible at all of that so I told my parents I wanted to be a YouTuber and they laughed.

‘They were just like, “We worked so hard to get you into private school… We’re in debt, so much debt to get you into the best position possible and you want to throw it away to just be a YouTuber” and I was like “yes!’

KSI has gone on to build success in the music industry, with his debut album Dissimulation charting at number two on the UK Albums Chart in 2020, while his track, Lighter, peaked at number three and was nominated for BRIT Award.

But he majorly cashed in by entering the boxing world, joining the slew of influencer making millions through the sport.

KSI – who last fought Tommy Fury in Manchester – first stepped foot in a boxing ring back in 2018 to face fellow YouTuber Joe Weller in a highly anticipated bout.

Since then he has also fought the likes of Logan Paul and headlined events at some of the top sporting venues around the world while working hard behind the scenes to match up other influencers via his own boxing promotion, Misfits.

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But he majorly cashed in by entering the boxing world, joining the slew of influencer making millions through the sport (pictured last year)

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Since then he has also fought the likes of Logan Paul and headlined events at some of the top sporting venues around the world while working hard behind the scenes to match up other influencers via his own boxing promotion, Misfits (pictured last year)

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Adding to his mammoth wealth in January 2022, KSI teamed up with former enemy Logan to launch one of the most popular energy drinks in the world, Prime (pictured with Erling Haaland)

Adding to his mammoth wealth in January 2022, KSI teamed up with former enemy Logan to launch one of the most popular energy drinks in the world, Prime.

It quickly went viral, with fans in some areas even queueing outside supermarkets overnight in the early days of the company, in a bid to get their hand on a bottle.

They generated just under £200m in retail sales in its first year and has been taken on by a number of sporting brands and stars.

Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, NFL superstar and Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes and Aston Villa Women’s Alisha Lehmann have become faces of the brand.

The brand’s relationship with the UFC is particularly noteworthy, with the PRIME logo often seen on the Octagon canvas, while Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski also have ties to PRIME.

The LA Dodgers are among the biggest sporting partners in the United States, while NHL Maple Leafs’ star Auston Matthews represents another high-profile athletes in PRIME’s portfolio across the pond.