TIME magazine has unveiled its inaugural TIME100 Creators list, recognizing 100 of the most influential digital voices shaping global culture, commerce, and information consumption. The new initiative expands the TIME100 franchise to specifically acknowledge the growing impact of digital content creators.
The TIME100 Creators issue features 23-year-old Twitch streamer Kai Cenat on its worldwide cover. Cenat, who commands an audience of 18 million followers on the Amazon-owned platform, represents a new generation of digital influencers with significant reach, particularly among younger audiences.
In an in-depth interview accompanying the cover, Cenat reveals personal struggles despite his massive success. “Something that I’m noticing within myself, that I just discovered, is I have anxiety,” Cenat tells TIME. “I’m always worrying, ‘Oh God, what if things don’t go right?’ I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared.”
Creator Categories Span Multiple Content Domains
The inaugural list features creators from 15 different countries, categorized into five groups: Titans, Entertainers, Leaders, Phenoms, and Catalysts. These individuals primarily operate across various platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Substack.
Among notable Titans recognized are Kai Cenat, Alix Earle, Khabane Lame, Olivia Dunne, Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast), Charli D’Amelio, Joe Rogan, and Alex Cooper. The Leaders category includes Vivian Tu, Becky Kennedy, Kahlil Greene, and Mikayla Nogueira, while Entertainers features Hannah Berner, Paige DeSorbo, and Brittany Broski.
Recognition Across Content Categories
The TIME100 Creators list acknowledges influence across numerous content verticals:
Conversation leaders in media and interview formats: Alex Cooper, Joe Rogan, Nick Viall, Steven Bartlett, Amelia Dimoldenberg, and Sean Evans
Lifestyle content creators: Charli D’Amelio, Cyrus Veyssi, Tefi Pessoa, Haley Kalil, Drew Afualo, Alix Earle, and Hannah Neeleman
Social justice and self-improvement advocates: Mel Robbins, Diego Perez, Jay Shetty, Pattie Gonia, Sarah Adams, and Shirley Raines
Artists and entertainment industry storytellers: Heidi Wong, Reece Feldman, Cole Walliser, and Alan Chikin Chow
Stunt and spectacle creators: Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast), Daniel LaBelle, Michelle Khare, and the Stokes twins
Educational content specialists: Kahlil Greene, Sarah Roecklein, Taylor Cassidy, Heather Cox Richardson, Joel Bervell, and Mark Rober
Gaming and streaming personalities: Andre Rebelo, Darren Jason Watkins Jr., and Imane Anys
Fashion and beauty influencers: Wisdom Kaye, Nicky Campbell, Joe Ando-Hirsh, Camila Coelho, and Nava Rose
Food content creators: Nick DiGiovanni, Meredith Hayden, Jordan Howlett, Alexis Nikole Nelson, and Keith Lee
Comedy and entertainment specialists: Khabane Lame, Brittany Broski, Jake Shane, and Quenlin Blackwell
Sports and fitness influencers: Ilona Maher, Olivia Dunne, and Leana Deeb
Business and technology voices: Vivian Tu, Hannah Williams, Marques Brownlee, Colin Rosenblum, and Samir Chaudry
The youngest person featured on the 2025 list is 12-year-old Taylen Biggs.
TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs contextualizes the list’s significance in his letter to readers, noting that “digital creators, the entrepreneurs who have built businesses through significant online followings, have emerged to shape our culture. They are changing what we watch, how we spend our time, what we buy, and how we vote.”
The publication cites 2024 data showing internet users spend nearly 2.5 hours daily on social media, with much of that time devoted to creators like those featured on the list. These individuals represent a segment of Goldman Sachs’ estimated 67 million content creators globally, forming what TIME describes as a “multi-hundred-billion-dollar industry where social media creator revenues are growing five times faster than those of traditional media.”
The magazine notes that this shift parallels broader changes in how people consume media and relate to traditional institutions, with TIME’s CEO, Jessica Sibley, stating that the honorees are “not only driving conversations online, but also inspiring communities and setting new standards for what it means to be a creator today.”
Selection Methodology
The selection process involved polling TIME correspondents, editors, and contributors, who surveyed sources globally. TIME also partnered with the creator marketplace #paid to analyze reach, engagement metrics, and business models developed by the featured creators.
The publication focused primarily on English-language creators who built their careers natively through digital platforms rather than transitioning from traditional media backgrounds like television or journalism.
Celebration Event
TIME will host the TIME100 Creators Launch Party on July 10 in New York City, bringing together many of the honorees. Confirmed attendees include Sean Evans, Vivian Tu, Hannah Neeleman, Keith Lee, Mikayla Nogueira, Taylor Frankie Paul, Tefi Pessoa, Nick Viall, Haley Kalil, Paige DeSorbo, and Golloria George.
In preparation for the list’s release, TIME gathered nine creators—Alix Earle, Sean Evans, Charli D’Amelio, Hannah Berner, Paige DeSorbo, Tefi Pessoa, Devon Rodriguez, Vivian Tu, and Cyrus Veyssi—at a New York City studio to create videos for the magazine. Lucy Feldman, who led the project, notes, “We came away with a better understanding about how each of them thinks. They showed us what it takes to break through the noise.”
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
TIME magazine has unveiled its inaugural TIME100 Creators list, recognizing 100 of the most influential digital voices shaping global culture, commerce, and information consumption. The new initiative expands the TIME100 franchise to specifically acknowledge the growing impact of digital content creators.
The TIME100 Creators issue features 23-year-old Twitch streamer Kai Cenat on its worldwide cover. Cenat, who commands an audience of 18 million followers on the Amazon-owned platform, represents a new generation of digital influencers with significant reach, particularly among younger audiences.
In an in-depth interview accompanying the cover, Cenat reveals personal struggles despite his massive success. “Something that I’m noticing within myself, that I just discovered, is I have anxiety,” Cenat tells TIME. “I’m always worrying, ‘Oh God, what if things don’t go right?’ I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared.”
Creator Categories Span Multiple Content Domains
The inaugural list features creators from 15 different countries, categorized into five groups: Titans, Entertainers, Leaders, Phenoms, and Catalysts. These individuals primarily operate across various platforms, including YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Substack.
Among notable Titans recognized are Kai Cenat, Alix Earle, Khabane Lame, Olivia Dunne, Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast), Charli D’Amelio, Joe Rogan, and Alex Cooper. The Leaders category includes Vivian Tu, Becky Kennedy, Kahlil Greene, and Mikayla Nogueira, while Entertainers features Hannah Berner, Paige DeSorbo, and Brittany Broski.
Recognition Across Content Categories
The TIME100 Creators list acknowledges influence across numerous content verticals:
The youngest person featured on the 2025 list is 12-year-old Taylen Biggs.
Creator Economy Represents Significant Growth Sector
TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs contextualizes the list’s significance in his letter to readers, noting that “digital creators, the entrepreneurs who have built businesses through significant online followings, have emerged to shape our culture. They are changing what we watch, how we spend our time, what we buy, and how we vote.”
The publication cites 2024 data showing internet users spend nearly 2.5 hours daily on social media, with much of that time devoted to creators like those featured on the list. These individuals represent a segment of Goldman Sachs’ estimated 67 million content creators globally, forming what TIME describes as a “multi-hundred-billion-dollar industry where social media creator revenues are growing five times faster than those of traditional media.”
The magazine notes that this shift parallels broader changes in how people consume media and relate to traditional institutions, with TIME’s CEO, Jessica Sibley, stating that the honorees are “not only driving conversations online, but also inspiring communities and setting new standards for what it means to be a creator today.”
Selection Methodology
The selection process involved polling TIME correspondents, editors, and contributors, who surveyed sources globally. TIME also partnered with the creator marketplace #paid to analyze reach, engagement metrics, and business models developed by the featured creators.
The publication focused primarily on English-language creators who built their careers natively through digital platforms rather than transitioning from traditional media backgrounds like television or journalism.
Celebration Event
TIME will host the TIME100 Creators Launch Party on July 10 in New York City, bringing together many of the honorees. Confirmed attendees include Sean Evans, Vivian Tu, Hannah Neeleman, Keith Lee, Mikayla Nogueira, Taylor Frankie Paul, Tefi Pessoa, Nick Viall, Haley Kalil, Paige DeSorbo, and Golloria George.
In preparation for the list’s release, TIME gathered nine creators—Alix Earle, Sean Evans, Charli D’Amelio, Hannah Berner, Paige DeSorbo, Tefi Pessoa, Devon Rodriguez, Vivian Tu, and Cyrus Veyssi—at a New York City studio to create videos for the magazine. Lucy Feldman, who led the project, notes, “We came away with a better understanding about how each of them thinks. They showed us what it takes to break through the noise.”
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