Justine Ezarik, better known to millions as iJustine, is one of the most important people in the world of online content creation. Ezarik was born on March 20, 1984, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was the oldest daughter of Michelle Ezarik, a physical education teacher, and Steve Ezarik, a coal miner of Slovak descent. She grew up in a modest home. Her two younger sisters, Breanne and Jenna, are both great all-state volleyball players. They have been in some of her videos, which gives her digital persona a family feel. Ezarik’s rise to fame as a tech icon, author, actress, and podcast host shows how the internet can change people’s lives. She started out in a lower-middle-class family.
Early Life and Education: Born and raised in Pennsylvania
Ezarik grew up in Pittsburgh, a city with a lot of steel, and went to Bentworth High School in Washington County, where she graduated in 2002. She was a creative person from a young age and studied graphic design at Pittsburgh Technical Institute, where she got her degree in 2004. This technical background would be very helpful in her later career, which combined art and digital innovation. Before she became famous on YouTube, Ezarik worked as a web designer and video editor in the Pittsburgh area. She learned skills that would soon help her break into the new world of online video.
Even in college, she loved technology and wrote a lot about Apple products on her blog. This love affair would shape much of her content. Ezarik uploaded her first video on May 12, 2006, just a year after YouTube started to get its bearings. This was the start of the iJustine channel. The name “iJustine” was a fun reference to Apple’s “i” branding, which showed how much she loved gadgets.
Rise to Fame: From Lifecasting to Viral Stardom
Ezarik’s big break came in the most unlikely way: a funny rant about a huge phone bill. She posted a video called “300-Page iPhone Bill” in August 2007 that went into great detail about every text and data transfer, making it very funny. The video blew up, getting more than 8 million views by the end of the year and creating an internet meme that got a lot of media attention around the world. It also earned her $5,000 from video host Revver, which proved that she was right to switch to making content full-time.
Before this, Ezarik started lifecasting on Justin.tv on May 29, 2007. Lifecasting is a live, unedited broadcast of everyday life. She streamed directly to her audience using a wireless webcam and microphone. This made her a “lifecasting star” and a “new media star.” She cut back on lifecasting in 2009 to focus on edited videos, but this time period built her a loyal fan base and showed off her funny, friendly style.
By 2010, iJustine had more than 1 million subscribers, making her one of the first big stars on YouTube, along with creators like Ryan Higa and Smosh. Her videos changed from vlogs to tech reviews, with a focus on Apple products. She would unbox iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks in a way that was both exciting and informative. Her “I Want a Cheeseburger” rant and other videos got 600,000 views in a week, showing that she knows how to mix tech with funny things that people can relate to.
After that, she won a Webby for Best Individual in 2008 and two Streamys for Best Host and Best Gaming Host. Fast Company named her “the most influential person online” in 2012, and Forbes named her one of the top 10 Tech/Business Influencers in 2017.
Acting, writing, and more: Expanding Horizons
Ezarik is good at a lot more than just YouTube. She acted in a few guest spots on popular shows like “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2009), “Criminal Minds” (2010), “The Bold and the Beautiful” (2010), and “The Vampire Diaries” (2012). She played Pam in “The Wedding Ringer” (2015) and had a part in “Sharknado: The 4th Awakens” (2016).
She played the Gambler in Season 1 and the Adventurer in Season 4 of YouTube Premium’s “Escape the Night.” This was a murder mystery show that showed off her acting skills. Simon & Schuster published her memoir, I, Justine, which became a New York Times bestseller in 2015. The book is called “investigative journalism about herself” and it looks at her digital archives to think about identity in the age of social media. She also hosted preshows for MTV and Dick Clark Productions, worked with brands like Intel, GE, Mattel, and Carl’s Jr., and gave Arnold Schwarzenegger advice on “The New Celebrity Apprentice” (2016).
iJustine Gaming, a second gaming channel, has more than 595,000 subscribers and plays games like Minecraft and Call of Duty. She and her sister Jenna started the podcast “Same Brain” in 2020. It talks about tech, news, and gaming. It has 86 episodes and guests like Phil Spencer from Xbox and Tim Cook from Apple. It has a 4.9/5 rating on Apple Podcasts. Ezarik fights for the rights of digital creators as a member of the Creators Guild of America board.
Life Outside of Work: Hobbies Outside of Work
Ezarik’s life outside of the camera is just as interesting as her videos. She is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, loves to scuba dive, and calls herself “dog mom” to her pet pig J-Pig. She uses these interests in her work. She doesn’t drink or curse on camera because she sees iJustine as a separate character. She is currently single and lives in the Los Angeles area. She owns a $2 million home and a collection of high-end cars, such as a Tesla Model X and a Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
In a 2025 People interview looking back on YouTube’s 20th anniversary, Ezarik talked about early milestones like meeting Justin Bieber and going to the first VidCon. She also talked about how hard it was to recover from a blood clot that left her bedridden. “I didn’t survive YouTube,” she says, showing how strong she is. I got better with it.
Recent Events: Doing Well in 2025
As of September 2025, iJustine’s main YouTube channel has 7.1 million subscribers and 1.46 billion views. She also has a gaming channel that adds to her reach. She has 1.6 million followers on TikTok and 58 million likes, and the same number on Instagram. She has 1.84 million followers on X (formerly Twitter), and her recent posts hype the iPhone 17 series by showing unboxings of the Pro Max, Air, and standard models, as well as a Fuji Speedway test drive that shows off the dual capture features.
At CES 2025, she and Brian Tong hosted coverage together, looking at new developments in AI and consumer technology. She is worth about $15 million, and she makes about $3 million a year from YouTube ads, sponsorships with Apple and Amazon, and businesses like NFTs (ijustine.eth and ijustine.sol). Ezarik has been with William Morris Endeavor since 2017. She still works on branded content and fights for creators’ rights.
Legacy: A Trailblazer Who Keeps Changing
iJustine is still a role model for up-and-coming creators after almost twenty years in the business. Ezarik has written about the rise of technology, from that fateful iPhone bill to reviewing the iPhone 17. She has always been herself—funny, insightful, and unapologetically passionate. Her story is one of change: she went from lifecasting to polished reviews, added multimedia, and now mentors the next generation through the Creators Guild. She is known as the “Comeback Queen of Tech YouTube.”
In a world where trends come and go, iJustine’s long career shows that she really connects with people. She reminds us that the best content comes from living life to the fullest and sharing it with the world, whether it’s unboxing the newest gadget or rolling on the mats in jiu-jitsu.
