Valkyrae Now: Streamer, Owner, and Studio CEO
Valkyrae is 34 and still streaming in November 2026, now across both Twitch and YouTube rather than under a single-platform deal. She is a 100 Thieves co-owner and the founder and CEO of Hihi Studios, the anime-focused media company she launched in September 2024.
Her 2026 has been a split screen. She was named to the TIME100 Creators list in July 2026 and earned an Additional Voices credit in the horror film Iron Lung, released January 30, 2026. The same year brought a hard family stretch, including a break from streaming in October after her nephew died.
Her most recent public clash with viewers came on October 31 and November 1, 2026, when she streamed Counter-Strike 2 while viewers demanded GTA RP, then deleted the VOD and said on Discord she might stop posting schedules. It was a small moment that showed how little distance she keeps between herself and her audience.
From Moses Lake to GameStop to Twitch
Valkyrae was born Rachell Marie Hofstetter on January 8, 1992, in Moses Lake, Washington. Her mother is Filipino and her father is German, and her mother encouraged her early interest in video games.
Before streaming, she worked at GameStop while attending community college, later graduating with an associate degree in arts and science. She also worked other jobs including bank teller, waitress, babysitter, car wash employee, and arcade attendant.
She began posting gaming content on Instagram, then started streaming on Twitch in 2015. Her YouTube channel was created in 2014. She moved out of Washington in 2016 and is now based in Los Angeles, California, at city level only.
The Fortnite Break That Got 100 Thieves to Call
Her breakthrough game was Fortnite in 2018. That year she joined 100 Thieves as its first female content creator, a well-sourced first that should not be merged with her later ownership claim.
The 100 Thieves deal changed her career from solo streamer to organization member. It put her on a roster with a brand, sponsors, and a path beyond daily streaming numbers.
The Among Us Year That Made Her 2020’s Most-Watched Woman Streamer
Among Us drove her late 2020 surge, and she became the most-watched female streamer of 2020. Stream Hatchet data cited in secondary coverage put her at 23.6 million hours watched in 2020, narrowly ahead of Pokimane.
She won Content Creator of the Year at The Game Awards in December 2020. She followed it with a Streamy Award for livestreaming in 2021 and a place on Forbes 30 Under 30 Games list in 2022.
On January 13, 2020, she had left Twitch for an exclusive streaming contract on YouTube, signing alongside LazarBeam and Muselk. That deal would run for three contracts across five years before it expired in January 2025.
Becoming a 100 Thieves Co-Owner
On April 7, 2021, she and Jack CouRage Dunlop became co-owners of 100 Thieves, joining founder Matthew Nadeshot Haag, Drake, Scooter Braun, and Dan Gilbert in the ownership group.
Her own April 7, 2021 post called herself one of the first women co-owners in esports. That wording is hers, and the article keeps it as her framing rather than upgrading it to a verified first-ever claim.
Her current ownership percentage and any current operational role are undisclosed. November 2026 coverage still describes her as a co-owner, with no credible report found of her leaving the ownership group. Company valuations from 2021 reporting are not her personal wealth and are not used as such here.
The RFLCT Lesson
In October 2021 she co-founded and became the public face of RFLCT, a skincare line marketed to heavy screen users on blue-light claims. The launch drew fast backlash from dermatologists and viewers who challenged its evidence.
RFLCT closed within about two weeks of launch after its products were removed from Ulta. Valkyrae said the criticism was valid and that she had expected supporting research to be made public.
The episode still shapes how she talks about business. She now builds companies she controls, rather than lending her face to products built by others.
Gymshark, Voice Roles, and the Move Into Film and TV
In September 2022 she became a Gymshark global ambassador, announced with a Times Square billboard on September 10, 2022. Voice work followed, including Squad Commander Red in the Netflix animated series Sonic Prime.
In the English dub of Tribe Nine, she and Sykkuno played twins in the Hannya Squad, in episode 11, announced by her on April 11, 2022. She appeared as herself in the 2023 Apple film The Family Plan, alongside Mark Wahlberg.
She also appeared in music videos including Bella Poarch’s Build a Bitch and Inferno and Machine Gun Kelly’s DayWalker. She voiced Ratchet in the English dub of Goldbeak, released in English in 2025.
Hihi Studios and Bad Influence
On September 27, 2024, Variety reported her launch of Hihi Studios, an anime-focused media company to develop and produce IP for graphic novels, TV, and film. She co-founded it with her manager Kai Gayoso, with Range Media Partners team members Gabe Pepe and Madeline McFerren, and launched with a co-publishing deal with GlobalComix.
The name Hihi comes from her stream greeting, hihi. The studio’s first major project, Bad Influence, launched on WEBTOON on June 27, 2025, as a WEBTOON Original, with new episodes on Thursdays.
Bad Influence is a sci-fi thriller about Nel in the dystopian city of Weisshorn, co-written by Orson James and Roman Calais, with art by Jor Ros, in partnership with Otherly Productions. It is the clearest expression of her ownership arc: stories she owns, not just attention she rents.
Podcasts and Netflix Hosting
She launched the podcast Press Esc with Alythuh in October 2024. She became co-host of Wine About It with QTCinderella in July 2025, announced July 2, 2025, with her first episode July 9, 2025.
In September 2025 she co-hosted Inside: USA on Netflix with Fanum. The Sidemen reality competition premiered September 21, 2025, with 12 contestants and a prize fund that could reach 1 million dollars.
Back on Twitch in 2025
Her exclusive YouTube deal ended after three contracts over five years. She announced on December 29, 2024 that she would return to Twitch on January 8, 2025, her 33rd birthday and her 10th streaming anniversary.
In her first week back on Twitch she was the most-watched female streamer on Twitch by hours watched, with over 706,000 hours watched reported by Streams Charts. She now streams across both Twitch and YouTube.
Her main YouTube channel, @Valkyrae, lists 4.04 million subscribers in its own channel header as of November 3, 2026. Her Twitch page shows 1.7 million followers as of November 3, 2026, with recent broadcasts in October 2026. Both are rounded, platform-reported figures, not exact counts.
Valkyrae in 2026: TIME100, Iron Lung, and a Hard Family Year
In July 2026 she was named to the 2026 TIME100 Creators list, in the Titans category. This was the second annual TIME100 Creators list, not the first. She is credited with Additional Voices in Iron Lung, the Mark Fischbach horror film released January 30, 2026.
Her father died in April 2017 from cancer, after she paid for his hospice care and cared for him in his final weeks. In February 2026, her half-brother Mark died on February 19, 2026, after alcohol addiction. On a February 20, 2026 livestream she spoke about their estranged relationship and said she should not have to forgive him just because he died, which drew both backlash and support.
In March 2026 she denied retirement rumours, saying she was happy with her career and was not leaving streaming. On October 11, 2026, she ended a 48-hour gaming livestream early after learning during a R.E.P.O. session that her nephew had died. She described him as her half-brother’s son, only two years younger than her, and redirected viewers to Miyoung.
On October 13, 2026, she posted on X that she would step back from streaming and social media for a few days to be with family. On October 23, 2026, she defended ExtraEmily, Fuslie, Miyoung, and TinaKitten after Ludwig criticised them for being late to his wedding to QTCinderella, and asked viewers to send love to all of them.
The 2026 Streamer Awards ceremony was scheduled for November 12, 2026. Valkyrae reacted to the 2026 nominations on her own channel in October 2026, and her group F.S.L.R. with Fuslie, Squeex, and Ludwig was nominated for Best Content Group. At research time the ceremony had not happened, so no 2026 Streamer Awards result is claimed here.
Who She Streams With: The Circle Readers Keep Asking About
Valkyrae’s circle is the streamers she built the last decade with, and two of them already have OpenThreadNews profiles. Emiru shares the Stream Queens circle and the 2024 Sapphire Award context, since Valkyrae won the Sapphire Award at the 2024 Streamer Awards, held February 17, 2024 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles.
QTCinderella is a closer collaborator than a rival: Valkyrae co-hosted the second annual Streamer Awards with her on March 11, 2023, with the ceremony averaging 425,000 live concurrent viewers, and now co-hosts Wine About It with her. Quenlin Blackwell is named here without a link until her profile goes live, then the link is added in a later pass.
Valkyrae Age, Net Worth, Height, and Handles, Answered Plainly
Valkyrae is 34, born January 8, 1992, in Moses Lake, Washington. She is 5 feet 3 inches tall. She is based in Los Angeles, California, and her current household in November 2026 is not publicly confirmed in reliable sources, so this article stops at city level.
No verified net worth figure exists. Celebrity Net Worth lists 10 million dollars, while Net Worth Spot, updated October 1, 2026, puts YouTube ad revenue based net worth at 5.4 million dollars, and up to 7.6 million dollars with other income streams. Other 2026 trackers range from about 4 million dollars into the mid teens, and one range runs to 20 million dollars. Her 100 Thieves ownership share is private, so any single number is an estimate, not a confirmed fortune.
She is not publicly married, and no current partner has been publicly confirmed by her. Her last major public relationship was with fellow streamer Michael Sonii Sherman, for about four years in the late 2010s to early 2020s.
Her handles, verified from her own YouTube description, are @valkyrae on X, Instagram, and TikTok, YouTube @Valkyrae with second channels @Valkyrae2 and @ValkyraeShorts, and Twitch at twitch.tv/valkyrae.
FAQ
How old is Valkyrae?
She was born January 8, 1992, in Moses Lake, Washington. She is 34 in November 2026.
What is Valkyrae’s real name?
Her real name is Rachell Marie Hofstetter. Valkyrae is her online name, and Rae is her short name.
What is Valkyrae’s net worth?
No verified figure exists. Published estimates vary widely, with Celebrity Net Worth listing 10 million dollars and other trackers ranging from about 4 million dollars into the mid teens. Her 100 Thieves ownership share is private, so any single number is an estimate, not a confirmed fortune.
Where does Valkyrae live?
She is based in Los Angeles, California, after moving out of Washington in 2016. Her current household in November 2026 is not publicly confirmed in reliable sources, so this article stops at city level.
Is Valkyrae still a 100 Thieves co-owner?
Yes, as far as November 2026 coverage shows. She became a co-owner on April 7, 2021, alongside CouRageJD, and no credible report of her leaving the ownership group was found during this research.
Why did Valkyrae leave YouTube for Twitch?
Her exclusive YouTube deal ended after three contracts over five years. She announced on December 29, 2024 that she would return to Twitch on January 8, 2025, and she has since streamed across both Twitch and YouTube.
What is Hihi Studios?
Hihi Studios is the media company she launched on September 27, 2024, with co-founder Kai Gayoso, to develop original anime-inspired stories for graphic novels, TV, and film. Its first major project is Bad Influence, a WEBTOON Original that launched June 27, 2025.
Is Valkyrae dating anyone?
No current partner has been publicly confirmed by her. Her last major public relationship was with fellow streamer Michael Sonii Sherman, for about four years in the late 2010s to early 2020s.
Is Valkyrae nominated at the 2026 Streamer Awards?
Her group F.S.L.R. with Fuslie, Squeex, and Ludwig was nominated for Best Content Group. The ceremony was scheduled for November 12, 2026, after this article’s research date, so no result is claimed here.
