Jenna Marbles

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Jenna Marbles
Marbles in 2018
Born
Jenna Nicole Mourey

(1986-09-15) September 15, 1986 (age 37)
Rochester, New York, U.S.
Education
OccupationYouTuber
Years active2010–2020 (on hiatus)
Spouse
Julien Solomita
​
(m. 2022)​
YouTube information
Channel
Genres
Subscribers19.7 million[1]
Total views1.8 billion[1]
100,000 subscribers2012
1,000,000 subscribers2012
10,000,000 subscribers2013
Last updated: September 17, 2023

Jenna Nicole Mourey (born September 15, 1986), better known as Jenna Marbles, is an American YouTuber. Over the span of ten years, her YouTube channel has accumulated approximately 1.8 billion video views and, at its peak, over 20 million subscribers. After apologizing for a series of accusations involving offensive content in her older videos, Marbles announced her indefinite hiatus from the platform in 2020.

Early life and career[edit]

Jenna Nicole Mourey[2] was born on September 15, 1986[3] in Rochester, New York,[4] where she was also raised. Marbles attended Brighton High School in the Rochester suburb of Brighton, New York, and graduated in 2004.[5] She then moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology at Suffolk University and Master of Education in sport psychology and counseling at Boston University.[6]

In the summer of 2010, Marbles was sharing a three-bedroom apartment in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She supported herself by bartending, working at a tanning salon, vlogging, and go-go dancing at nightclubs.[7] That year, Marbles started her career with Barstool Sports, where she wrote for their female-oriented site StoolLaLa. She left the publication in 2011.[8]

YouTube career[edit]

Among the first of Marbles' videos to gain traction on the platform, "How to Trick People into Thinking You're Good Looking", released in 2010, was viewed around 5.3 million times in its first week.[7][9] Her video "How to Avoid Talking to People You Don't Want to Talk To" was featured in The New York Times and ABC News in August 2011. In the video, she said, "I'm sick and tired of guys thinking that just because I showed up at a club or a dance or a bar that I want to have their genitalia touching my backside."[10][11]

Marbles adopted the pseudonym Jenna Marbles after her mother complained the search term "Mourey" resulted only in Jenna's videos on Google. Jenna's mother was unemployed when Jenna's first video went viral and was concerned that the content might put off potential employers. The name "Marbles" stems from her dog's name, Mr. Marbles.[6]

Marbles portrayed Eve in the Epic Rap Battles of History episode "Adam vs. Eve",[12] and she made appearances in Annoying Orange, Ridiculousness,[13] and Smosh: The Movie.[14] Marbles was featured in the rapper Pitbull's "Fireball" music video alongside fellow YouTubers Bart Baker and Brittany Furlan.[15]

Alongside the creators of the YouTube channel Smosh, Marbles became the first YouTube personality to have her likeness appear as a wax figure displayed at Madame Tussauds New York, which she unveiled in 2015.[16]

Controversy and indefinite hiatus[edit]

On June 25, 2020, Marbles uploaded an apology video following accusations of blackface and racism.[2][17] In this video, she addresses offensive content in her videos posted between 2011 and 2012. This included an impersonation of Nicki Minaj, rapping anti-Asian slander while wearing traditional Asian clothing, and shaming women who had slept with multiple people, which she attributed to internalized misogyny.[18] Marbles states it was never her intent to hurt or offend anyone, acknowledging that these actions were "shameful" and "awful", wishing "it wasn't part of [her] past".[19] She followed up these remarks by announcing her indefinite hiatus from YouTube.[20][21]

On June 26, Marbles' boyfriend, Julien Solomita, announced on Twitter that the couple's joint podcast and Twitch streams would also be put on indefinite hiatus.[22] Public reaction to Marbles' apology was largely positive; The Berkeley Beacon noted that Marbles "was not the first to use the term 'accountability' in a YouTube apology, but she may have been the first one to actually mean it".[23][24][17]

Other ventures[edit]

Marbles released a brand of dog toys called Kermie Worm & Mr. Marbles. The toys are modeled after her dogs' likenesses.[6] She also created items with some of her most popular phrases printed on them, including "What are this?" and "Team legs!"[25] Marbles previously hosted a weekly pop countdown on SiriusXM Hits 1 named YouTube 15.[26] In 2016, Marbles became an executive producer for Maximum Ride, a film based on James Patterson's series of novels of the same name.[27]

Personal life[edit]

In April 2021, Marbles became engaged to long-time partner, fellow YouTuber, and competitive Valorant player Julien Solomita.[28][29] They married in November 2022.[30][31] In January 2023, Marbles and Solomita had an incident at their home where an intruder broke in, was subdued with pepper spray, and arrested.[32]

Marbles is a vegan.[33][34]

Awards and nominations[edit]

Year Award Category Result Notes Ref.
2014 Young Hollywood Award Viral Superstar Won [35]
2015 Streamy Award Best Comedy Series Nominated [36]
2017 Streamy Award Best First-Person Series Nominated [37]
Audience Choice Creator of the Year Nominated
Shorty Award YouTube Ensemble Won With Julien Solomita [38]
2018 Shorty Award Creator of the Decade Nominated [39]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "About JennaMarbles". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b Hearon, Sarah (June 30, 2020). "Liza Koshy, Shane Dawson, Jenna Marbles and More YouTubers Apologize for Past Racist Content". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  3. ^ "MILESTONES: September 15 birthdays for Prince Harry, Dan Marino, Tom Hardy". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 15, 2020. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  4. ^ Devanshu (December 23, 2022). "Who is Jenna Marbles?". Opoyi. Archived from the original on July 17, 2023. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  5. ^ Thaler-Carter, Ruth (July 24, 2015). "Congrats to a BHS alum!". Democrat and Chronicle.
  6. ^ a b c Spangler, Todd (July 18, 2013). "YouTube Star Jenna Marbles: 5 Facts About Her Rise to Internet Fame". Variety. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  7. ^ a b O'Leary, Amy (April 14, 2013). "The Woman With 1 Billion Clicks: Jenna Marbles". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  8. ^ Ankeny, Jason (December 13, 2013). "The Man Behind the 'Bible of Bro Culture'". NBC News. Archived from the original on September 18, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  9. ^ Klima, Jeff (April 22, 2013). "Jenna Marbles on 1 Billion Views, Set to Overtake Ray William Johnson?". New Media Rockstars. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  10. ^ Conlin, Jennifer (August 12, 2011). "Rendering Grinders Toothless". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  11. ^ Canning, Andrea; Marx, Tracey; Orso, Alberto; Singh, Natasha (August 16, 2011). "'Jenna Marbles' Anti-Dirty Dance': Teens Say No to Grinding". ABC News. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  12. ^ Gutelle, Sam (February 11, 2013). "Epic Rap Battles of History Pits Man Against Woman With Jenna Marbles". Tubefilter. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  13. ^ Levine, Daniel S. (June 26, 2020). "YouTube Star Jenna Marbles Apologizes Over Past Offensive Videos in Emotional Message to Fans". popculture.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved May 14, 2021.
  14. ^ Bloom, David (April 15, 2015). "'SMOSH: The Movie' Premiere Set For July 23 Next To VidCon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  15. ^ Spangler, Todd (August 17, 2014). "Pitbull 'Fireball' Official Video to Feature Jenna Marbles, Other Digital Stars (Exclusive)". Variety. Archived from the original on June 14, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  16. ^ Price, Lydia (July 23, 2015). "Jenna Marbles Gets Madame Tussauds Wax Figure". People. Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Fehr, Kaitlyn (September 24, 2021). "A year without Jenna Marbles". The Berkeley Beacon. Archived from the original on October 10, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  18. ^ Zornosa, Laura (June 26, 2020). "Longtime YouTuber Jenna Marbles leaves her channel after apologizing for blackface". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  19. ^ "YouTuber Jenna Marbles quits over blackface". BBC News. June 26, 2020. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  20. ^ Spangler, Todd (June 25, 2020). "Jenna Marbles Leaving YouTube 'For Now,' Tearfully Apologizes for Past Racist and Other Offensive Videos". Variety. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  21. ^ Haring, Bruce (June 25, 2020). "YouTube Star Jenna Marbles Leaving Her Channel, Apologizes For Blackface Video". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  22. ^ Tenbarge, Kat (June 27, 2020). "Jenna Marbles' boyfriend says he's suspending his YouTube channel, podcast, and Twitch stream". Insider. Archived from the original on June 27, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  23. ^ Gordon, Jaime (July 14, 2020). "Shane Dawson And Jenna Marbles Represent The End Of A YouTube Era". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  24. ^ Blondeau, Bella (June 27, 2020). "By Stepping Away From YouTube, Jenna Marbles Sets An Example For Her Peers". TheGamer. Archived from the original on January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  25. ^ "How YouTube turned 13 ordinary people (and 1 cat) into superstars". CBC News. April 23, 2015. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  26. ^ Spangler, Todd (June 26, 2014). "YouTube Pacts with SiriusXM for Weekly Music Radio Show with Jenna Marbles". Variety. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  27. ^ Scheck, Frank (September 30, 2016). "'Maximum Ride': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  28. ^ Contreras, Cydney (April 16, 2021). "YouTubers Jenna Marbles and Julien Solomita Are Engaged After 8 Years of Dating". E! Online. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  29. ^ @ValorantEsports (August 24, 2023). "Behind the scenes, exclusive guests and plenty of hype 🔥" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Smith, Katie. "Jenna Marbles and Julien Solomita are married after 9 years together". PopBuzz. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  31. ^ Zhan, Jennifer. "Jenna Marbles and Julien Solomita Are Officially 'Married Otters'". Vulture. Archived from the original on December 23, 2022. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  32. ^ "Jenna Marbles' home broken into by stalker after months of harassment". Dexerto. January 3, 2023. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  33. ^ Starostinetskaya, Anna (January 10, 2019). "YouTube Stars Share Ultimate Vegan Breakfast Sandwich with 20 Million Subscribers". VegNews. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  34. ^ "Jenna Marbles is a vegan YouTube Vlogger". HappyCow. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  35. ^ Leanne, Bailey (July 28, 2014). "Young Hollywood Awards 2014: The FULL winners list". Glamour. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  36. ^ Blake, Emily; Clark, Noelene (September 17, 2015). "Streamy Awards 2015: The full winners list". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  37. ^ Glazer, Mikey (September 26, 2017). "Streamy Awards 2017: The Complete Winners List". TheWrap. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  38. ^ Spangler, Todd (March 2, 2017). "Shorty Awards 2017 Social-Media Finalists Announced". Variety. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  39. ^ "Tiffany Haddish Among Nominees for 10th Annual SHORTY AWARDS; Full List Revealed!". BroadwayWorld. January 16, 2018. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2021.

External links[edit]

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