Biography
Who is Tyler Oakley?
Early life and education
Mathew Tyler Oakley was born on March 22, 1989, in Jackson, Michigan. He grew up with twelve siblings. When he was an infant, his parents divorced. During his childhood, he moved to Okemos, Michigan, where he sang in the choir and participated in drama productions.
As a teenager, Tyler experienced bulimia nervosa and came out as gay while in high school. He later attended Michigan State University. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication, marketing, and social media. While in college, he began making video updates to stay in touch with his high school friends.
Rise on YouTube
Tyler began uploading videos to YouTube in 2007 during his college years. After graduating, he moved to San Francisco, California, and worked as a social media manager while continuing to make videos. He gained a large following by posting content about pop culture, humor, and his favorite artists like Lady Gaga and One Direction.
By 2012, his subscriber count reached one million. He frequently collaborated with other prominent creators such as Troye Sivan, Hannah Hart, and Grace Helbig. He became one of the first monetized personalities on the platform during an era often called the golden age of video blogging.
Books and media projects
In 2015, Tyler released his first collection of humorous personal essays titled Binge through publisher Simon and Schuster. The book became a New York Times bestseller for eleven consecutive weeks. That same year, he released a documentary film titled Snervous, which chronicled his rise to fame and a sold-out live tour.
He also expanded into other media platforms. He hosted a weekly pop culture news update called Top That! With Becca Frucht. In 2016, he launched a weekly program named The Tyler Oakley Show on the ellentube platform created by Ellen DeGeneres.
Television and live tours
Tyler made several appearances on television and broadcast networks. In 2015, he served as a guest host on MTV television show Catfish alongside Nev Schulman. He also competed twice on reality competition series The Amazing Race alongside his friend Korey Kuhl, finishing in third place during the twenty-eighth season and second place in the thirty-first season.
In addition to screen work, he launched a live tour in 2014 titled Tyler Oakley's Slumber Party, which featured pajamas, skits, and audience interaction. He also started a podcast named Psychobabble with Korey Kuhl and appeared on the second season of Escape the Night.
Activism and advocacy
Much of Tyler's public work focuses on LGBTQ rights and social issues. He interned with The Trevor Project in 2009, an organization dedicated to suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth. Since 2011, he has co-hosted TrevorLIVE, the annual red carpet event for the charity, and has raised over one million dollars for the organization.
In 2015, GLAAD honored him with the Davidson and Valentini Award. He received a Young Hero Award from Attitude magazine in 2016 for his advocacy. In 2025, he was inducted into the Vidcon Hall of Fame in recognition of his early contributions to digital culture.
Birthday and age
Tyler Oakley was born on March 22, 1989, which makes Tyler 37 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Tyler shares the date with 28 other famous people.
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