Biography
Who is Valkyrae?
Early life and background
Born in Moses Lake, Washington, Rachell Hofstetter is of Filipino and German heritage. She grew up with three brothers and one younger sister. Her mother encouraged her interest in video games during her childhood, which set the foundation for her later career. She attended community college and earned an associate degree in arts and science.
Before finding success online, she worked various jobs including bank teller, waitress, babysitter, car wash employee, and arcade attendant. She also held a position at GameStop, where she shared her gaming hobby on Instagram. This early interaction with her followers eventually encouraged her to begin live streaming.
Streaming career and platform growth
Valkyrae began live streaming on Twitch in 2015. Her breakthrough occurred in 2018 when she played the competitive game Fortnite. That same year, she became the first female content creator to join the organization 100 Thieves. In 2020, she signed an exclusive contract with YouTube, which led to a significant increase in her viewer numbers. Playing the social deduction game Among Us helped her reach a peak viewership of over 100,000 concurrent viewers. This success made her the fastest-growing female streamer of 2020.
In 2025, she participated in a Pokémon Nuzlocke Invitational where she won the tournament after handling the loser's bracket. She also undertook a week-long streaming marathon titled Sis-A-Thon in Los Angeles with Brittany Watts. In January 2025, her YouTube contract expired, and she returned to streaming on Twitch to mark her tenth anniversary in the industry.
Business ventures and acting
Beyond streaming, she is an active business owner. In April 2021, she joined the ownership group of 100 Thieves alongside figures like Nadeshot and Drake. She founded the media company Hihi Studios in September 2024 to produce content for graphic novels and film. Her acting career includes voice roles in the animated series Sonic Prime as Squad Commander Red and the film Goldbeak, where she voiced the lead character. She also appeared in music videos for artists like Machine Gun Kelly and Bella Poarch.
She served as a professor for Kai Cenat’s Streamer University bootcamp in 2026, teaching a course on brand elevation. This class focused on using opportunities in live-streaming to build broader careers, utilizing her own background in voice acting and film to instruct students.
Charity and community impact
Throughout her career, she has supported multiple charitable causes. She participated in an Among Us livestream hosted by Jimmy Fallon that raised over $25,000 for Feeding America. During the annual Thankmas event in 2021, she raised over $300,000 for the organization New Story. She has also donated to The Trevor Project and No Kid Hungry. Her community involvement remains a consistent part of her professional life, as seen through her collaboration with other creators for fundraising initiatives.
Birthday and age
Valkyrae was born on January 8, 1992, which makes Valkyrae 34 years old today. That birthday falls under the Capricorn sign. Valkyrae shares the date with 59 other famous people.
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