The Stokes Twins

Alan Chen Stokes and Alex Chen Stokes, born on November 23, 1996, in Shenyang, China, are American twin influencers known for their sizable presence on YouTube and TikTok. Their early life involved time spent between Liaoning, China, and Knoxville, Tennessee. Guided by their maternal grandfather, they developed a strong work ethic and philanthropic perspective. Initially pursuing pre-medical studies at a California community college, they left in 2016 to focus on social media. For a period of approximately eighteen months, they resided in their car, utilizing public gyms for personal hygiene, while creating 6-second sketches for Instagram before shifting their focus to YouTube content creation.

Their career progression began with the creation of their joint YouTube channel on March 11, 2017. Within two years, they amassed four million subscribers by combining prank skits with popular dance trends from Musical.ly. A temporary setback occurred in 2021 when YouTube suspended monetization for six months following a prank in Irvine, California, that led to misdemeanor charges for false imprisonment and reporting a false emergency. Both twins pleaded guilty in April 2021, receiving community service and probation. Following the restoration of monetization, the twins began to reinvest significantly in their content, dedicating approximately $10 million annually to elaborate set builds, multilingual content dubbing in eight languages, and hiring VFX-specialist editors. A notable achievement during this period was their 2022 video, ‘I Spent $1,000,000 in 24 Hours,’ which exceeded 100 million views.

The period from 2024 to the present marks a global breakout for the Stokes Twins. Their strategy of multi-language dubbing and increased focus on YouTube Shorts resulted in a significant increase in viewership, with average daily views rising from 3-5 million to approximately 50 million. In November 2024, their channel surpassed 100 million subscribers. Forbes estimated their 12-month earnings at roughly $20 million in 2025, ranking them 19th on their Top Creators list and securing them a spot on the TIME100 Creators list as influential internet figures. The twins are recognized for their ability to blend multiple popular content formats and meticulously storyboard their videos. While selectively engaging in brand deals to prioritize viewer retention, they primarily generate income through AdSense, with plans announced for a consumer product line aimed at teens in early 2025. Their philanthropic efforts include funding leases for homeless crew members, purchasing vehicles for friends, participating in Southern California food bank drives, and supporting initiatives like #TeamSeas in 2022 and #TeamWater in 2025, which raised $40,000,000 for clean water access.