DDG knows how to keep the timeline talking, whether it’s from his tweets or his content. Earlier this week, he sparked a new debate on X (formerly Twitter) after comparing this generation’s streamers to traditional celebrities. This led DJ Akademiks and former football star Chad Ochocinco to enter the chat.
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DDG Claims Streamers Are Richer Than Traditional Celebrities
On Monday, DDG took to X and dropped a post comparing streamers to celebrities. His message immediately sent the timeline into a frenzy, with commenters flooding the replies to share their thoughts.
streamers are richer & more influential than your traditional “celebrity”..
— DDG (@PontiacMadeDDG) February 2, 2026
To top it off, DDG doubled down the next day, ruffling even more feathers when he tweeted, “Streamers make more money than 95% of the NFL.” As the debate continued, Chad Ochocinco reacted with a subtle side-eye. A commenter even shared alleged stats between him and Tom Brady, leading the streamer to respond, “dats ma lul homy.” Amid the noise, DDG also tweeted a picture of himself holding a stack of money with the caption, “my younger self would’ve never guessed..”
my younger self would’ve never guessed.. pic.twitter.com/8cLaFRbCoO
— DDG (@PontiacMadeDDG) February 5, 2026
DJ Akademiks Enters The Chat With His Own Stance
Following DDG’s debate, DJ Akademiks entered the chat with his own perspective. He argued that when people think of streamers, they often picture only the biggest names, even though the average streamer isn’t making nearly as much.
He wrote, “When ppl think of streamers they think of Kai Cenat, Adin Ross or Speed. The average streamer isn’t them and won’t ever be them. The average streamer still has a job and streams on the side. It’s important to be factual because kids who aspire to b streamers now think it’s easy.”
Akademiks went on to compare average NFL salaries to what most streamers earn, stating, “The average NFL player salary is $3.5 mil. The average streamer salary is below minimum wage. If we talking averages we cannot compare an average streamer income to professional athletes… only .001% streamers do.”
He added that creators like “DDG, YourRAGE, xQc, Adin, Speed, Kai, Jynxzi, and Max are not just top streamers they are “.001% streamers,” far beyond what would be considered average. He closed by emphasizing that most full-time streamers aren’t earning massive incomes, writing, “Most full time streamers make less than a teacher’s salary. I’m telling u this. I know thousands of streamers most don’t make 100k a year.”
Social Media Weighs In On The Debate
Folks gathered under The Shade Room Teens comment section to weigh in on DDG’s messages. Some agreed with DJ Akademiks, noting that while top streamers are rich, they don’t compare financially to traditional celebrities. Others argued that streamers hold more cultural influence.
Instagram user @myakierra wrote, “I agree with Akademics on this one. I do believe streamers bringing in hella money. However, the top streamers definitely rich. don’t think all the streamers are tho lol”
Instagram user @blognae._ wrote, “I don’t like Akademics but this time I agree with him like DDG acting like he started as a streamer no he already had an audience from YouTube so of course he got the easy ride in the streaming world bit he is no where near richer than a lot of these real A List celebrities”
While Instagram user @nikkiallure wrote, “The fact he’s making us agree with Akademics is wild”
Instagram user @spoilme.lulu added, “let’s not act like DDG ain’t been doing ts since he was 14-15 yrs old. y’all some haters”
While Instagram user @paperchase00_ wrote,“DDG stay rage baiting y’all”
Instagram user @lolz.taay wrote, “More than Tom Brady??? Ion even watch sports and THIS is a elasta-girl stretch 😂😂😂😂😂
While Instagram user @freebandtmuney wrote, “DDG just wanted to be the topic today”
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