Elizabeth Shaila "Liza" Koshy (born March 31, 1996), is an American media personality and actress. Her main

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel has amassed more than 17 million subscribers, and her two channels have a combined total of over 3 billion views. She has received four

Streamy Awards The YouTube Streamy Awards, also known as the Streamy Awards or Streamys, are presented annually by Dick Clark Productions and Tubefilter to recognize excellence in online video, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The forma ...

, four

Teen Choice Awards The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United ...

, and a Kids' Choice Award. Koshy began her career on

Vine A vine (Latin ''vīnea'' "grapevine", "vineyard", from ''vīnum'' "wine") is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themsel ...

in 2013, before starting a YouTube channel. She made her acting debut as Aday Walker in

Tyler Perry Tyler Perry (born Emmitt Perry Jr., September 13, 1969) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker, and playwright. He is the creator and performer of the Madea character, a tough elderly woman. Perry's films vary in style from orthodox filmma ...

's horror comedy film ''

Boo! A Madea Halloween ''Boo! A Madea Halloween'' is a 2016 American comedy horror film directed, written, starring and co-produced by Tyler Perry. The idea for the film originated from a fictitious Madea Halloween movie that was mentioned in Chris Rock's 2014 film ''To ...

'' (2016), and went on to play The Explorer in the YouTube Premium series ''

Escape the Night ''Escape the Night'' is an American reality television series created, hosted, produced, and owned by Joey Graceffa that was first broadcast on June 22, 2016, on YouTube Premium. The series follows fantasy plots based on horror and murder my ...

'' (2017) and Violet Adams in the

Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television series ...

drama television series '' Freakish'' (2016–2017). She was a contributor to the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

television series ''

Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...

'' (2017–2018). Koshy produced and starred as the title character in the YouTube Premium comedy series ''

Liza on Demand ''Liza on Demand'' is an American comedy series created by Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont, and Liza Koshy that premiered on June 27, 2018, on YouTube Premium. The series stars Koshy, Kimiko Glenn, and Travis Coles and follows Koshy as a "tasker" ...

'' (2018–2021), which earned her several accolades, and hosted the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or demonstrative and are typically directed by a host, ...

revival '' Double Dare'' (2018–2019) for which she received a

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences ...

nomination. She starred in the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

dance-comedy film '' Work It'' (2020). Koshy was included in the 2019 ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list and the ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...

'' 2019 list of the 25 Most Influential People on the Internet and its 2019 100 Next list.

Early life

Elizabeth Shaila Koshy was born in

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, on March 31, 1996, the daughter of Jean Carol (née Hertzler), an American yoga instructor of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

descent, and Jose Koshy, an

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

Malayali The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They are predomin ...

petroleum executive from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

. She has two older sisters. From kindergarten until fifth grade, she was placed in a

dual language Dual language is a form of education in which students are taught literacy and content in two languages. Most dual language programs in the United States teach in English and Spanish, but programs increasingly use a partner language other than Spa ...

educational and cultural program, where she learned to speak Spanish. In 2014, after attending Lamar High School, Koshy enrolled in the

University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...

and began to study business marketing. In 2015, she left college and moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

to pursue a media career.

Career

Social media

Koshy began posting comic videos on the

platform, in 2013, under the pseudonym "Lizzza", where she posted short comedic videos.Carter, Brooke
"Liza Koshy Snapchat Username & Snapcode"
''Gazette Review'', January 23, 2018 When Vine closed in 2017, Koshy had 7 million followers.Robehmed, Natalie
"From YouTube Star To Obama Interviewer: Liza Koshy, 22, Is Creating a Digital Media Empire"
''

'', November 27, 2018 By 2016, Koshy was also becoming noted on the

platform. In November 2016, just before the 2016 election, Koshy interviewed President Barack Obama on her YouTube channel to encourage voter registration. Koshy's videos feature "her loud facial expressions, quick pace, and her commitment to looking as ridiculous as possible as the joke demands. ome of her videostake serious issues – like anxiety, the pressure to fit in, and internet trolls – and make them accessible and engaging for her viewers." She suspended adding new videos to her main YouTube account in early 2018 as she turned to full-time acting and hosting work.Weiss, Geoff
"Liza Koshy Lends Voice to Animated Short ''Crow: The Legend'' With Oprah Winfrey, John Legend"
Tubefilter.com, November 13, 2018 She resumed posting new videos in 2019. In 2017, Koshy became "the fastest YouTube personality to reach 10 million subscribers". As of 2021, her main YouTube channel had over 17 million subscribers and more than 2 billion views. Her second YouTube channel had more than 8 million subscribers, and her two channels had a combined total of more than 3 billion views. She had more than 18 million followers on Instagram, more than 26 million followers on

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version o ...

more than 4 million on Facebook and more than 2.8 million on Twitter. ''

'' named Koshy to its 2019 list of the 25 Most Influential People on the Internet"The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet"
''Time'', July 16, 2019 and its 2019 100 Next list. Keys, Alicia
"Liza Koshy"
''Time'', November 13, 2019

Acting

In 2016, Koshy starred in the

original horror series '' Freakish'' as Violet Adams. She reprised the role in the show's second season in 2017. Also in 2016, she played the role of Aday Walker in the horror-comedy feature film, ''

'', and starred as herself in the YouTube Premium series, ''Jingle Ballin''. Koshy starred as Princess Aubrey in the 2016 comedy film ''FML''.Masters, Linita
"''FML'' Out Next Week: First-Ever Film by Vine Stars (Written, Directed and Starring Vine Stars)"
TheHollywood306.com, October 5, 2016. Retrieved September 14, 2017Sorokach, Josh
"Who Is Liza Koshy? Here’s Everything You Need To Know About ''Freakish's'' Resident Badass"
Decider.com, October 9, 2017 In 2017, she played a recurring character, The Explorer, in the YouTube Premium mystery-reality series ''

''. Koshy stars in and co-produces a YouTube Premium situation comedy series, ''

'', which premiered in June 2018, "following the chaotic misadventures of the eponymous character" as she works to become an "elite tasker" doing odd jobs for pay.Jurgensen, John
"A Self-Made Star Shows One Way to Crack the Gen Z Code"
''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', November 26, 2017 A reviewer for the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' wrote: "The first episode ... is not bad. Yet it's also ordinary and a little stiff. … But the second ... is better ... and shows off Koshy to good effect, some effective physical comedy included. It made me laugh, anyway." Season 2 premiered in September 2019. Alexis Gunderson of '' Paste'' wrote in 2019: "''Liza on Demand'' a truly excellent comedy."Gunderson, Alexis
"YouTube Original Comedy ''Liza on Demand'' Grows Up and Balls Out in an Extremely Funny (and Cameo-Filled) Season Two"
''Paste'', October 9, 2019 In November 2018, Koshy voiced the character Owl in ''Crow: The Legend'', an animated virtual-reality short film written and directed by

Eric Darnell Eric Darnell (born August 21, 1961) is an American animator, storyboard artist, director, screenwriter, songwriter and occasional voice actor best known for co-directing '' Antz'' with Tim Johnson, as well as co-directing and co-writing ''Mada ...

, starring

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and record producer. He began his musical career by working behind the scenes, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Eve ...

. The film premiered on the Liza Koshy Too YouTube channel and

Oculus VR Reality Labs is a business of Meta Platforms (formerly Facebook Inc.) that produces virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) hardware and software, including virtual reality headsets such as Quest, and online platforms such as Horizon ...

on November 15, 2018. She returned to ''Escape the Night'' in 2019. She co-starred in the Netflix dance-comedy film ''Work It'' (2020). A review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' stated: "Both Koshy and ordanFisher are accomplished professional dancers, and the movie doesn't skimp on showcasing their gifts."Winkelman, Natalia
"''Work It'' Review: Freestyling Through Senior Year"
''

'', August 7, 2020 Koshy voiced Zipp Storm in the 2021 Netflix film '' My Little Pony: A New Generation''.

Other ventures

Koshy hosted the live preshow at the 2017 Golden Globes Awards, which received 2.7 million live viewers on Twitter – a record for the medium. She also hosted Nigel Lythgoe's series ''Every Single Step'' and was "the only social entertainer chosen to promote the

2016 MTV Movie Awards The 2016 MTV Movie Awards were held on April 9, 2016, from Warner Brothers Studios in Burbank, California, as the first such event in 21 years, as well as being the first Movie Awards to be held outdoors. In addition, this year's awards also beca ...

." She was one of the hosts on ''

'' on

from 2017 to 2018 and served as a producer and developer of content for MTV. Koshy was the first "digital star" interviewed for ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine's "73 Questions" web series. Koshy conducted interviews of the celebrities attending the 2018 and 2019 Met Galas on behalf of ''Vogue''. She hosted the revival of the

'' Double Dare'' from June 2018 to December 2019.Moss, Kyle
"''Double Dare'' is back and slimier than ever"
Yahoo.com, June 25, 2018; Keller, Joel
"Stream It or Skip It: ''Double Dare'', Your Favorite Sloppy Game Show from the '80s, Is Back on Nickelodeon"
''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

'', June 26, 2018; and Lagatta, Eric
" Nickelodeon’s ''Double Dare'' still tons of messy fun for longtime host Marc Summers"
'' The Indiana Gazette'', December 18, 2019 In 2020, Koshy hosted the

Quibi Quibi ( ) was a short-lived American short-form streaming platform that generated content for viewing on mobile devices. It was founded in Los Angeles in August 2018 as NewTV by Jeffrey Katzenberg and was led by Meg Whitman, its CEO. The serv ...

dance competition show ''Floored''. Her online advertisements for

Beats Electronics Beats Electronics LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, or simply Beats by Dre) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded by music producer Dr. Dre and record company exec ...

draw four times more viewers than those of other celebrities. Koshy collaborates with The Giving Keys, a jewelry company that employs and supports the formerly homeless population, on a necklace collection. She is a co-chair of "When We All Vote", a nonpartisan, nonprofit group dedicated to increasing voter participation. She also advertises

Beyond Meat Beyond Meat, Inc. is a Los Angeles–based producer of plant-based meat substitutes founded in 2009 by Ethan Brown. The company's initial products were launched in the United States in 2012. History Founding Ethan Brown founded the company in ...

Personal life

Koshy dated Slovak media personality

David Dobrik David Dobrik ( Dávid Julián Dobrík (; ; born July 23, 1996)) is a Slovak Internet personality. He found early success on the video-sharing platform Vine, before starting his vlog on YouTube in 2015. In 2019, he co-founded the photography app ...

from late 2015 to late 2017.

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Reception

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to ''Vogue'', targeted at teenagers. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and celebrities. Since 2015, following ...

'' named Koshy to its 2016 list of "The 7 Female Comedians You Need to Know". ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' included Koshy in its 2017 list of "15 Rising Crossover Stars". ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' cited Koshy as one of the "funny women...at the top of their game today hogirls get to study" as models for comedy and empowerment. She is a member of the 2019 ''

'' 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list.Robehmed, Natalie
"From Timothée Chalamet to Zazie Beetz, the Hollywood 30 Under 30 Class of 2019"
''Forbes'', November 13, 2018 John Jurgensen of ''

'' described Koshy's appeal as follows: "Her comedy is heavy on self-deprecation, slapstick and wordplay, more goofy than snarky. ... One reason her sketches work for advertisers is the replay factor, queezingin dozens of puns and double meanings, in part to encourage easily distracted viewers to re-watch. ... Koshy has proven to be safe territory for established entertainment companies and advertisers who have fled from edgier online content". Alexis Gunderson of ''Paste'' compared Koshy to

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedienne and producer. She was nominated for 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning five times, and was the recipient of several other accolades, such as the Gold ...

and calls her a "physical comedy ''wunderkind''" and "a tiny magnetic goofball".

Awards and nominations

Koshy has won four

and

, and a Kids' Choice Award.

References

External links

*
Trailer for ''Liza on Demand''
(2018) {{DEFAULTSORT:Koshy, Liza 1996 births 21st-century American actresses Actresses from Houston American actresses of Indian descent American people of Malayali descent American game show hosts American television actresses American TikTokers American web series actresses American YouTubers Comedy YouTubers American female YouTubers Living people Streamy Award winners University of Houston alumni American people of German descent YouTube vloggers Entertainment-related YouTube channels