A lot has changed for Twitch star Nicole “Neekolul” Sanchez since her iconic ‘OK, Boomer’ TikTok video went viral in March 2020. Her popularity exploded, she signed with 100 Thieves, and hit the streaming mainstream in several short months.
Today, Neekolul is one of the most followed Latinx streamers on Twitch. She has 430,000 followers on the Amazon-owned platform, and data suggests her streaming viewership is still going strong.
Her success story has paved the way for other Latin Americans aspiring to be streamers on Twitch and YouTube to follow, and knowing that means the world to her.
“It means everything to me,” she said in an interview with Dexerto. “They come into my stream and they know my background, where I’m from, and the things I have had to go through.”
Neekolul said overcoming hardships is something many first-generation Latin Americans are familiar with, and it applies to those trying to break into the streaming industry, too. So, having role models to look up to is important.
“It’s very important,” she said. “Not only for the Hispanic community in America, but in general. Being Latinx and having those content creators to look up to is very important for the growth of our community in the content creator space.”
The 100 Thieves star understands some people have a “preconceived perception” about her, mostly because she was arrested in 2018 for hitting her abusive ex-boyfriend during an altercation.
However, she insisted it was in self-defense. “He raised his arms and I felt threatened due to everything I had been enduring,” she said.
“I wasn’t going to just get beaten again, so I hit him.”
So, rather than being a “violent abuser who hurt someone for no reason,” which would make the idea of her being considered a role model seem outrageous to some, Neekolul says she was a victim herself.
Plus, in the end, what has happened has nothing to do with the fact some see her as a role model for Latin Americans who aspire to be streamers, and she appreciates it.
Published: Sep 6, 2022 10:23 pm