Boogie2988

Steven Jay Williams (born July 24, 1974), better known by his online alias Boogie2988 or just Boogie,[6] is an American YouTube personality best known for his video rants about video games and nerd culture as a character named "Francis".[7][8] The Francis character is based on stereotypes of nerdy video game players and often parodies trending video game news, reaction, and culture. Williams based the character on his early life experiences and has said that he wants viewers to hate the character for embodying gamer stereotypes.[9] Boogie2988 videos range from absurd rants to serious discussions on daily life,[10] such as the ethics of paid promotion on YouTube channels, and his experiences with mental health.[6][11] He won the Trending Gamer award at The Game Awards 2016.[12]

Steven Williams
Williams in 2018
Personal information
BornSteven Jay Williams
(1974-07-24) July 24, 1974[1][2]
Abingdon, Virginia, U.S.[3]
ResidenceFayetteville, Arkansas, U.S.
OccupationYouTuber
Spouse(s)
Desiree Williams
​
(
m. 2013; div. 2018)
[4][5]
YouTube information
Also known asBoogie, boogie2988
Channel
Years active2006–present
GenreGaming, comedy
Subscribers4.31 million
Total views875.928 million
Associated actsAngry Joe
100,000 subscribers 2012
1,000,000 subscribers 2014
Updated April 23, 2020

Personal life

Williams grew up in St. Paul, Virginia. His father was a coal miner, and his mother was a teacher. Williams had a difficult childhood due to verbal and physical abuse from his mother. Williams had gastric bypass surgery due to morbid obesity on August 1, 2017.[13] On December 19, 2017, Williams announced that he and his wife Desiree were getting a divorce.[5] The divorce was finalized on February 13, 2018.[14]

Williams graduated from St. Paul High School in Virginia[15] and attended University of Virginia's College at Wise, but didn't graduate.[3]

Hack

In June 2016, Boogie's YouTube account was temporarily closed due to an anonymous hacker. The unidentified person got hold of his phone number via Verizon during his time at VidCon and was able to gain access to his accounts associated with it, including his YouTube channel. His channel was restored less than a week later.[16][17][18]

Controversies

Since 2018, Boogie has been involved in several controversies.

In October 2018, Boogie faced scrutiny due to his relationship with the controversial counseling service BetterHelp. He and other YouTubers sponsored by the service were accused of profiting from mental illness, which led to Boogie publicly terminating his partnership with the company.[19]

Later in October 2018, Boogie was removed from a Dungeons & Dragons charity event due to concerns from LGBT activists over his support of Gamergate.[20]

In February 2019, Boogie joked that he would "make a better team leader" over another player due to their parents' divorce and correlated it with anger issues during a live stream of the game Apex Legends. He became the subject of criticism following these comments.[21]

In April 2019, Boogie admitted to potentially committing tax fraud. He stated that he purchases Magic: The Gathering cards for his channel, writes them off as a business expense, and then resells them without claiming the income on his taxes. The IRS states that income above $400 from self-employment must be reported.[22]

In June 2019, Boogie faced criticism after clips from older live streams of him making racially charged comments resurfaced. He commented during one live stream, "That's a lot of money, I guess, for a person of color, or is it not?" after receiving a $3 donation from a follower who frequently donated to him on his stream with the message "I am a black person".[23]

On June 27, 2019, Boogie announced on Twitter that he had purchased a new Tesla automobile.[24] Following his announcement, Boogie held a live stream in early July in which he sarcastically asked for money to help pay for the new car, upsetting some of his viewers who took his comments seriously.[25] Boogie subsequently received harsh criticism for his live stream, prompting him to clarify that he did not actually purchase the car, but rather only put a down payment on it, and that he had cancelled the order as a result of the backlash against him, among other things.

In August 2019, Boogie made a controversial statement against his internet trolls where he claimed "I think that there are rapists and Nazis out there who... are more redeemable than you because at least they're doing something they believe in."[26]

References
  1. @Boogie2988 (July 24, 2016). "Birthday stream on Twitch in about an hour and a half! See you there!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 25, 2019 – via Twitter.
  2. "ITS MY BIRTHDAY! WOOHOO!!". YouTube. July 27, 2014. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  3. "Draw My Life - Boogie2988 (Aka Francis)". YouTube. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  4. "Desiree Williams' Wiki: Facts to Know about Boogie2988's Ex-Wife". www.earnthenecklace.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  5. "It's true, wife and I are getting a divorce. Here's whats next for us". youtube.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  6. Grayson, Nathan (October 8, 2014). "The Messy Story Behind YouTubers Taking Money For Game Coverage". Kotaku. Archived from the original on October 18, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  7. Sam Machkovech (March 25, 2015). ""That life is over": Zoe Quinn looks beyond GamerGate". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  8. Amini, Tina (December 14, 2013). "A Note To Everyone Who Says YouTubers Should 'Get A Real Job'". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  9. Narcisse, Evan (December 1, 2013). "The Bittersweet Story of Francis, YouTube's Biggest Video Game Nerd". Kotaku. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  10. Writer/Director/Producer, Alex Koenig; Koenig", Host of "Point Blank With Alex (March 18, 2014). "Four Years Ago, Boogie2988 Was on Disability -- Now He's a YouTube Star". Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  11. Jessica Conditt (January 23, 2014). "YouTuber boogie2988 on Microsoft contracts: 'It is the norm'". Engadget. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  12. Stark, Chelsea (December 1, 2016). "The Game Awards: Here's the full winners list". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 2, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  13. "Boogie2988 Surgery Update". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  14. "Desiree Williams' Wiki: Facts to Know about Boogie2988's Ex-Wife". earnthenecklace.com. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  15. My Origin Story: Where I Grew Up In Small Town Southwest Virginia..., archived from the original on July 10, 2019, retrieved August 24, 2019
  16. Adame, Dennis (June 27, 2016). "YouTube Gamer Boogie2988 has his channel hacked and closed". www.gameskinny.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  17. HOW I GOT HACKED!, archived from the original on June 30, 2016, retrieved August 14, 2019
  18. "What Boogie2988's Hacking Can Teach Creators About Cybersecurity". What's Trending. July 1, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2019.
  19. Lorenz, Taylor (October 12, 2018). "YouTube Stars Are Being Accused of Profiting Off Fans' Depression". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  20. "Alt-right gamers are lying to you on YouTube". The Daily Dot. October 26, 2018. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  21. "Boogie2988 Under Fire For Joke Made While Streaming 'Apex Legends'". WWG. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  22. "Boogie May Have Admitted To Committing Tax Fraud During A Livestream". TheGamer. April 4, 2019. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  23. "Controversial YouTuber Boogie2988 under fire for racist comments on stream". Dexerto.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  24. @Boogie2988 (June 27, 2019). "I legit just bought a tesla. This is my first new car in my lifetime. I am shaking baked so excited!!!!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 17, 2020 – via Twitter.
  25. "Fans outraged after Boogie2988 "begs" for money following $100k Tesla purchase". Dexerto.com. Archived from the original on August 20, 2019. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  26. Sant, Sam (August 29, 2019). "Boogie2988 says 'rapists and Nazis' are more redeemable than his trolls". Game Revolution.
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