Once dubbed as one of the “most famous teens in the world”, YouTube star, Annie LeBlanc has been a viral sensation ever since first appearing in a video at just four-years-old. Clearly destined for the stardom and success from a young age, many of the Georgia-born star’s fans have questioned LeBlanc’s pathway to fame and wondered whether she has any big-shot relatives.
Annie LeBlanc is not related to ‘Friends’ star, Matt LeBlanc, and there is no evidence to support the idea that the two are related. Born in Augusta to parents Billie and Katie, LeBlanc used to post gymnastics videos on YouTube before deciding to take her career in a different direction.
So, despite not being related to an A-lister such as Matt LeBlanc, the teen sensation has forged her own niche in the entertainment industry, and her global fanbase reflects her burgeoning success in the industry. Although LeBlanc was only born in 2004, she has already achieved feats that many can only dream of and things don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
How Did Annie LeBlanc Become Famous?
It’s usually considered commonplace to say that those in the entertainment industry had to graft and grind for many years to get to where they are today, but in LeBlanc’s case, the actress and YouTube personality literally cartwheeled into the gig while some kids were probably still learning to talk.
After the gymnastics videos, LeBlanc starred as one of the three siblings on the YouTube channel, ‘Bratayley’ – a hugely popular family vlog which followed the daily lives of those in the LeBlanc family. With the name relating to one of LeBlanc’s two sisters, Hayley LeBlanc, the vlog quickly became a viral success, winning the channel over 7 million subscribers.
In addition to her appearances on the channel, LeBlanc also starred on the Brat web series ‘Chicken Girls’ and ‘A Girl Named Jo’. In addition to multiple series’, LeBlanc also starred in the Brat film, ‘Intern-in-Chief’.
In many, ‘Brataylay’ resembled a platform for LeBlanc to launch her own online identity, with her own YouTube channel becoming increasingly popular over time. At the time of writing, LeBlanc has almost 4 million subscribers and a total of 479 million views. Talk about a precocious young mind…
Alongside her work on her personal channels, LeBlanc also became recognized on social media sites such as Tik-Tok and Instagram, and, in 2018, she actually won the Shorty Award for “Muser of the Year”.
However, despite indubitably being a social media sensation, LeBlanc chooses not to take social media too seriously. In the past she has said: “I feel like a lot of children these days … they all think that they have to become something on the internet and make sure that they’re getting … a certain amount of likes… I don’t think that was the point of social media to begin with at all.
“I use social media to like express creativity. That’s like my favorite part of Instagram, that I can create like cool pictures and like cool vibes and make everyone else feel happy about that.”
Astutely, LeBlanc also stated that social media really isn’t “that important” and suggested that an individual’s identity on social media isn’t a true reflection of their true self. The star said: “you shouldn’t be worrying about how many likes you’re getting because that’s not really who you are.”
The Big Break
While LeBlanc’s young career was engineered by her own drive, determination, and livewire personality, in 2019, she stopped working on Brat projects in order to move forward with her career. This decision came a short while after she also decided to sign a talent deal with Nickelodeon, starring in the network’s series Camp Nick.
LeBlanc’s foray into professional acting continued after she was also cast as Lex in the series ‘Side Hustle’.
The LeBlanc Brand
At such a young age, LeBlanc has already established herself as one of Gen Z’s most creative and entrepreneurial voices and has already found vast amounts of success from her acting and singing career. The teen star has already released over 10 singles and her filmography is even more breathtaking.
For her exploits in showbiz, LeBlanc has already been nominated for two Streamy Awards and won the Choice Music Web Star award at the Teen Choice Awards and Favourite Female Social Web Star award at the Kids Choice Award.
Always humble, LeBlanc believes that success is always derived from exploring and nurturing one’s passions and talents.
She once stated: “Try something every day. One day do arts and crafts. Another day go to a soccer game. … If you love it, keep doing it. Make sure that if you keep going that you still love it.”