Watching your favorite movies abroad? Don’t forget to get your Aeroshield smart DNS to access any geo-restricted content.

Photo by Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
So, how much does a successful teen influencer make?
Piper Rockelle is perhaps the epitome of a hit YouTuber. The 17-year-old influencer, singer, dancer, and actress hit the jackpot in the mid-2010s with a channel centering on pranks, challenges, and music videos, eventually achieving over 12 million subscribers.
Beyond her channel, she’s known for her roles in the Brat TV series Mani (2017-2018) as Sky and in Chicken Girls (2018), as well as her reality series Piperazzi. She’s also a TikTok star, has two hit songs “Treat Myself” and “Butterflies”, and all-around teen media sensation. So, what does all that add up to in terms of money?
Rockelle’s primary income was her YouTube channel. Based on typical YouTube earnings of $2 to $5 per 1,000 views for a channel of her size, at its peak she was earning between $500,000 and $1 million annually through ad revenue. But there was trouble brewing. In 2022 her channel was demonetized due to allegations against her mother, Tiffany Smith, who was sued by 11 of Rockelle’s former friends alleging serious manipulation and abuse.
This story was documented in Netflix’s three-part docuseries Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing, including shocking allegations of Tiffany Smith selling her daughter’s used underwear online, encouraging overly sexualized behavior online, feeding them hemp brownies, and openly describing herself as a YouTube madam. The legal drama ended with the family paying a $1.85 million total settlement, split between the 11 girls.
Though the lawsuit was settled out of court, the damage was done, YouTube demonitized the channel, and it no longer generated direct revenue. As such, Rockelle pivoted to alternative revenue sources, including merchandise sales (featuring her signature “Piper” branding) and a subscription-based platform on Brand Army.
Rockelle’s acting roles in Brat TV’s Mani and Chicken Girls, along with her reality series Piperazzi, have contributed modestly to her wealth, though these are secondary to her online earnings. She isn’t a musical megastar, but her singles also generate income. Other sponsorships and brand deals, a staple for TikTok influencers eager to boost their earnings, likely bring in six-figure sums annually, though exact figures are confidential.
As such, Rockelle’s current net worth is estimated to range between $3 million and $4 million, which reflects her success across various platforms and takes into account her family’s legal troubles. Rockelle is still a teenager, but will soon be an adult and able to direct the course of her own career and make financial decisions for herself. Whether she can continue an upward trajectory remains to be seen, but she’s got a solid financial base to start from.
Published: Apr 10, 2025 05:53 am