Matthew Santoro

Early Life and Education

Matthew Santoro was born on July 16, 1985, and spent his formative years in Welland, Ontario. He later moved to the nearby city of St. Catharines, Ontario, where he continued his education. Santoro comes from a mixed European heritage, with Italian ancestry on his father's side and French-Canadian roots through his mother. He pursued higher education at Brock University, where he focused on business and accounting. In 2010, Santoro successfully graduated from Brock University with a Master of Accountancy degree, a qualification that would initially lead him down a conventional career path before his digital fame.

Career Beginnings and Shift to Content Creation

Following his graduation in 2010, Matthew Santoro began working as a professional accountant and also started creating and uploading videos to YouTube, initially producing comedic skits. His dual career path continued until 2012, when he was laid off from his accounting position, an event he documented in a vlog titled "I Lost My Job Today." This job loss prompted a decisive shift, leading him to dedicate himself fully to building a career on YouTube by posting videos on a consistent weekly schedule. During this period, Santoro noticed his opinionated fact compilation videos, particularly his top ten lists and the "50 Amazing Facts To Blow Your Mind" series, consistently garnered more views than his other content. Recognizing this demand, he strategically increased the frequency of these specific video types, which dramatically increased his viewership from a few thousand views per video to millions and allowed him to build a sustainable full-time career as a content creator.

Content and Channel Evolution

Matthew Santoro's channel is primarily built around educational and entertainment content focused on intriguing facts and lists. His most frequent uploads are top ten list videos, covering topics ranging from the bizarre to the forbidden, such as "10 Forbidden Places You’re Not Allowed to Visit!" and "10 Extremely BIZARRE Phobias People Actually Have!". His signature series, "50 Amazing Facts," became a central feature of his channel, designed to deliver a high volume of surprising information in a single, engaging video. The format resonated strongly with viewers seeking curious and mind-expanding content delivered in an accessible style. In August 2021, after a decade on the platform, Santoro announced via Twitter that he was leaving YouTube to focus exclusively on live streaming on Twitch, where his channel features daily live streams exploring fascinating topics in an interactive format. However, in December 2022, Santoro announced his return to YouTube, indicating a continued multi-platform presence, and as of late 2025 and into 2026, his social media indicates involvement with Toronto community events, including serving on the judging panel for "WHO'S WHO: Singles Edition Toronto 2026."

Notable Collaborations and Projects

Throughout his career, Matthew Santoro has engaged in numerous high-profile collaborations with other creators and brands. He served as a special guest narrator for the popular CinemaSins series "Everything Wrong With...," appearing in their video for *Underworld: Evolution* on October 10, 2014. His collaborative work extends to music and comedy, including creating "The Booty Song" with Matthias and participating in Barely Political's "YouTube Complaints 2015" video. A significant milestone was a collaboration with The Muppets, Vsauce3, and Santoro on a video titled "What if Quicksilver Ran Past You?," which was part of a Muppet-led initiative on YouTube. Santoro has also worked on major promotional campaigns, joining creators like Lilly Singh, Olga Kay, and Toby Turner, alongside actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, for *Terminator Genisys: The YouTube Chronicles*, a web series promoting the 2015 film.

In July 2018, Matthew Santoro released the 100th episode of his "50 Amazing Facts" video series. For this special occasion, Santoro had each fact presented by a different YouTuber. The participants who took part in this milestone video included Rhett and Link, Kanwer Singh, Daym Drops, MatPat, Hank Green, iJustine, and the Fine Brothers. This collaborative event marked a significant point in his series.

• Rhett and Link
• Kanwer Singh
• Daym Drops
• MatPat
• Hank Green
• iJustine
• The Fine Brothers

Matthew Santoro is the host of Quest Nutrition's "Food for Thought" web series. The first episode of this series, titled "10 Incredible Facts About Chicken", premiered on May 28, 2015. Santoro, along with Yousef Saleh Erakat, Soledad O'Brien and will.i.am, hosted the Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day event. On September 26, 2015, Santoro also co-hosted the Global Citizen festival alongside AsapScience, Stephen Colbert and Hugh Jackman.

Published Work and Other Ventures

In June 2015, Matthew Santoro secured a global publishing deal with Penguin Books for his first book. The book, titled *MIND=BLOWN*, was released on August 9, 2016, and compiles astonishing facts and stories consistent with the themes of his video content. In the area of live streaming, Santoro found early success on the app Periscope. On November 11, 2015, he retired from the platform with the title of the number one "most loved" Periscoper in the world, having accumulated over 177 million hearts from viewers during his streams. More recently, he has launched "The Matthew Santoro Podcast," which is available on platforms like Spotify and continues his mission of sharing amazing information. His work extends to hosting duties for corporate web series and major festivals, with key projects including:

• Host of Quest Nutrition's "Food for Thought" web series (first episode May 28, 2015)
• Co-host of the Global Citizen 2015 Earth Day event
• Co-host of the Global Citizen festival (September 26, 2015)
• Judge for "WHO'S WHO: Singles Edition Toronto 2026"

Personal Life and Public Advocacy

Matthew Santoro has been open about several aspects of his personal life and challenges. In January 2016, he uploaded a deeply personal video titled "My Abuse Story," where he emotionally discussed being in a psychologically and physically abusive relationship with an unnamed partner, whom a friend later identified as fellow YouTuber Nicole Arbour. In May 2015, Santoro moved from St. Catharines to Toronto, Ontario, a city he affectionately refers to by its nickname "The 6ix," and has expressed his fandom for the local hip-hop scene and artist Drake. The first week of January 2017 saw him relocate to Los Angeles, California, where he obtained a U.S. green card while maintaining his Canadian citizenship. On October 21, 2017, Santoro released a video revealing his diagnosis of clinical depression and has made subsequent videos to explain his progress and management of his mental health.

On July 27, 2020, Matthew Santoro explained that after moving back to Toronto, a trailer from the moving company that housed most of his belongings was stolen. The stolen trailer was found on July 30, and its contents were returned to Santoro on July 31, although some items were still missing and several were damaged. Santoro is a Christian and he briefly discussed his journey to faith in a video uploaded on November 13, 2025. He has also publicly disclosed that he has clinical depression, revealing this in a video on October 21, 2017.

• Moved to Toronto, Ontario (May 2015)
• Released "My Abuse Story" video (January 2016)
• Moved to Los Angeles, California (January 2017)
• Disclosed clinical depression diagnosis (October 21, 2017)
• Trailer theft and recovery incident (July 2020)
• Discussed Christian faith journey (November 13, 2025)

Platform Statistics and Earnings

Matthew Santoro's primary YouTube channel has achieved substantial metrics over his career. As of November 2025, the channel has amassed 5.91 million subscribers and over 1.5 billion total views. His content library is extensive, comprising thousands of videos dedicated to curious and educational topics. Estimates of his earnings from online content vary, with figures for September 2026 ranging from approximately $1,098 to $1,504, which was noted as being lower than an estimated earning from October 2024. These earnings contribute to his primary income, which he has stated surpasses what he previously earned as an accountant.

Questions about Matthew Santoro

What is Matthew Santoro famous for?

Matthew Santoro is famous for being a Canadian YouTuber and educator who creates highly viewed top ten list videos and a long-running series called "50 Amazing Facts. His content focuses on delivering surprising, strange, and fascinating information in an engaging and accessible format. He built a channel with millions of subscribers by specializing in curiosity-driven videos. Santoro is also known for his live streaming on Twitch and for authoring the book *MIND=BLOWN*.

Where is Matthew Santoro from in Canada?

Matthew Santoro is from Welland, Ontario, Canada. He was born there on July 16, 1985, and later moved to St. Catharines, Ontario, during his upbringing. He attended Brock University in St. Catharines, where he earned a Master of Accountancy degree. As of 2025, his primary residence is in Toronto, Ontario, a city he often references and praises in his content.

What happened to Matthew Santoro's belongings in 2020?

In July 2020, after moving back to Toronto, a trailer containing most of Matthew Santoro's belongings was stolen from the moving company he had hired. He publicly discussed the incident, which left him with only the items he had personally transported. The stolen trailer was located by authorities on July 30, 2020, and its contents were returned to him on July 31. Unfortunately, some items were still missing upon recovery, and several others were damaged.

Is Matthew Santoro still active online?

Yes, Matthew Santoro remains active online across several platforms. As of late 2025 and 2026, he produces daily live streams on Twitch and has returned to posting on YouTube. He also hosts "The Matthew Santoro Podcast," available on Spotify. His social media activity also indicates involvement in Toronto-based events, such as serving as a judge for "WHO'S WHO: Singles Edition Toronto 2026."

Why did Matthew Santoro leave YouTube?

Matthew Santoro left YouTube to focus on streaming on Twitch. He announced this decision in a tweet on August 15, 2021, marking the end of a decade of uploading videos to the platform. This shift represented a change in his primary content delivery method from pre recorded videos to live streaming. However, his departure was not permanent, as he publicly announced his return to YouTube in December 2022. His career has continued to evolve, incorporating both platforms.

What book did Matthew Santoro write?

Matthew Santoro wrote a book titled MIND=BLOWN. He secured a global publishing deal with Penguin Books for this project in June 2015. The book was subsequently released to the public on August 9, 2016. This publication expanded his work as an educator beyond his popular YouTube videos. It allowed him to share fascinating facts and information in a traditional print format, complementing his digital content.

Sources and further reading

• Matthew Santoro (Wikipedia)
• Matthew Santoro, Periscoper of the Year (shortyawards.com)
• Matthew Santoro, laid-off Ontario worker, becomes ... (cbc.ca)

Checked by the Novello Desserts desk. Last updated 2026-10-30.