Wikipedia

Jenn McAllister

Jennifer Ann McAllister (born July 9, 1996),[1] also known by her former pseudonym and YouTube username jennxpenn, is an American internet personality, actress and comedian. She is best known for her work on YouTube,[2] for which she has been nominated for a Shorty Award and four Teen Choice Awards.

Jenn McAllister
McAllister at VidCon in 2014
Born
Jennifer Ann McAllister

(1996-07-09) July 9, 1996 (age 28)
Bucks County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other namesjennxpenn
Occupations
YouTube information
Channelsjennxpenn
jenn
Years active2009–present
Genres
  • Lifestyle
  • Comedy
  • Entertainment
  • Gaming
Subscribers3.5 million (main channel)
587 thousand (second channel)
Total views395.9 million (main channel)
72.7 million (second channel)
100,000 subscribers2011
1,000,000 subscribers2015
Last updated: December 3, 2024

McAllister made her acting debut with the GRB Studio film Bad Night (2015), which she also produced. She starred in the YouTube Red web series Foursome (2016–2018), which won her the Streamy Award for Best Actress, and the Hulu series All Night (2018). She is also a published author, with her book Really Professional Internet Person (2015) becoming a New York Times Bestseller.[3]

Early life

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McAllister was born on July 9, 1996, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania,[1] where she attended Council Rock High School South in Holland, Pennsylvania, about 25 miles north of Philadelphia. In July 2013, at the age of 16, she moved from her home in Holland, Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, California to pursue her career in the entertainment industry.[4]

Career

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McAllister created her YouTube channel jennxpenn at the age of 12 on January 15, 2009, but already had prior YouTube experience through a channel created beforehand with a friend.[5] The channel has amassed over 3.5 million subscribers,[6] and earned her nominations for a Shorty Award for YouTuber of the Year, and four Teen Choice Awards.[7][8][9][10]

In March 2013, McAllister signed a YouTube partnership deal with AwesomenessTV;[4] she appeared primarily in skits and segments on their YouTube channel. She also starred in the pilot episode of AwesomenessTV's sketch comedy series of the same name,[11][12] which premiered on Nickelodeon on July 1, 2013.[13]

 
McAllister in 2014

Beginning in April 2014, McAllister went on a 16-city North American tour in celebration of reaching 1 million subscribers on YouTube with Tyler Ward, which took place at the beginning of May and the entirety of June.[14] In June 2014, she signed a YouTube management deal with Fullscreen.[15][16] In a September 2014 interview with Business Insider, she expressed interest in hosting and acting.[17] That same month, she partnered with the nonprofit organization Our Time, releasing a video telling her viewers aged eighteen or above to register themselves to vote in the United States.[18][19]

At the 2015 Playlist Live convention, it was announced that McAllister and fellow YouTuber Lauren Elizabeth Luthringshausen would be starring in a film titled Bad Night, which serves as her acting debut.[20] The film was produced by GRB Entertainment,[21] McAllister, and Luthringshausen, among others.[22] It was released through Vimeo on Demand in July of that same year.[23][24] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she described the project as an "amazing experience" and that seeing herself on screen left her "cracking up at the fact that this is a real thing because I can't take myself seriously. So we're going to be hot messes, but I think we'll make it through."[22] Also in 2015, McAllister made her writing debut with the autobiography Really Professional Internet Person,[25][26] which was released in August 2015 and became a New York Times Best Seller.[27]

In February 2016,[28] it was announced that McAllister would portray the leading role of Andie Fixler in the YouTube Red original series Foursome.[29][30][31][32] In an interview with TheWrap, she described her relationships with the series' cast, stating that "I grew really close to everyone. It was kind of like a summer camp ... I was on set for 12 and a half hours every day, so you're really close with these people."[33][34] She created content for her channel five to six weeks before production on Foursome began in order to exclusively focus on the series.[33] The series was released in March 2016, and ran for four seasons until the end of 2018.[35][36] For her performance, she won the Streamy Award for Best Actress at the 6th Annual Streamy Awards,[37][38][39] which was presented to her by her friend and frequent collaborator, Andrea Russett. She also received a shared nomination with the cast of Foursome.[37]

In 2018, McAllister was cast in the role of Deanna Hoffman in the Hulu series All Night, which was the second collaboration between AwesomenessTV and Hulu.[40][41][42] The series stars a large ensemble of actors and premiered in May 2018.[43]

In 2019, McAllister competed in the first season of The Reality House,[44][45][46] a web series inspired by Big Brother where several YouTubers compete for $25,000.[44]

At the end of 2021, McAllister stopped posting on her YouTube channel jennxpenn, instead focusing her attention on live streaming on Twitch. She quickly rose to the top 0.04% of streamers on the platform, streaming primarily in the Just Chatting category.[47] She posts edited versions of her live streams on a second YouTube channel which has amassed over 500 thousand subscribers.[48]

Personal life

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In November 2020, in a video titled "addressing your assumptions about me...",[49] McAllister publicly came out as bisexual, saying she had been identifying as bi in her personal life since she was 19 years old.[50][51]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2015 Bad Night Abby Also producer [52]
2016 Hedgehogs Rose Voice role [53]
2017 Guardians of Oz Gabby Voice role [54]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2013 AwesomenessTV Herself Episode: "Zay Zay and Jo Jo's Halloween Tips" [11]
2016–2018 Foursome Andie Fixler Lead role [29]
2016 Sleep Tight Emily Episode: "Special Red" [55]
2018 All Night Deanna Hoffman Main role [41]
2019 The Reality House Herself (contestant) Reality series [44]

Bibliography

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  • McAllister, Jenn (2015). Really Professional Internet Person. Scholastic. 224pp. ISBN 9780545861137.

Awards and nominations

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Year Association Category Work Result Ref.
2014 Teen Choice Awards Choice Web Star: Comedy Herself Nominated [9]
Choice Web Collaboration[a] Fab Five in Real Life Nominated
2015 Teen Choice Awards Choice Web Star: Female Herself Nominated [7]
2016 Teen Choice Awards Choice Web Star: Female Herself Nominated [8]
2016 Streamy Awards Best Actress Foursome Won [39]
Best Ensemble Cast[b] Foursome Nominated
2017 Shorty Awards YouTuber of the Year Herself Nominated [10]

Notes

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  1. ^ Shared with Anthony Quintal, Jack Baran, Andrew Lowe, and Rebecca Black
  2. ^ Shared with Brooke Markham, Logan Paul, Meghan Falcone and Rickey Thompson

References

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  1. ^ a b Cid, Martin (July 8, 2014). "Famous Birthdays Today, July 9: Tom Hanks, Mitchel Musso, O.J. Simpson, Courtney Love, Jenn McAllister, Georgie Henley, Douglas Booth". Yareah Magazine. Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  2. ^ Moss, Caroline (September 13, 2014). "19-Year-Old YouTube Star Says She 'Doesn't Need A Real Job'". Business Insider. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  3. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2015/09/13/young-adult-paperback/
  4. ^ a b McAllister, Jenn (March 18, 2014). "Moving-Out Teen: A Survivor's Guide". The Huffington Post. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  5. ^ Jaworski, Michelle; Votta, Rae (August 31, 2014). "Meet the YouTube class of 2014". The Kernel. The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  6. ^ Selvin, Rachel. "YouTuber Jenn McAllister Finger-Painted With Us & Here's What Happened". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Steiner, Amanda Michelle (August 16, 2015). "Teen Choice Awards 2015: See the full list of winners". EW.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  8. ^ a b Crist, Allison; Nordyke, Kimberly (July 31, 2016). "Teen Choice Awards: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Nordyke, Kimberly (August 10, 2014). "Teen Choice Awards: The Complete Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "YouTuber of the Year in Social Media - Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "17-Year-Old YouTuber JennxPenn Premieres First Episode Of New AwesomenessTV Show 'JennxPenn's Top 10's' [VIDEO] | New Media Rockstars". newmediarockstars.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "AwesomenessTV Jumps To TV With Half-Hour Nickelodeon Series". Tubefilter. June 24, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  13. ^ "Nickelodeon Orders 7 More Episodes of 'AwesomenessTV' (Exclusive)". August 27, 2013. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  14. ^ Salud, April (May 24, 2014). "jennxpenn on 1 Million Subscribers and Going On Tour". Strawburry17. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  15. ^ Gutelle, Sam (June 27, 2014). "JennXPenn's Fullscreen Deal Is Not An Ordinary YouTube Partnership". Tubefilter. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  16. ^ Spangler, Todd (July 18, 2014). "JennXPenn, Connor Franta and Other YouTube and Vine Stars Featured in Fullscreen's First In-Real-Life Festival". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  17. ^ Moss, Caroline (September 13, 2014). "19-Year-Old YouTube Star Says She 'Doesn't Need A Real Job'". Business Insider. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  18. ^ DeSimone, Evan (September 24, 2014). "jennxpenn Targets Teens For National Voter Registration Day". New Media Rockstar. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  19. ^ Moss, Caroline. "YouTube Stars Are Replacing Hollywood A-Listers In Campaigns Encouraging Young People To Vote — And It Just Might Work". Business Insider. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  20. ^ Bloom, David (February 8, 2015). "YouTube Stars JennXPenn, LoveLaurenElizabeth Cross Over To GRB's First Film". Deadline. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  21. ^ Gutelle, Sam (February 9, 2015). "Lauren Elizabeth, Jenn McAllister To Headline Feature Film 'Bad Night'". Tubefilter. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  22. ^ a b "Q&A: Jenn McAllister, Lauren Elizabeth Luthringshausen talk YouTube, Molly Ringwald, and explosions". EW.com. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  23. ^ Manly, Lorne (June 26, 2015). "Can 20 Million YouTube Fans Make 'Smosh: The Movie' a Hit?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  24. ^ Hurtado, Alexandra (July 9, 2015). "First Look: Bad Night Movie Trailer Starring YouTube Sensations". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  25. ^ "JennXPenn is latest YouTube star to land a book deal". March 30, 2015. Retrieved December 23, 2016 – via AFP Relax News.
  26. ^ Zumberge, Marianne (March 27, 2015). "YouTube Star JennXPenn Strikes Book Deal". Variety. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  27. ^ Ballin, Sofiya (August 25, 2015). "YouTube star JennXPenn is building an empire". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  28. ^ Spangler, Todd (February 10, 2016). "YouTube Slates Original Gigi Gorgeous Documentary, JennxPenn Series". Variety. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  29. ^ a b "YouTube's Jenn McAllister Is Making Her Jump From Home Videos to a Whole New Series". Teen Vogue. March 30, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  30. ^ Hamedy, Saba (March 31, 2016). "AwesomenessTV's 'Foursome': If 'Sex and the City' were set in high school". Mashable. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  31. ^ Jarvey, Natalie (February 10, 2016). "YouTube Red Picks Up Gigi Gorgeous Documentary, High School Comedy 'Foursome'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  32. ^ Greenberg, Julia. "YouTube's New Original Programming Doesn't Make It Netflix". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  33. ^ a b Solsman, Joan E. (March 30, 2016). "JennxPenn Explains Why Her YouTube Red Series Made Her Sick". Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  34. ^ "Jenn McAllister dishes about her hysterical 'Foursome' castmates". aol.com. March 29, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  35. ^ "The Trailer For 'Foursome,' YouTube Red's Latest Original Series, Has Arrived". Tubefilter. March 7, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  36. ^ "The Trailer For 'Foursome' Season 4 Will Transport You Back To High School – Exclusive". Elite Daily. October 10, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  37. ^ a b "6th Annual Nominees". The Streamy Awards. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  38. ^ Spangler, Todd (October 5, 2016). "Streamy Awards 2016: Full Winners List". Variety. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  39. ^ a b "Liza Koshy, Lilly Singh, and More Won Big at the Streamy Awards". Teen Vogue. October 5, 2016. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  40. ^ "Hulu Picks Up, Casts 'All Night' Graduation Comedy Series From AwesomenessTV". August 24, 2017.
  41. ^ a b Lloyd, Robert (May 10, 2018). "Review: Grad night goes 'All Night' in a new Hulu comedy with YouTube stars and a classic teen story line". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  42. ^ Otterson, Joe (August 24, 2017). "Hulu, AwesomenessTV Partner for High School Comedy Series 'All Night'". Variety. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  43. ^ "'All Night' on Hulu Is The New 'Can't Hardly Wait' of 2018 [Exclusive]". Decider. April 11, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  44. ^ a b c "YouTubers are competing for $25,000 in a 'Big Brother'-like reality series - these are the 13 contestants". Business Insider. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  45. ^ "With 25 Million Views On Season 1, Kian And JC Are Readying Another 'Reality House'". Tubefilter. November 7, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  46. ^ "Meet the Cast of Kian and JC's 'Big Brother'-Inspired YouTube Show". Distractify. July 15, 2019. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  47. ^ https://twitchtracker.com/jennmcallister [bare URL]
  48. ^ "Jenn". YouTube.
  49. ^ addressing your assumptions about me..., November 14, 2020, retrieved February 22, 2022
  50. ^ McAllister, Jenn [@jennmcallister] (November 2, 2020). "and i'm bi not gay, don't mislabel please. cya" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  51. ^ Little, Kendall. "YouTuber Comes Out As Bi, School For Trans Opens In Asia". southfloridagaynews.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  52. ^ McNary, Dave (June 17, 2015). "YouTube Stars Jenn McAllister, Lauren Luthringshausen's 'Bad Night' Gets Release". Variety. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  53. ^ "Anthony Padilla, Jenn McAllister Lend Voices To Lionsgate's 'Hedgehogs' Film". Tubefilter. December 18, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  54. ^ "Jenn McAllister on Twitter: "GUYS go check out my new movie, Guardians of Oz on iTunes!!!"". Twitter. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  55. ^ Cusick, Ryan T (November 8, 2016). "Web Series 'Sleep Tight' Holds The Ingredients For Nightmares!". iHorror. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
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