AFTER building a £24million empire as a YouTuber, boxer, rapper and energy drink magnate, KSI is now setting his sights on TV domination.

Not bad considering the social media sensation dropped out of education at 17.

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The 31-year-old has 80million followers, and his Prime drinks sensation has enjoyed sales of £201million.

We revealed yesterday KSI will stand in as a judge on the next series of Britain’s Got Talent when Bruno Tonioli, 68, heads to the US to be on the panel of Dancing With The Stars, the US equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing.

KSI said: “I’m so excited to be a guest judge for BGT. When I got the call up, I couldn’t believe it.

“I remember watching old BGT episodes and going from being amazed to laughing my a**e off.

“I’m buzzing to see all the fresh new talent, and I’ll be sure to leave a mark.”

KSI — real name Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji — was born in London and brought up in Watford, Herts. His mum Olayinka worked as a PA and his dad Olajide managed a bingo hall.

He once told The Sun how his parents came to the UK from Nigeria as teenagers and “worked their asses off” to provide for him and younger brother Deji.

‘Mum was screaming, breaking glasses’

KSI — nicknamed JJ ­— said: “My mum would always be working, my dad would always be working.

“I remember being a kid and seeing how s**t it was. But that was life — it was just how it was.”

He never dreamed that, at the age of 21, he would buy a £260,000 Lamborghini Aventador.

And as an Arsenal superfan, the football club collaborating with him and US influencer Logan Paul on their Prime Hydration brand would’ve been a dream come true.

In fact, his career has been so stratospheric that it is being taught as part of the Media Studies A-Level.

JJ was privately educated at the £20,000-a-year Berkhamsted School, where he was just one of two black pupils.

He recalled facing “obvious racism” and remembers being so shy and introverted that he “couldn’t even speak to a girl”.

Age 15, he spent his time filming himself in his bedroom playing video games, including FIFA, and uploading them to YouTube under the name KSI — which stands for Knowledge, Strength, Integrity.

Explaining why he used the pseudonym, which he took from the name of a group of players in the video game Halo, JJ said: “I didn’t want to tell anyone.

Back then, people would be like, ‘What are you doing? You’re such a weirdo. Why are you making videos online?’”

But he paid so much attention to his online career that he failed his A-levels — and when he got his results, he hid in the loo to avoid his parents.

I remember being a kid and seeing how s**t it was. But that was life — it was just how it was

KSI

He said on the Headliners podcast: “We were in Portugal — I was in the toilet for about an hour and a half. I’d had a text from my teacher sending me the grades that I got for my AS levels.

“It was C, D, F and U, and I was terrified. I was like, ‘How am I going to show my parents this?’

“We were in so much debt because they were trying to get me into private school, and they were hoping I’d become a lawyer, doctor etcetera.

“So for me to come to them and be like ‘I failed,’ it was traumatic.

“I eventually told them my grades and my dad’s head was in his arms. He was just so disappointed.

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“My mum was screaming. She was breaking glasses in the kitchen.”

His parents persuaded him to enrol on an International Baccalaureate course instead — but JJ quit sixth form in his second year when he started making money from lucrative YouTube ads and sponsorships.

He said: “I started making good money, to the point where I told my teacher I didn’t want to go to school.

“I told him I was making £1,500 a month, and it turned out it was more than him.

“As soon as I heard that, I realised YouTube was my calling. It was what I had to do.” That year, he joined forces with YouTubers Zerkaa (Josh Bradley), TBJZL (Tobi Brown), Behzinga (Ethan Payne), Vikkstar123 (Vikram Barn), W2S (Harry Lewis) and JJ’s school friend Miniminter (Simon Minter).

As The Sidemen, their clips comprised sketches, challenges, video-game commentary, as well as charity football matches — and they soon began earning millions.

JJ’s parents eventually came round when he earned enough to buy them a house in 2014.

He also splashed out on a specialised £280k Lamborghini Aventador, which he dubbed his “pride and joy”.

From 2016 to 2021, JJ and three of the Sidemen lived in a £4.5million London mansion which boasted six en suite bedrooms, a cinema, gym, large indoor swimming pool, sauna and 24-hour security.

With over 150 million subscribers across their channels, Sidemen are the UK’s biggest YouTube collective.

Last year, Netflix covered their rise to fame for a documentary — and they now also have a fast food chain called Sides, which produces £1million a week in revenue.

‘Fame is more of a problem than money’

But it could have all come crashing down early on in KSI’s career.

In 2015, following the release of his debut book titled I Am A Bellend and his debut single Lamborghini, women’s groups called for YouTube to remove some of KSI’s 2012 and 2013 videos, in which he jokingly pulls a “rape face”.

In another YouTube clip from August 2014, KSI asks a Page 3 model about her sex life while calling her a slut in the voiceover.

He was also banned from Eurogamer trade shows in 2012 after putting his face in the cleavage of model and presenter Brandy Brewer.

Brandy said she consented to the joke but Microsoft cut ties with JJ and he apologised.

In 2017, he quit the Sidemen to pursue his first passion — music.

I started making good money, to the point where I told my teacher I didn’t want to go to school

KSI

The following year, he got his first Top 10 single in the UK charts with Down Like That.

He has since had five Top Five singles, with his biggest hits Holiday and Don’t Play going platinum.

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As a boxer, he has competed under the name The Nightmare, making his ring debut in February 2018 against UK social media star Joe Weller. He has had two fights with US YouTuber Logan Paul, drawing the first and winning the second.

His biggest match was against Love Island star Tommy Fury in October last year — which, although he lost in a unanimous decision, still earned him £5million.

But that sum would have been a drop in the ocean for JJ, who has very expensive tastes.

In 2019, he bought a £65,000 Porsche 718 Boxster, with personalised licence plate K51 FLY.

He also owns a £60,000 Porsche Cayenne and has been seen driving a £250,000 Rolls-Royce Wraith around Los Angeles — where he’s been known to spend £8,000 on trainers at sneaker store Flight Club.

He also owns a £150,000 Rolex covered in diamonds and a bespoke £390,000 necklace.

JJ, who lives in a £10million pad in Kent, spends some of his money on his girlfriend who he reunited with last year after splitting in 2021.

But her identity is not known as JJ likes to keep his private life from his fans — and he once admitted he struggled with people “constantly” coming up to him.

He said on Logan Paul’s Impaulsive podcast: “Fame has been more of a problem than the money.”

At 8pm tonight, KSI is releasing new singles Thick Of It and Low.

“This is essentially my comeback song,” KSI says of Thick Of It. “I talk about the history of my career and where I’ve come from.

“I’m giving my audience the blueprint on how to dream big and reach the goals that they want to reach.”

He has certainly had the Talent for that.

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Nickelodeon’s classic Rugrats cartoon is receiving the live-action treatment.

From Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore, the new feature adaptation of the Nineties show about the day-to-day lives of a group of toddlers will reportedly see the characters in a CGI hybrid form (similar to the titular bear in the Paddington film series).

Saturday Night Live star Mikey Dave and comedian Streeter Seidell co-wrote the script, Deadline reports.

However, early reactions on social media have not been the most welcoming as fans express concern over the CGI babies.

“All the rugrats bout to look like this,” one person wrote on X/Twitter alongside the meme-famous animatronic baby, Chuckesmee, that was axed from the Twilight film saga.

“The whole charm and draw of Rugrats is the animation and the art style. Who wants this. No one. No one wants this. I’m actually agitated,” another angry fan added.

“I can think of very few film premises as horrifying as a live-action Rugrats movie with CGI babies,” a third wrote.

Rugrats originally aired for three seasons beginning in 1991 before it was rebooted for an additional six seasons from 1996 to 2003. It became one of the network’s most popular series.

It starred Cheryl Chase as the voice of Angelika, EG Daily as Tommy, Nancy Cartwright as Chuckie, Cree Summer as Susie, and Kath Soucie as twins Phil and Lil.

The series, created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó and Paul Germain, also spawned a trio of movie spin-offs: The Rugrats Movie (1998), Rugrats In Paris (2000) and Rugrats Go Wild (2003).

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A Paramount+ revival in 2021, which welcomed back the original voice cast, received similar criticisms to the new live-action remake over its use of CGI.

Earlier this year, the series was removed from Paramount+ as part of a “strategic decision to focus on content with mass global appeal.”

Rugrats fans recently remembered the “saddest” scene from the show on Mother’s Day.

Season four, episode two guest starred Sex and the City actor Kim Cattrall as Chuckie’s late mother Melinda.

At the end of the episode, it’s revealed that Melinda died of a terminal illness. Chuckie’s father Chaz sits down with his son and shares memories of his late wife, recalling her love of gardening and reading a poem she wrote for Chuckie while in the hospital.

“This is not only the saddest Rugrats moment, but also the saddest moment in Nickelodeon history,” one person wrote on Twitter alongside the scene from the 1997 episode.

Responding to the viral tweet, Cattrall said: “Such a great pleasure voicing Chucky’s Mum.”

The forthcoming live-action Rugrats movie joins a host of other recently released and announced live-action adaptations.

Last year, Greta Gerwig’s movie Barbie, a live-action adaptation of the iconic Barbie doll, became the highest-grossing movie of the year.

Barbie star and producer Margot Robbie has since announced her production company LuckyChap will produce a live-action Monopoly movie based on the popular board game.

ROBBIE Williams gatecrashed the brand new series of The Wheel, leaving host Michael McIntrye stunned.

The Let Me Entertain You singer, 50, also left his wife Ayda Field speechless as she appeared on the BBC One show’s set.

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Loose Women star Ayda was due to star on the new series of the game show, albeit solo, playing as an expert on Robbie.

The American actress’ knowledge on her rock star husband’s life will be put to the test on the new series.

However, during the show as host Michael introduced a civilian contestant to the competition, Robbie made a surprise appearance.

Arriving in dramatic fashion, the former Take That star rose up from the depths of the studio floor.

Michael, 48, exclaimed: “No! That’s done something weird to my brain. Okay, so hi, how’s it going?”

Robbie then introduced himself just like any other contestant, saying: “I’m Robbie, I’m 50 and I’m from Stoke-On-Trent.

“I’m aquarius and I auditioned for a pop band and I got in and they were called Take That.”

Asked what he’d do with any potential prize money, the singer replied: “I need to figure out a way to pay for my wife’s glam. To keep my wife in handbags, shoes and foundation.”

Despite being a favourite with the audience, Michael eventually sent Robbie packing from the hot seat.

Also starring in The Wheel’s new series is daytime legend Richard Madeley, former Love Island host Laura Whitmore and Leigh Francis.

The Wheel – now in its fifth series – sees celebs and civilians come together to try and win a cash jackpot.

Contestants are guided by famous faces in a certain topic area in order to successfully answer questions and walk away with a tidy sum of money.

Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel returns to BBC One on Saturday, 12^th October.

The Wheel in numbers

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One host – Michael McIntrye

38 episodes have broadcast to date

five series have been made, with the fifth airing this month

200,000 or more can be won on the BBC One show