Kian Lawley Explained

Kian Lawley
Views:70.5 million (superkian13)
11.6 million (KianLawleyVODS)
847 million (KianAndJc)
View Date:June 2023
Birth Name:Kian Robert Lawley
Birth Date:2 September 1995
Birth Place:Sioux City, Iowa, U.S.
Occupation:YouTube personality, actor, streamer
Associated Acts:JC Caylen
Channels:superkian13, KianLawleyVODS, KianAndJc
Years Active:2010–present
Subscribers:3.22 million (superkian13)
101 thousand (KianLawleyVODS)
3.82 million (KianAndJc)
Subscriber Date:June 2023
Silver Year:2012
Gold Year:2014
Silver Button:yes
Gold Button:yes
Partner:Ayla Woodruff (2019–present)
Children:1

Kian Robert Lawley (born September 2, 1995) is an American YouTuber, influencer and actor.

Lawley launched his personal YouTube channel, superkian13, in 2010. Lawley has also been a part of collaborative YouTube channels, including Our2ndLife. Lawley shares the YouTube channel "KianAndJc" with fellow YouTuber JC Caylen.

Lawley's first role in a feature film was in the 2015 film The Chosen. Lawley went on to feature in the films Shovel Buddies (2016), Boo! A Madea Halloween (2016), Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2017), Before I Fall (2017) for which he won a Teen Choice Award, and Monster Party (2018). In 2017, Lawley worked with Caylen on their show H8TERS and starred in the Daytime Emmy Award winning first season of "Zac & Mia". In 2018, footage of Lawley resurfaced in which he used racial slurs, leading to his role in The Hate U Give being recast, and to him being dropped by his talent agency, CAA.

Early life

Kian Lawley was born on September 2, 1995, in Sioux City, Iowa. He has Polish, Irish and German heritage. At a young age, his family moved to San Clemente, California.[1]

Career

2010–2015: Early YouTube career

Lawley launched his first channel in 2010, under the name Superkian13.[2] Lawley also had a collaborative channel with Sam Pottorff in 2011, named KianSam13. In 2012, Lawley started a collaborative channel Our2ndLife (commonly known as O2L) along with JC Caylen, Ricky Dillon, Trevi Moran, Connor Franta, and Sam Pottorff. The channel grew to over 2.8 million subscribers and in 2014 the group headlined a 19-city tour but they later separated in December 2014. Lawley and Caylen launched their collaborative channel KianAndJc in January 2015.[3] At the 2015 Teen Choice Awards, Lawley won the award for Choice YouTuber.[4]

2015–2018: Acting career

Lawley's first starring role was in the 2015 film The Chosen in which he played a 19 year old who must contend with a demon to save his niece.[5] In 2016, he co-starred with Bella Thorne in the comedy Shovel Buddies.[6] In March 2016, the film was selected and premiered at SXSW Festival.[7] In an interview about the film Lawley said "I don't plan to ditch to YouTube, I plan to do both [acting and YouTube]".[8] Lawley also played "Bean Boy" in the 2016 Tyler Perry comedy Boo! A Madea Halloween.[9]

In 2017, Lawley and JC Caylen starred in and executive produced their show H8TERS, a comedy about internet celebrities, haters and millennial culture. That year, Lawley appeared alongside Zoey Deutch, Halston Sage, and Logan Miller in the film Before I Fall,[10] [11] [12] for which he won the award for Choice Movie Actor: Drama at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards. In 2017 he also starred in the series "Zac & Mia", a show that follows the lives of two ordinary teenagers undergoing cancer treatment.[13] The show was nominated for six Daytime Emmy Awards and won two: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Digital Daytime Drama Series and Outstanding Writing in a Digital Drama Series.[14] [15] In 2017, AwesomenessTV renewed "Zac & Mia" for a second season. In 2018, Lawley received a nomination for the Best Actor In A Digital Drama Daytime Emmy Award for his performance in "Zac & Mia".[16]

On February 5, 2018, it was announced that Lawley had been fired from The Hate U Give due to a resurfaced video showing Lawley using racially offensive slurs. His scenes as Chris, the main character's boyfriend, were reshot with Riverdale star KJ Apa.[17] Lawley released an apology on Twitter, stating, "I am deeply sorry to those that were effected [''sic''] by my choice of language. I respect Fox's decision to recast this role for The Hate U Give as it is an important story, and it would not be appropriate for me to be involved considering the actions of my past. I understand the impact and I have grown a lot and learned since then." He was subsequently dropped by his talent agency CAA.[18]

2019–present: The Reality House

Lawley and Caylen have taken a shift on their channel with more significant productions. In July 2019, they premiered their new Big Brother-style series The Reality House which features a group of YouTubers in a house competing to win $25,000.[19] The series did extremely well, gaining over 25 million views collectively across all ten episodes and a second season began filming in November 2019.[20] The second season premiered in January 2020 and included more elaborate challenges and an increased prize of $50,000.[21] The second season was also a success online with the first two seasons gaining nearly a million views per episode. A Fourth season is pending.[22]

Personal life

Kian is in a relationship with social media influencer Ayla Woodruff. The couple have a son, Coast Corey Woodruff Lawley who was born on October 11, 2023.[23]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRole
2015The ChosenCameron
2016Shovel Buddies Dan
Boo! A Madea HalloweenBean Boy
2017Before I FallRob Cockran
2018Monster PartyElliot Dawson

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
2017H8TERSHimself / Frank10 episodes[24]
2017Apologies in AdvanceHimselfSeason 1 Finale
2017Guilty PartyJake8 episodes[25]
2017–2019Zac & Mia Zac MeierWeb series; main role[26]
2020–presentPerfect Commando Vantaa "Van" HamiltonMain role[27]

Awards and nominations

YearNominatedAwardResult
2014Teen Choice AwardsChoice Web Star: Comedy (as part of Our 2nd Life)[28]
2015Teen Choice AwardsChoice YouTuber[29]
2016Teen Choice AwardsChoice YouTuber[30]
Entertainer of the Year [31]
2017Teen Choice AwardsChoice Drama Movie Actor[32]
2018Daytime EmmysBest Actor In A Digital Drama[33]
2020Shorty AwardsBest YouTube Ensemble (shared with Jc Caylen)[34]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 25 facts about Kian Lawley Slidely Buzz. Slidely. 2019-07-07.
  2. Web site: superkian13. YouTube. en. 2019-07-07.
  3. Web site: Former O2L Members Form New YouTube Channel KianAndJc. The Hollywood Reporter. 19 January 2015. en. 2019-07-07.
  4. Web site: Teen Choice Awards Recap and Complete Winners' List. Costantino. George. ABC News. December 21, 2015.
  5. Web site: Jarvey. Natalie. Kian Lawley Thriller 'The Chosen' to Premiere During VidCon. The Hollywood Reporter. 9 June 2015. December 21, 2015.
  6. Web site: Jarvey. Natalie. Bella Thorne, Kian Lawley to Star in AwesomenessTV's 'Shovel Buddies'. The Hollywood Reporter. June 2015. December 21, 2015.
  7. News: SXSW: Awesomeness Films Exec Talks Aging Up Teen Brand With Drama 'Shovel Buddies' . The Hollywood Reporter . March 14, 2016.
  8. Web site: Bella Thorne, Kian Lawley Talk 'Shovel Buddies' at SXSW. TheWrap. 15 March 2016. en-US. April 5, 2016.
  9. Web site: Tyler Perry Will Wear Dress Again in 'Boo! A Madea Halloween'. TheWrap. 19 January 2016. en-US. April 7, 2016.
  10. Web site: Coggan. Devan. Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley to star in Before I Fall. Entertainment Weekly. December 21, 2015.
  11. Web site: Sneider. Jeff. Halston Sage, Logan Miller, Kian Lawley Join Zoey Deutch in 'Before I Fall'. 27 October 2015. TheWrap. December 21, 2015.
  12. Web site: Sundance 2017: Robert Redford, New Rashida Jones Netflix Series, 'Rebel In The Rye' & More On Premiere, Docu, Midnight & Kids Slates. Patten. Dominic. 2016-12-05. Deadline. en. 2019-07-07.
  13. Web site: 'Zac And Mia' YA Series Renewed For Season 2 By AwesomenessTV. Petski. Denise. 2017-11-29. Deadline. en. 2019-07-07.
  14. Web site: Perth author inspires Emmy-winning series. 2018-05-01. The West Australian. en. 2019-07-07.
  15. Web site: 'Zac & Mia' Season 2 Trailer: Zac & Mia Fight & Their Future Is Uncertain — Watch. Thompson. Avery. 2019-01-31. Hollywood Life. en. 2019-07-07.
  16. Web site: Montgomery and Sheehan. Daniel and Paul . 2018 Daytime Emmy nominations: Full list of nominees for 45th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards. 21 March 2018 . goldderby. March 29, 2018.
  17. Web site: Fox Axes YouTube Star Kian Lawley From 'The Hate U Give' Over Racially Offensive Video. Pedersen. Erik. Deadline. February 5, 2018. February 6, 2018.
  18. News: CAA Drops YouTuber Kian Lawley After He Gets Fired From Fox Movie (Exclusive). The Hollywood Reporter. 2018-02-07. en.
  19. Web site: Weiss . Geoff . 2019-07-12 . Kian And JC To Launch $25,000 'Big Brother'-Style Series With 13 YouTuber Contestants . 2021-10-27 . Tubefilter . en-US.
  20. Web site: Weiss . Geoff . 2019-11-07 . With 25 Million Views On Season 1, Kian And JC Are Readying Another 'Reality House' . 2021-10-27 . Tubefilter . en-US.
  21. Web site: Perelli . Amanda . 2020-01-29 . YouTube duo Kian and JC explain their big ambitions for 'The Reality House,' their show where influencers compete in challenges for $50,000 . 2021-10-27 . Business Insider . en-US.
  22. News: Lorenz . Taylor . 2020-07-09 . It Looks Like a Reality Show. Why Not Just Make It One? . en-US . The New York Times . 2021-10-27 . 0362-4331.
  23. Web site: 14 October 2023 . @ayla_woodruff Instagram . 2024-01-03 . Instagram.
  24. Web site: YouTubers Kian Lawley & Jc Caylen's 'H8TERS' Gets Greenlight From Fullscreen & Astronauts Wanted. Evans. Greg. 2017-01-17. Deadline. en. 2019-07-07.
  25. Web site: AT&T Hello Lab Casts Digital Influencers for Cyberbullying Social-Media Drama Series 'Guilty Party'. Spangler. Todd. 2017-08-16. Variety. en. 2019-07-07.
  26. Web site: YouTube Star Kian Lawley & Anne Winters To Topline 'Zac And Mia' YA Series On Go90. Petski. Denise. 2017-03-20. Deadline. en. 2019-07-07.
  27. Web site: Kian Lawley, Katherine C. Hughes Starring in Finnish Comedy 'Perfect Commando'. Variety. July 18, 2019. April 13, 2020.
  28. Web site: YouTube and Vine Stars Win Big for #TeamInternet at Teen Choice Awards. Hernandez. Brian Anthony. Mashable. 11 August 2014. en. 2019-07-07.
  29. Web site: Teen Choice Awards 2015 Winners: Full List. 2015-08-17. Variety. en. 2019-07-07.
  30. Web site: Choice Muser - Teen Choice Awards: Complete List of Nominees. The Hollywood Reporter. 29 July 2016. en. 2019-07-07.
  31. Web site: Streamy Awards 2016: Full Winners List. Spangler. Todd. 2016-10-05. Variety. en. 2019-07-07.
  32. Web site: Teen Choice Awards 2017: 'Riverdale,' Fifth Harmony Shut Out Competition. Rubin. Rebecca. Knapp. J. D.. 2017-08-14. Variety. en. 2019-07-07.
  33. Web site: Daytime Emmy Awards 2018 Winners: The Complete List. 2018-04-29. E! News. en-GB. 2019-07-07.
  34. Web site: The 12th Annual Shorty Awards Winners . shortyawards.com.