KUALA LUMPUR: American online personality Darren Watkins Jr was mobbed by throngs of fans when he arrived in the Malaysian capital today.
The YouTuber known as IShowSpeed, with 30.1 million subscribers, atracted hundreds of excited people while touring different locales here. Based on his live feed, his appearances, accompanied by bodyguards and others in his entourage, caused near-pandemonium.
However, Watkins said the Malaysian leg of his southeast Asian tour earned the country a top spot in his experiences so far.
During a visit to the Jalan Alor food market, Watkins was visibly startled by an increasingly unruly crowd as he enjoyed durian.
The chaotic atmosphere forced him to cut his visit short, as fans pushed against one another and surrounded him.
Later, Watkins visited Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and dined at the 'Fuiyoh! It's Uncle Roger' restaurant. Fans had swarmed the online personality when he arrived at the shopping mall's corridors. By the time he was at the restaurant, the management had to close its shutters to prevent entry due to the growing crowds going towards Watkins.
His livestream on YouTube peaked at nearly 328,000 viewers at about this time.
'Trapped' inside the restaurant, he chatted with fellow online personality Uncle Roger via video call and enjoyed fried rice while fans remained relentless outside.
"In terms of craziness, out of the whole tour, this might be number one," he said after gaining more than 82,000 new subscribers during the nearly five-hour livestream.
Watkins is renowned for his high-energy gaming streams, comedic content, and viral antics.
He first gained popularity in the gaming community for his live streams, but his fame skyrocketed in 2021 when his clips began going viral on platforms like TikTok.
As IShowSpeed, he has visited the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia on his Southeast Asia tour and plans to visit Singapore soon.