Ray William Johnson
Raymond William Johnson (born August 14, 1981) is an American comedian, internet celebrity, actor, and singer-songwriter best known for his eponymous YouTube channel and his web series on that channel, Equals Three. In 2013, the channel surpassed 10 million subscribers and had over 2 billion views, making it one of the most watched and subscribed to channels at the time. For a 564-day period from June 2011 to January 2013 the channel was the most-subscribed YouTube channel, during which it also became the first channel to reach 5 million subscribers.
Also recorded as Raymond William Johnson · Rey Johnson
Ray William Johnson

Ray William Johmson · https: Video from Ray William Johnson’s YouTube Channel · CC0
- Name
- Ray William Johnson
- Education
- Columbia University School of General Studies
- Birth Name
- Raymond William Johnson
- Born
- 14 August 1981
- Birthplace
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
- Occupation
- * Internet personality
- Nationality
- United States
- Fields
- hip-hop
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Documentary summary
Raymond William Johnson (born August 14, 1981) is an American comedian, internet celebrity, actor, and singer-songwriter best known for his eponymous YouTube channel and his web series on that channel, Equals Three. In 2013, the channel surpassed 10 million subscribers and had over 2 billion views, making it one of the most watched and subscribed to channels at the time. For a 564-day period from June 2011 to January 2013 the channel was the most-subscribed YouTube channel, during which it also became the first channel to reach 5 million subscribers.
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Authority files
wikidata · Q49847 · wikipedia · Ray William Johnson
In this article
Biography
Biography
Johnson worked across comedian, singer, YouTuber, actor and film director and 2 further recorded occupations. The registers place that work in hip-hop. This article rests on 4 catalogued compositions, 1 issued recordings and 49 scholarly references drawn from named institutional registers. Every statement below returns to a source shown in the evidence panel; where the record is silent or divided, the article says so instead of resolving it.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Ray William Johnson • Education — Columbia University School of General Studies • Birth Name — Raymond William Johnson • Born — 14 August 1981 • Birthplace — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. • Occupation — * Internet personality • actor • comedian • filmmaker • rapper • singer • musician • Youtube Handles — * Ray William Johnson • Your Favorite Martian • Youtube Years Active — 2008–present • Youtube Subscribers — * 18.6 million (Ray William Johnson) • 3.86 million (Your Favorite Martian) • Youtube Views — * 14.9 billion (Ray William Johnson) • 1.10 billion (Your Favorite Martian) • Stats Update — September 3, 2026
Early life and education
Early life and education
Johnson was born on August 14, 1981, and raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His parents separated when he was a child. When he was around 13 years old, Johnson ran away from home to live with his father for a few months. He described him as alcoholic and physically abusive and claimed he had used Johnson’s college savings bank account. As such, he remained estranged from him until his death in 2014. He attended Norman North High School, where he graduated in 1999. He later attended the Columbia University School of General Studies, where he studied history, but did not graduate.
Equals Three
Equals Three
In October 2012, Johnson announced that he would be leaving Maker Studios, contending that they had been pressuring him to sign a new contract that limited his access to his AdSense account and would reportedly take 40% of his earnings from the series. The contract also would have required Johnson to give up 50% of his intellectual property rights to the show and his other animated web project, Your Favorite Martian. In November 2012, Johnson founded his own production studio, Equals Three Studios (then known as Runaway Planet), and continued producing Equals Three. Your Favorite Martian series was ended that same month due to his dispute with Maker Studios. In December 2013, Johnson announced that he would be ending Equals Three in the near future to focus on other projects. His last show as host (titled "THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING") was published on March 12, 2014, and was around 14 minutes long. The channel had over 10 million subscribers and 2.6 billion total views at the time of Johnson's departure. The show returned in July 2014 with Robby Motz as host. Motz would depart in July 2015, at which point Kaja Martin, one of Johnson's frequent collaborators, took over as host, but Martin was subsequently replaced by Carlos Santos in December 2015. In 2015, Johnson sued Jukin Media for requesting the removal of 40 Equals Three videos which sampled their content. The case was later settled. The series featured numerous celebrity guests, including Robin Williams, Sarah Silverman, Gabriel Iglesias, John Cho, and Jason Biggs.
Scripted series
Scripted series
In December 2013, Johnson debuted his first scripted series, Riley Rewind, which was originally released on Facebook before migrating to YouTube. The series revolved around a teenager with a special time-shifting power. It was released in 5 parts and cumulatively totaled about 50 minutes. In 2015, Johnson reported the series had received 10 million views on Facebook. Earlier in 2013, Johnson was in talks with FX Networks about a scripted series based on his life. The network gave Johnson a script commitment. The script was to be written by Mike Gagerman and Andrew Waller.
Other "Ray William Johnson" content
Other "Ray William Johnson" content
Since his departure from Equals Three, Johnson has continued producing comedic series for his main "Ray William Johnson" channel. These series included Booze Lightyear, Top 6, and Comedians On. Booze Lightyear was a scripted sketch comedy web series that featured a variety of different actors often in comedic situations. Johnson appeared on the series' first episode in February 2015. Top 6 is "list show" that is written and hosted by Kelly Landry and discusses 6 items about a given topic each episode. Top 6 also premiered in February 2015. Comedians On premiered in July 2015 and featured a collection of different comedians humorously discussing a chosen topic with Carlos Santos as host. "Comedians On" along with "Booze Lightyear" were eventually cancelled at roughly the same time that Carlos Santos became host of "Equals Three". All of these shows (including Equals Three itself) are produced by Equals Three Studios. Johnson occasionally appears in these shows and in "update vlogs" on the channel.
Recent work and true crime stories
Recent work and true crime stories
In 2020, Johnson returned to YouTube after a yearlong hiatus with a new series called Svperhvman. He also revived his side project "Your Favorite Martian" releasing a new video called "Orphan Tears Part 2", the first in over ten years. He has since transitioned to sharing true crime stories on social media in a short-form content format, which has been particularly successful on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
Personal life
Personal life
Johnson married Kelly Farrell in May 2022 after almost six years of dating. Johnson had a vasectomy and thus has no children. Johnson has been open about his struggle with depression and credits his estranged father’s death on his journey to self improvement. In 2024, he underwent surgery for a deviated septum.
Filmography
Filmography
• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 2009–2014 — Equals Three — Host as himself (until 2014) — Also creator and executive producer, formerly writer • 2010 — The Professionals — Stan — Episode: "Special Request" • 2010 — Annoying Orange — Crabapple — Episode: "Crabapple" • 2010–2011 — Breaking NYC — Himself — 66 episodes • 2011–2012 — Breaking Los Angeles — Himself — 8 episodes • 2011–2012 — Your Favorite Martian: The Animated Series — Puff (voice) — 11 episodes • 2012 — RVC: The Lone Shopping Network — Derek • 2013 — Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie — Quick Stop Hipster (voice) • 2013 — Riley Rewind — Mr. Osborne — Also creator, director, writer, and executive producer • 2013–2014 — Epic Rap Battles of History — Goku / Boba Fett — 2 episodes • 2014 — The Fluffy Movie — Nurse • 2015 — Manson Family Vacation — Executive producer • 2015 — Booze Lightyear — Booze Player — Also creator, writer, and executive producer • 2015 — Comedians On — Himself — Also creator and executive producer • 2015 — Top 6 — Executive producer • 2016 — Who's Driving Doug — Scott • 2016 — We Love You — Derrick
Identity
Identity
Ray William Johnson is recorded with the occupation film director. Classed in the genre hip-hop. Recorded as comedian, singer, YouTuber and actor.
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
Explore 1981–2026
The full dated record · 5 entries
1981
Ray William Johnson was born on 14 August 1981.
2009
Ray William Johnson began in 2009.
2014
Ray William Johnson ended in 2014.
2023
Ray William Johnson talking about the SSSniperWolf drama (2023) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
2026
Ray William Johnson (NJ) So-There’s This Guy Right Let’s Call Him ME! (EP) (2026) is digitised and catalogued by Internet Archive.
Music, acting, and film production
Johnson was attached to an indie film project entitled Who's Driving Doug in May 2014. He was cast in a role as a new driver for a disabled recluse played by former Breaking Bad star, RJ Mitte. The film was written by Michael Carnick, who uses a wheelchair as the result of a rare disorder, and also stars Paloma Kwiatkowski. Who's Driving Doug was released in February 2016. Johnson previously had a small part in Jay & Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie. He appeared in a series of advertisements for DiGiorno pizzas in January 2016, alongside Colleen Ballinger, DeStorm Power, and American football player Clay Matthews III. Johnson is also the co-creator (with former Equals Three host, Kaja Martin) of the film production company, Mom & Pop Empire. They are currently working on a documentary project seeking to expose cable monopolies. Johnson and Martin are co-producers along with Max Benator and Marc Hustvedt's Supergravity Pictures. Johnson is expected to narrate the film. Mom & Pop Empire had previously co-produced a film called Manson Family Vacation with Mark and Jay Duplass. The film premiered at South by Southwest in 2015 and its distribution rights were purchased by Netflix soon after. Johnson and Martin are also working on a separate film starring Johnson and a long-form movie version of their web series Booze Lightyear as part of Mom & Pop Empire. In the musical sphere, Johnson released an album titled Fat Damon in 2018, which featured three tracks: "Conspiracy Theory Guy (ft. Wax)", "My Life Is Dope", and "Fred Astaire". Additionally, he formed a virtual band named The Upside Downs, although the timeline of their releases is not specified.
Discography
Fatty Spins • Year — Name — Views • 2009 — "Doin' Your Mom" — 24m • "Fresh Prince" (cover) — 41k • 2010 — "YouTube Party" — 118k • "Muppet Sex" — 327k • "Apple Store Love Song" — 143k • "School'd" — 158k • "(untitled gangsta song)" — 45k Your Favorite Martian • Year — Name — Views • 2011 — "My Balls" — 1.5m • "Zombie Love Song" — 33m • "Bottles of Beer" — 13m • "Club Villain" — 28m • "The Stereotypes Song" — 5.2m • "The Unofficial Smithers Love Song" — 14m • "Orphan Tears Part 1" — 48m • "Mr. Douchebag" — 31m • "Transphobic Techno (Bitch Got a Penis)" — 18m • "Grandma Got a Facebook" — 2.8m • "Tig Ol' Bitties" — 3.2m • "Fight to Win" — 21m • "Stalkin' Your Mom" — 24m • "Robot Bar Fight" — 17m • "8-Bit World" — 19m • "Puppet Break-Up" — 411k • "Whip Your Kids" — 5m • "Booty Store" — 1.1m • "Nerd Rage" — 4.2m • "Epileptic Techno" — 1.4m • "Dookie Fresh" — 612k • "Santa Hates Poor Kids" — 18m • "Shitty G" — 10m • 2012 — "Friend Zone" — 25m • "She Looks Like Sex (Remix)" — 12m • "We Like Them Girls" — 8.9m • "Alien" — 16m • "White Boy Wasted" — 12m • "Complicated" — 15m • "Take Over The World" — 17m • "Text Me Back" — 12m • "Jupiter" — 9.5m • "Just a Friend" (Biz Markie cover) — 14m • "Somebody That I Used to Know" (Gotye cover) — 10m • "Fight for Your Right" (Beastie Boys cover) — 5m • "Love the Way You Lie" (Eminem and Rihanna cover) — 8.7m • "Road Rage" — 11m • "My Balls" (Alt rock cover) — 10m • "Alien (Unplugged)" — 3.6m • "Jump Around" (House of Pain cover) — 500k • "Bartender Song" (Rehab cover) — 4.9m • "High Voltage" (Linkin Park cover) — 6.1m • "Boom Headshot" — 7.8m • 2022 — "Orphan Tears Part 2" (feat. Cartoon Wax and Stevi the Demon) — 4.6m • "Orphan Tears Part 3" (feat. Cartoon Wax and Stevi the Demon) — 2.4m • "Verified" — 8m • "Uno Reverse" (feat. Cartoon Wax) — 5.9m • "Eff This Job" (feat. Cartoon Wax) — 2.8m • "Brain Rave" (feat. Stevi the Demon) — 3.2m • "This Is Why I'm Single" (feat. Shuba and Cartoon Wax) — 4.1m • "Rich People" (feat. Cartoon Wax) — 7.2m • 2023 — "Gentleman's Ballad" — 2.1m • "Everyone Clapped" (feat. Cartoon Wax) — 3.3m • "Date Myself" — 2.9m • "Damn I'm Ugly" (feat. Billy Marchiafava) — 2.6m • "Telescope" (feat. Stevi the Demon) — 1.9m • "Iamverybadazz" — 2.3m • "The Trauma Song" — 2.2m • "Algorithm God" — 1.6m • 2024 — "Real Girl" — 1m Fat Damon • Year — Name — Views • 2018 — "Conspiracy Theory Guy" (feat. Wax) — 269k • "Fred Astaire" — 824k • "My Life is Dope" — 116k The Upside Downs • Year — Name — Views • 2018 — "Fred Astaire 1" — 824k • "Everything is Bullshit 2" — 152k • 2020 — "BANG! 3" — 182k • "Wolverine 4" — 177k • "I'm Speaking 5" — 107k • "Pixar Mom 6" — 255k • 2021 — "You Keep Me Hangin' On 7" — 138k • "Ugly 8" — 1.2m • "Baby Yoda 9" — 132k • "Brain Stew 10" — 1.1m • "Silent Mode 11" — 17k • "Let's Do Drugs 12" — 363k • "Yellow 13" — 363k • "Heartcatchthump 14" — 21k • "Kung Fu in the Afterlife 15" — 527k • "Stupid World 16" — 398k • 2022 — "Everything is Bullshit 2" (Evolved Version) — 11k
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Ray William Johnson”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q49847: Ray William Johnson
Unverified · Wikidata
Recognition and awards
Variety magazine called Johnson's scripted web series, Riley Rewind, the 7th best web series of 2013. Johnson was also listed among The Hollywood Reporters "Comedy Class of 2013." French YouTubers Antoine Daniel and Mathieu Sommet have cited Johnson's Equals Three as their inspiration, respectively for What The Cut!? and Salut les Geeks!.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedauthority record
Unverified
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
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