- YouTuber and makeup guru Nikkie de Jager, known as NikkiTutorials, came out as transgender in a video that racked up 32 million views in one week.
- Within hours of posting the video, de Jager received thousands of positive comments from fans and words of support from Gigi Hadid, Ariana Grande, Jeffree Star, and James Charles, among others.
- "Jessica Jones" actress and activist Aneesh Sheth says that viral stories' like de Jager's offer a new kind of visibility and acceptance for trans people, marking a cultural shift.
- De Jager's story, however, sheds light on persistent discrimination. Sheth and activist Eli Erlick say that 'outing' and weaponizing people's identities against them reveals an enduring intolerance of trans people.
- Read more stories like this on Insider.
"Hello, guys. It's me, Nikkie."
Nikkie de Jager faced the camera — her eyeliner perfectly winged, as usual. She took a deep breath. The 25-year-old beauty YouTuber, known as NikkieTutorials, had something to share with her 12 million subscribers.
"I wanna start the year off by finally revealing a part of my life that has made me who I am," she said. "When I was younger, I was born in the wrong body. Which means that I am transgender." She held back tears.
In the emotional 17-minute video posted on January 13, de Jager shared her transition story for the first time.
De Jager, who had grown her explosive career on YouTube since she was a teenager, is arguably one of the most successful personalities on the platform, having crossed-over into mainstream fame, collaborating with the likes of Kim Kardashian West and Lady Gaga. But until last Monday, she had yet to publically share the story of her transition with her millions of fans.
The exact timing of the video, the vlogger said, had not been her choice; she was blackmailed by someone threatening to leak her story to the press. "I am here to share with you something that I always wanted to share with you one day, but under my own circumstances. It looks like that chance has been taken away from me, so today I am taking back my own power," she said.
De Jager explained that she knew her gender identity since early childhood. "By the age of 7 or 8, I fully wore girls' clothes only and it felt amazing," she said, noting that she began hormone therapy as a teen and fully transitioned at 19.
Ultimately, the makeup guru emphasized that she was the same woman her subscribers had always known. "I don't need labels. If we're gonna put a label on it, I'm transgender," she said, "But at the end of the day, I am me."
The YouTube video, titled "I'm Coming Out," was met largely with admiration and encouragement from fans and influencers alike.
De Jager's fellow YouTubers and makeup gurus James Charles, Jeffree Star, and Manny MUA voiced their praise on Twitter.
"YOU are such an inspiration and so f------ brave!" Star wrote. "Love you and I'm so proud to call you a friend."
"I'M SO PROUD OF YOU SISTER!!!" Charles said. Later, he posted a second message of support: "I'm so happy for nikkie I cant stop smiling today :')"
Celebrity support reached beyond the YouTube community; Gigi Hadid and Ariana Grande commented in heart emojis on de Jager's Instagram post publicizing the video. In one week, the video received over 32 million views, and NikkieTutorials' channel gained nearly 1 million new subscribers.
NikkieTutorials fans applauded her bravery — and continued to obsess over her beauty skills. "I hate that you were forced to come out, but I'm so proud of how you've handled it. You are a strong, beautiful woman," one commenter wrote.
"I can't explain how much this inspires me," another added.
"Honestly, I couldn't stop staring at her hair the whole time like how does she do it like that," a fan quipped.
De Jager, however, did not receive universal support. Too Faced cofounder Jerrod Blandino's sister, who goes by Dani California on Instagram, changed her Instagram bio to read, "Transgender huh? That's not the only thing she's been LYING about," before being fired.
Commenters on Instagram left hateful notes on her post about the video, referring to her sex assigned at birth.
On January 22, the YouTube star appeared on "The Ellen Degeneres Show" in her first interview since coming out.
De Jager marveled at the overwhelming support she received from her mother, fiancé Dylan, and thousands of fans — support that thwarted her blackmailer. "I feel like his entire goal with this was to destroy my life, but plot twist: that didn't happen," she said with a smile.
DeGeneres praised the YouTuber's video and shared her reasoning for having DeJager on the show. "I think it's really important for as many people possible to be represented on television," she said.
"You, like no other, know what it's like to come out," De Jager said, alluding to DeGeneres coming out as gay in 1997, which ended in her show's cancellation.
At the end of the segment, DeGeneres announced that "The Ellen Show" and Shutterfly made a $10,000 donation in de Jager's name to The Trevor Project, a nonprofit dedicated to suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth.
Before the interview taping aired, De Jager was nominated for YouTuber of the Year at the Shorty Awards.
The outpouring of support indicates a critical shift in attitudes towards the LGBTQ community.
"Jessica Jones" actress and activist Aneesh Sheth, who transitioned in 2008 after volunteering with The Trevor project, says that platforms like YouTube are boosting visibility for trans people. This exposure is key in changing cultural attitudes and inspiring the next generation to live authentically.
Public statements like de Jager's, she says, weren't available to previous generations of trans youth. "For me, growing up in the '80s, we obviously didn't have YouTube and my exposure was very limited as to what a trans woman is. I never got to experience the fullness of my own trans identity until later in my life," she told Insider. "Having this visibility now is incredibly empowering and it offers a glimmer of hope for anyone internalizing shame."
De Jager's video also reveals enduring threats facing trans people.
The fact that blackmailing spurred de Jager's disclosure cannot be overlooked, says activist and Trans Student Educational Resources cofounder Eli Erlick. "The fact that people can still be outed is very alarming," the PhD candidate told Insider. "Most trans people want to see a society where this can't happen."
Erlick added that she cautions against interpreting public response as universally positive. Indeed, since coming out, de Jager has been faced with accusations of 'lying' by omission — an accusation, Erlick notes, that can be dangerous. Sheth, too, worries about the cruelty that trans people continue to face. "We are using people's identities as weapons against them," she said.
Ultimately, de Jager's story is a reminder of progress — and all the progress left to be made. "It's a two-sided coin," Sheth explained. "I think we've made great strides. When people come out, they are often celebrated… But we are still dealing with bullying, still dealing with transphobia, all because there are people out there trying to breed hate against 'the other' or the unknown."
Read more:
Inside the life of NikkieTutorials, a beauty YouTuber who just came out as transgender in a new video
Beauty YouTuber NikkieTutorials says she was blackmailed before coming out as a transgender woman
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