Gus Johnson (comedian)

Gus Johnson
Johnson in June 2019
Born
Gustav Emil Johnson

(1995-06-20) June 20, 1995
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • filmmaker
  • musician
  • podcaster
Years active2010–present
YouTube information
Channel
Genres
Subscribers2.92 million
Views1.132 billion
Last updated: April 14, 2026

Gustav Emil Johnson (born June 20, 1995) is an American YouTuber and comedian.

Early life

Gustav Emil Johnson was born in Grantsburg, Wisconsin,[1] on June 20, 1995,[2][1] the son of Debra and Pete.[3] He is of Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish descent.[4] In middle school, he filmed what he called "stupid sketches that kids would think are funny", sometimes with his younger brother Sven.[3] He was elected governor of Badger Boys State in 2013,[5] and graduated from Grantsburg High School in 2014.[3] He graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Stout with a degree in entertainment design with a focus on digital cinema in May 2018.[6]

Career

Johnson started his YouTube channel in 2010 with his first video, "Ian's Song".[7] He created popular meme videos starring himself and friends.[1] Johnson has released two albums: Lightning Rods and Leaky Roofs and Champagne Seats in 2016.[8][9]

In late 2017, Johnson began performing longform comedy, using Kickstarter to raise funds for a comedy series about a run-down golf course called "Par 9".[10] Johnson and fellow YouTuber Eddy Burback later moved from the Midwest to Los Angeles[1] and started The Gus & Eddy Podcast.[11] Johnson stepped away from the podcast in October 2021.[12]

In January 2019, Johnson was nominated for Best YouTube Comedian at the 11th Shorty Awards.[13] On April 10, 2019, Johnson's YouTube channel reached one million subscribers during his appearance on the H3 Podcast.[4] In 2019, he signed a talent deal with Viacom to create content for Comedy Central.[14]

Personal life

Johnson currently resides in Los Angeles, California.[15]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details
Champagne Seats
  • Release date: June 24, 2016
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download
Lightning Rods & Leaky Roofs
(with Joe Dumas)
  • Release date: December 14, 2018
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: Digital download

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result Ref.
2021 11th Streamy Awards Comedy Nominated [16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Stingl, Jim (May 25, 2018). "Small town dude makes a living posting funny videos for millions to view worldwide". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  2. ↑ Johnson, Gus [@Gusbuckets] (June 20, 2021). "it is my birthday https://t.co/RNRqM3Mk7k" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 3 Richie, Jonathan (June 7, 2018). "Local YouTube creator honed skill in town and in college". Burnett County Sentinel. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Gus Johnson - H3 Podcast #112. H3 Podcast. April 10, 2019. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ "Badger Boys State Governors". Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  6. ↑ Powers, Pam (May 5, 2018). "Graduate's social media comedy sketches viewed a billion times". University of Wisconsin-Stout. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  7. ↑ Ian's Song (original - by Gus). Gus Johnson. September 11, 2010. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023 – via YouTube.
  8. ↑ Johnson, Gus [@Gusbuckets] (December 11, 2016). "Here is an original album for you entitled "Lightning Rods & Leaky Roofs."" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 19, 2023 – via Twitter.
  9. ↑ Johnson, Gus [@Gusbuckets] (June 22, 2016). "This week. My next album. Champagne Seats. Get ready" (Tweet). Archived from the original on May 19, 2023 – via Twitter.
  10. ↑ Gutelle, Sam (September 22, 2017). "YouTube Comedian Gus Johnson's 'Par 9' Web Series Arrives For Fast-Growing Audience". Tubefilter. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Gus & Eddy - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  12. ↑ Johnson, Gus [@Gusbuckets] (October 26, 2021). "I'm aware of a recent video that calls out some actions that I'm not proud of and I want to apologize" (Tweet) – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  13. ↑ "Gus Johnson - The Shorty Awards". shortyawards.com. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  14. ↑ Bouma, Luke (April 29, 2019). "Viacom Is Creating New Original Shows for YouTube, Hulu, and Facebook". Cord Cutters News. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  15. ↑ Wentland, Emilee (June 4, 2018). "All Gussied up for Viral Laughs". VolumeOne. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  16. ↑ "11th Annual Winners". The Streamy Awards. December 12, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.