Zoe Spencer was nominated for Class Clown as a senior superlative in high school and it was an early sign that she was meant to perform. The Twitch streamer, actress, and content creator built a devoted following by showing up fully as herself, earning a BET 2025 Culture Class honor, an Essence GU 2026 Future Icons recognition, and a starring role as the female lead of SNIPES’ Spring 2026 “Got It From SNIPES” campaign.
What made you decide it was time to build your own platform?
I was in my senior year of college, and I was working on a friend’s YouTube channel a lot, and we probably made about over 30 videos for that one year, and it really motivated me to create my own platform once I graduated, because I literally built a fan base through his, so everybody was basically telling me, start your own.
It was a big motivation for me, because I had a lot of fan supporters that I had built just through him, so once I graduated in May 2022, I started my own YouTube channel in June. And I got monetized within one week. I was also working at Burlington, and I had picked up a new job that same summer, so I was like, 3 jobs one summer, and doing my thing.
You went viral in 2023 with your best friend skits with Zeddy Will. What was it about that chemistry that people could not stop watching?
The way me and Zeddy was working, it was very natural. We had a very funny relationship, very jokey, and a lot of people can see when things are natural. They know when things are very scripted, when you have a fake relationship, so that really caught a lot of people’s attention. “Oh, this relationship is real, like they really know each other.”
It was kind of a drug to people, and then they became where they wanted us to be together, and just always that kind of banter. We still work like that now, it’s still a question mark over their head, and that’s what we love, because it just keeps people engaged.
Your collaboration with Kai Cenat in 2024 brought you a whole new audience. What was it like working with him?
Working with Kai, it was honestly like working with myself. We’re both the same sign, we’re both Sagittarius. He really knows the entertainment world so good, and I do too, and I’m a full-on entertainer, and he is too, so we just mesh very well together. It was very easygoing, just like how it was with Zeddy, like real cool people.
You’re one of the few Black women who has built a lasting presence in streaming. What has the journey looked like from the inside?
The journey from the inside was definitely hard, because you get a lot of doubts, you get a lot of comparing, people want to box you in, or you get a lot of no’s. But honestly, you just have to be you, and keep your head high, and understand that if you can’t fit into that room, then you can build your own, which I have. I’ve gotten a lot of recognition from people seeing that I’m doing that too, so I just know I’m doing the right thing.
Your Twitch streams are known for being completely unfiltered. What does it take to show up like that in front of thousands of people?
Honestly, being comfortable with yourself. If you and you aren’t on the same timing, things are just not gonna go well. I’m very tapped in with myself, and I don’t really care what others have to say about me, so once you manage that and understand that, nothing can’t stop you. It’s just a keep-going kind of thing. Nobody can’t tell me how to live my life.
When you see recognition like the BET Culture Class honor and the Essence GU Future Icons nod, what goes through your mind?
When I see that kind of recognition, it motivates me to keep going, to not stop. All these hurdles that can happen throughout this journey, things like that come up, and it helps me, don’t stop. Everybody’s recognizing you, you’re doing something right. I’ve been getting a lot of wow moments, really back-to-back. When things keep happening back-to-back, I really can’t process it till later.
For a young Black woman who wants to build something real in the digital space, what’s the most important thing you want her to know?
The most important thing I would want a young Black woman like myself to know in this digital space is to be you. Don’t devalue yourself, don’t dim your light for other people, be consistent. If you feel like you have to go in somewhere and try to fit in, don’t even do that.
Make your own room, because there’s other people like you. There will be other people like her that are doing the same thing, like myself. I would just tell that girl, live your life how you want to live your life. It’s okay if you get no’s, you’re gonna get yeses, and don’t quit.
SNIPES tapped you as the female lead for the Spring 2026 campaign. How did it feel when you got that news?
When I got the SNIPES news, I’m like, y’all talking about me? Y’all sure? Honestly, growing up, I was walking in the streets with my parents, walking right past the store, so now to see myself, there’s people literally sending me photos like, Zo, this is you in the window. I’m in the outside front window of the store. It’s very surreal to me.
What was it like working on the campaign?
The set was great, it was great energy. We were there from morning to night. We were in Florida, and at one point the rain came down, and it was like we were in Jamaica. I knew some of the other people on the campaign, like Kyle Richh, and I met other people too. It also helped me build relationships, because now they want me again.
What can we get from SNIPES, and where can we find you?
You can get a nice little dress from there. They got collabs going with all these different kind of brands right now in SNIPES. Tops, bottoms, shoes, you get your shoes from SNIPES. Come see me there. You could find me on Twitch, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, you name it, all platforms, Zoe Spencer.