Following public speculation about internet personality IShowSpeed’s potential visit to Russia, representatives from Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia contacted IShowSpeed’s team, who confirmed that there are no such plans, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) informed the LETA news agency.
In cooperation with IShowSpeed’s team, the Baltic states had agreed to partially cover technical costs related to his European tour, including transportation and livestream production.
The tour itinerary included countries such as Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and France. Russia was not on that list.
“Not every statement made during a livestream should be interpreted as an actual plan – and IShowSpeed’s management has clearly stated that a visit to Russia is not planned,” LIAA emphasized.
The agency also noted that IShowSpeed is known for exaggerated and provocative remarks during his livestreams
— in one episode, he even claimed he planned to livestream from space.
LIAA stressed that it does not influence or coordinate IShowSpeed’s future actions or content. This was a one-time collaboration with clearly defined technical parameters, timeline, and budget.
There is no long-term agreement with this content creator regarding promotion of Latvia’s image, nor is he considered a long-term partner. However, such influencer visits should be seen as an opportunity to reach a wide audience in a short time via digital channels and spontaneous engagement, LIAA added.
IShowSpeed’s livestream from Latvia drew over 120,000 concurrent viewers, and the video recording has now exceeded 7.6 million views.
As previously reported, Latvia’s Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis (Union of Greens and Farmers) stated on platform X that if IShowSpeed were to visit Russia,
Latvia would not pay him the 30,000 euros, as he would be seen as a supporter of an aggressor state.
Due to IShowSpeed’s large following, the Baltic states jointly agreed to use his visit as an opportunity to promote the region as a tourism destination, with each country covering €30,000 of the costs.
IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins, has over 42 million subscribers on his YouTube channel.
Given his influence and potential to reach a global audience, LIAA representatives contacted the influencer’s team to use this visit as an opportunity to increase Latvia’s international visibility.
During his visit to Riga,
IShowSpeed livestreamed a two-hour broadcast in which he visited local sites
such as Āgenskalns Market, Victory Park, the Freedom Monument, and Dome Square. The livestream attracted over 120,000 real-time viewers, and the recording has since reached 7.2 million views on YouTube.
Darren Jason Watkins, better known as IShowSpeed or simply Speed, is an American YouTube content creator, internet personality, and live streamer with a global audience. One of his content themes is travel experiences, which he shares via livestreams, engaging in real time with millions of viewers. His audience includes more than 40 million YouTube subscribers and 37 million Instagram followers.
On Tuesday morning, IShowSpeed visited Estonia, where he met with the Prime Minister. After his visit to Latvia, he traveled on to Lithuania.
Read also: IShowSpeed May Lose 90,000 euros from the Baltics – Trip to Russia Threatens Cooperation