“To the people that tried to blackmail me, this one’s for you”

Nikkie de Jager, more commonly known as NikkieTutorials on YouTube, revealed that she is transgender via her latest YouTube video. The 17-minute-long video has amassed over 20 million views since it was posted on Monday (and is now the top trending video on YouTube) and is simply titled, “I’m Coming Out.”

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I’m coming out. 💖 link in bio!

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In the video, Nikkie reveals that her decision to come out publicly was the result of a blackmail threat. “Today I am here to share something with you that I’ve always wanted to share with you one day, but under my own circumstances,” she says. “It looks like that chance has been taken away from me, so today I am taking back my own power.”

The 25-year-old YouTube star, who has been making videos for over a decade, shares her story with an amazing degree of candor considering the unexpected nature of the announcement. She reveals that she lived the majority of her youth as a girl, noting that by age six she started growing her hair out and wearing “only girl’s clothes” by the age of eight. By age 19, Nikkie was fully transitioned.

In the highly emotional video, Nikkie explains that despite the (extremely vile) blackmail attempt, she feels liberated and hopes that her fans will accept her as the same woman they have come to love. “I am me, I am still Nikkie, nothing changes about that.” She offers words of encouragement to viewers, and hopes that her story inspires fans to be true to themselves. “It won’t be easy but damn it, it will be so worth it.” 

So far, the online response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Going forward, fans can anticipate a more open Nikkie – in the video she tells viewers that the experience has inspired her to share more personal sides of herself on her channel. We applaud you, Nikkie!

Watch the video below:

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