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In the world of social media, creators who have the benefit of a strong support system can often experience a world of difference in their growth trajectory. Many of today’s top creators had a secret weapon behind the scenes – their moms.
From managing their careers to starring in content, these mothers helped catapult their children to stardom. In light of Mother’s Day, this week we’re spotlighting 10 influencers who climbed to fame with significant help from their mothers, proving that a “momager” or supportive mom can be a powerful asset in building an influencer’s brand and legacy.
Addison Rae
Addison Rae is a TikTok superstar turned budding actress who first captured attention with her upbeat dance videos. She skyrocketed to fame in 2019 and quickly expanded into music and film, starring in a Netflix teen movie and dropping her own pop single. What makes Addison stand out is her ability to parlay 15-second dance clips into a multi-platform career. She creates content ranging from viral dance challenges to beauty vlogs, all with an approachable Southern charm.
A key ingredient in Addison’s rise has been her mother, Sheri Easterling, who often appeared in Addison’s early TikToks – in fact, Addison’s first viral video featured her mom. This mother-daughter duo’s playful on-screen chemistry endeared them to millions. With Sheri’s guidance and collaborative presence (including a joint podcast), Addison became one of the most-followed creators, now bridging social media into Hollywood. She’s a trendsetter in the influencer space, proving that family support can amplify talent and help sustain authenticity as she navigates the entertainment industry.
- Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
- Focus Areas: Dance challenges; Comedy lip-syncs; Lifestyle & beauty content; Brand partnerships
Charli D’Amelio
Charli D’Amelio became the face of TikTok’s explosive growth, famous for her viral dance moves and down-to-earth persona. Still in her teens, Charli broke records to become the first TikTok creator to exceed 100 million followers, all while remaining relatable and humble. Her content centers on dance trends, candid vlogs, and collaborations with other top creators.
What makes Charli special is how quickly she turned online popularity into an influential brand – launching a makeup line, a fragrance, and even a family Hulu docuseries. Crucial to that journey has been her mother, Heidi D’Amelio. Heidi not only appeared in Charli’s videos but also helped manage the whirlwind of opportunities that came with overnight fame. Acting as a supportive guide, Heidi ensured Charli stayed grounded and savvy about business, even co-founding their new ventures (like D’Amelio Brands) alongside her daughters.
Charli’s importance in the social media niche is undeniable: she showed brands how a teenager with talent and a strong family foundation can build an empire. From dance collaborations to sponsored content, Charli (with mom by her side) set the template for TikTok influencer success.
- Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
- Focus Areas: Viral dance videos; Teen lifestyle vlogs; Brand collaborations; Reality TV (family show)
JoJo Siwa
JoJo Siwa is a multi-talented entertainer who leaped from reality TV to YouTube stardom, all before turning 18. She first made a splash on Dance Moms, recognizable by her big bows and bigger personality. Now JoJo dominates kids’ pop culture as a singer, Nickelodeon actress, and YouTube vlogger with a massive young fanbase. Her content is high-energy and upbeat – from music videos and daily vlogs to motivational messages urging kids to be themselves. JoJo stands out for branding herself with signature visuals (sparkly outfits and hair bows) and a relentlessly positive attitude.
A driving force behind JoJo’s success is her mother, Jessalynn Siwa, a former dance coach who became the ultimate “momager.” Jessalynn moved with JoJo from Nebraska to Los Angeles to pursue JoJo’s career and worked tirelessly to help her daughter shine. She choreographed JoJo’s early routines and even co-created a spin-off talent show with her. Crucially, this mother-daughter team leveraged reality TV fame into a full-fledged brand – including arena tours and a merchandise empire.
In the kids’ entertainment niche, JoJo’s influence is huge: she’s proof that with parental support and savvy marketing, a young creator can transform into a lasting icon for Generation Z.
- Platforms: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Nickelodeon TV
- Focus Areas: Kids’ dance & music; Vlogs with positive messaging; Merchandise (bows, toys); LGBTQ+ advocacy
Ryan Kaji
Ryan Kaji, known from Ryan’s World (formerly Ryan ToysReview), is one of the youngest and highest-earning influencers on the planet. This elementary-school-aged YouTuber shot to fame unboxing toys and sharing playful science experiments on camera. His channel’s daily videos – featuring Ryan and his family – captivate millions of children around the globe. Ryan stands out for turning simple toy reviews into a global franchise: he has spawned his own toy lines, clothing, and even an animated series.
Central to Ryan’s meteoric rise is the behind-the-scenes dedication of his mother, Loann Kaji. Loann left her career as a high school teacher to manage Ryan’s YouTube channel full-time, handling everything from video production to business deals. With mom (and dad) running operations, Ryan’s hobby grew into a mini media empire. He’s been ranked as YouTube’s top earner multiple years in a row, highlighting how influential kid content can be.
In the kids’ digital niche, Ryan’s channel is a marketing powerhouse that toy companies and family brands watch closely. His success – enabled by parental support – underscores the power of family-friendly content and the trust that young audiences place in relatable child influencers.
- Platforms: YouTube, Kids’ TV (Nickelodeon’s Ryan’s Mystery Playdate), Amazon Kids+
- Focus Areas: Toy unboxings & reviews; Fun educational experiments; Family vlogs; Children’s games and apps
- Alt Text: excitedly opening a toy box on camera. His mom, Loann, can be seen just off to the side with a supportive smile, filming and helping bring his toy adventures to life.
Like Nastya
Anastasia Radzinskaya, widely known as Like Nastya, is one of the most successful child influencers in the world. She gained fame through engaging and imaginative videos that combine pretend play, learning, and family adventures—earning billions of views across her multilingual YouTube channels.
Unlike many YouTube child stars, Nastya’s brand was thoughtfully built from the ground up by her parents - especially mother, Anna Radzinskaya, who played a pivotal role in shaping her daughter’s content, persona, and business strategy. From scriptwriting and producing to brand oversight, Anna has guided Like Nastya’s expansion across languages and platforms.
Nastya’s videos include toy unboxings, storytelling, travel adventures, educational lessons, and role-play scenarios. Her content is designed to be family-friendly, fun, and culturally adaptive, which has made her channel a favorite among children globally.
In the child influencer niche, Like Nastya sets the gold standard for educational entertainment content. With a strong maternal influence behind the scenes, she exemplifies how family-run channels can build trust, consistency, and global reach. For marketers and family-focused brands, she represents a powerful partnership opportunity backed by both influence and intention.
- Platforms: YouTube (multiple channels), Instagram
- Focus Areas: Pretend play; Family-friendly learning; Global kid content; Educational storytelling
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Jalaiah Harmon
Jalaiah Harmon rose to prominence as the original creator of the viral “Renegade” dance, a routine that swept across TikTok without initially being credited to her. As a young Black dancer, her journey sparked broader conversations around creator recognition and equity in the influencer space.
Her mom, stepping in as both advocate and support system, played a critical role in ensuring Jalaiah received the public acknowledgment she deserved. Together, they leveraged the attention to build a platform that centers originality, self-expression, and proper attribution. Jalaiah now creates original choreography, motivational content, and candid glimpses into her life as a teen creator. Her mom remains a visible presence in her rise—backing performances, managing opportunities, and helping her navigate the digital landscape with integrity.
In the niche of dance influencers and Gen Z creators, Jalaiah stands out not just for her talent, but for the movement her story ignited around protecting and honoring digital creativity.
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Platforms: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
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Focus Areas: Original dance choreography, Digital creator rights, Teen empowerment, Black representation in media
Ava & Alexis McClure
Known as the “McClure Twins,” Ava and Alexis became internet darlings after a charming video of their twin conversation went viral. Since then, the duo—guided by their mother, Ami McClure—has grown into full-fledged child influencers with a strong presence on YouTube and Instagram.
Ami has been instrumental in developing their brand, acting as content creator, manager, and moral compass. Their videos center on school life, sibling humor, family values, and social-emotional learning—all wrapped in adorable, relatable storytelling. Ami ensures their content promotes kindness, education, and positive identity, making the twins standout examples of how intentional parenting can drive both virality and substance.
In the family content niche, the McClure Twins are respected for their consistency, values-driven messaging, and joyful representation of Black family life. Brands aligned with education, lifestyle, and diversity see them as ideal collaborators with multigenerational appeal.
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Platforms: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook
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Focus Areas: Twin lifestyle and humor, Family values and parenting, Early childhood education, Diversity and positive representation
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner is one of the world’s most influential young businesswomen, known for leveraging her social media clout to build Kylie Cosmetics into a makeup empire. She grew up on reality TV alongside her sister Kim, but truly found her niche in the beauty industry. Kylie’s online content showcases luxurious lifestyle snippets, makeup tutorials, and product teases that send fans into a frenzy. Her ability to create hype (remember the sold-out Lip Kits?) and authentically connect with a Gen-Z audience makes her a standout.
Like her older sisters, Kylie benefited from the masterful guidance of mom Kris Jenner. Kris has managed Kylie’s career and was instrumental in launching Kylie Cosmetics – she was a guiding force from conception to global rollout. With her mother’s business savvy behind the scenes, Kylie became (at one point) the youngest self-made billionaire, all by the age of 21. She dominates Instagram with over 300 million followers, and her every post can spark trends in beauty or fashion.
In the influencer and entrepreneurial space, Kylie represents how a strong personal brand plus parental mentorship can yield unprecedented success. Marketers and PR teams study her moves, as she set a new benchmark for how social media fame can convert into retail gold.
- Platforms: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube
- Focus Areas: Makeup tutorials & tips; Fashion and luxury lifestyle; Brand promotions (her own and collaborations); Fan engagement (Q&As, behind-the-scenes)
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid is a top supermodel who combined high-fashion credentials with social media savviness to become a global influencer. She dominates runways in New York, Paris, and Milan, and simultaneously gives her 70+ million followers an inside look at her life – from editorial shoots to casual days on the farm.
Gigi stands out for her ability to be both a high-fashion muse and an approachable online personality. She often shares candid Instagram posts, mixing glamour with grounded moments (like cooking or playing with her daughter), which makes her highly relatable to fans.
Behind Gigi’s ascent is the careful nurturing of her mother, Yolanda Hadid. Yolanda, herself a former model and reality TV star (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), helped open industry doors for Gigi while keeping her grounded. In fact, appearing alongside her mom on reality TV as a teen boosted Gigi’s profile and Instagram following just as she entered modeling . Yolanda also enforced a rule that Gigi wait until adulthood for serious modeling gigs, ensuring she developed confidence and individuality first.
The result is an influencer who’s not just another pretty face, but a strong brand in her own right – collaborating on fashion lines and even engaging in activism. In the fashion influencer niche, Gigi’s mother-guided journey shows how authenticity and early exposure can build a lasting career. She’s a go-to name for luxury brands and a case study in balancing social influence with editorial credibility.
- Platforms: Instagram, Twitter
- Focus Areas: High-fashion editorials; Personal style and beauty; Behind-the-scenes modeling life; Brand endorsements (luxury & lifestyle)
Maddie Ziegler
Maddie Ziegler is a gifted dancer and emerging actress who became a public figure at an early age thanks to reality TV – and the unwavering support of her mom. Maddie first rose to prominence on Lifetime’s Dance Moms, where her standout talent (and her mother Melissa’s determination) made her the show’s breakout star.
By age 11, Maddie was thrust into the spotlight beyond TV when pop artist Sia cast her in the iconic “Chandelier” music video, which has over a billion views. Now in her twenties, Maddie has pivoted to acting and modeling, appearing in feature films and fashion spreads. Her content on social media still features dance, but also chic behind-the-scenes peeks at film projects and red-carpet moments, highlighting her evolution from child prodigy to Hollywood up-and-comer.
Throughout this journey, Maddie’s mother, Melissa Gisoni, was a key influence – managing Maddie’s schedule, pulling her out of school for rehearsals, and facilitating opportunities like Dance Moms that set the stage for Maddie’s later success. She appeared on reality TV at age 8 and by her teens had starred in music videos with over 6 billion combined views on YouTube.
In the dance and teen influencer niche, Maddie’s story exemplifies how parental support in early years can cultivate a genuine star. Brands and directors see her as a multitalented influencer who brings built-in fans and professionalism well beyond her years.
- Platforms: Instagram, YouTube
- Focus Areas: Dance performances; Teen fashion and beauty; Film and TV projects; Inspirational content for young performers
The Power of Mom-Supported Influence
Each of these influencers has achieved remarkable success, and a common thread ties them together: strong maternal support. They’ve not only amassed huge followings and shaped their respective niches – be it dance, beauty, kids’ content, or music – but they’ve also done so with an authenticity often grounded in family values and support. This list offers insight into the human element behind the influencer persona. Knowing an influencer’s background (like the “momager” factor) can be incredibly valuable when crafting campaigns or partnerships, as it often informs their work ethic, brand alignment, and relatability.
Ultimately, these ten influencers demonstrate that behind many social media success stories is a parent or mentor helping to steer the ship. This list underscores the value of looking beyond follower counts – by recognizing the support systems and stories that elevate influencers, brands can forge more meaningful and effective collaborations. In a competitive social media landscape, authenticity and trust are currency, and these mother-supported influencers have both in abundance.
