• Comment: Early life section is entirely unsourced. See WP:BLP. All statements, starting with the date of birth, need to be sourced or removed.
    See also WP:COI. Greenman (talk) 21:55, 3 January 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: There is not enough independent, significant coverage listed in the article at the moment. Youtube doesn't count. WikiOriginal-9 (talk) 04:35, 10 November 2023 (UTC)
  • Comment: No evidence of notability. Qcne (talk) 18:57, 23 September 2023 (UTC)


Jon Zherka
BornFebruary 23, 1994
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
NationalityCanadian-Albanian
Occupation(s)Streamer, Content Creator, YouTuber, Vlogger
Known forStreaming, Online Content, Vlogs

Jon Zherka is an Albanian-Canadian professional online streamer and comedian who rose to prominence after garnering 500,000 views overnight following his first appearance on the livestreamed dating show "Rajjchelor" on Twitch a reality TV-style show where the host invites female streamers to flirt with various men who are introduced one by one.[1] Zherka quickly became a fan-favorite in the Twitch scene because of his abrasive and comedic personality. Shortly after his first appearance, he created his personal Twitch channel, on which he became the world record highest-paid affiliate on the platform in 2019. Zherka garnered a lot of his audience from his presence on the RajjRoyale podcast (now AustinShow), streaming alongside popular streamers such as Pokimane and Hasan Piker.[2] Following a series of controversies and bans, which concluded in his indefinite banning on Twitch, he started streaming on the streaming platform Kick. Since his ban, he has accumulated over a 150,000 subscribers on YouTube, making videos on topics ranging from dating, the redpill, debate, Freemasonry, and Christianity. On September 19th, 2023 he participated in a livestreamed boxing match versus a other streamer IZIPrime on streamer Adin Ross's Kick channel, amassing over 200,000 live viewers.[3]

Early life

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Jon Zherka was born on February 23, 1995 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He Said his family fled during the Kosovo War and they were assisted by the Clinton Foundation in seeking refuge to Canada. He has mentioned that his upbringing was rough considering the transition from living in a relatively upper-class family in Albania to becoming a refugee in Canada, however he has also noted that his family's situation improved as time went on during his adolescence.

Zherka has also stated that he was largely undistinguished in high school, often unmotivated, and incapable of doing well in most subjects with the exception of Art and Poetry, in which he was exceptional and displayed an impressive ability to draw and write creatively. Despite what his current character might suggest, Zherka has said he was not confident, athletic, or particularly popular in high school, rather he was more so occupied with playing video games, which he spent a majority of his time doing.[4][5]

Life before fame

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Having graduated high school, Zherka became a nightclub bouncer, maintaining this profession for five years. During his time as a bouncer, he put a great degree of emphasis on his physique and physical aptitude because of his paranoia of street fighting. He has stated that the violent nature of the fights he would see on a regular basis as a bouncer pushed him to use performance enhancing substances to maximize his performance and defense in street fights.

The particular incident that triggered this notion was his best friend getting stabbed, which inclined Zherka to start his use of substances. Having gotten into bodybuilding, he started abusing steroids and attained a big stature, for which he attained a spot as a body double for Dwayne Johnson in the movie Scyscraper.[6][7]

He has since specified the exact kinds of substances he used on a podcast with Bradley Martyn,[8] referring to it as a "death cycle" having overdosed twice.[9]

Controversy

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On July 10, 2023 Zherka appeared on a Fresh and Fit podcast, featuring popular political commentators Nick Fuentes and Destiny. Having amassed a 100,000 live viewers, the livestream was one of the biggest in Rumble history and was also a placeholder for a lot of controversy due to the nature of the political debate, gaining wide criticism from organizations like Media Matters[10][11][12][13][14]

On November 11, 2023 Zherka was involved in a street-fight with well-known influencer Harrison Sullivan, otherwise known by his alias 'HSTikkyTokky'. Zherka Initiated the brawl in a restaurant, causing the two to go outside and brawl until they got separated on the street. The scuffle received wide media attention from international figures like Andrew Tate and Drake.[15][16][17][18][19] Shortly after, Zherka received a ban on Kick, the platform on which the fight was streamed, getting unbanned a few days later.

References

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  1. ^ The birth of Jon Zherka, 28 January 2019, retrieved 2023-09-23
  2. ^ Rajj Royale Podcast ft. Pokimane, Hasanpiker, Kaceytron & More | With Chat, 10 August 2019, retrieved 2023-09-23
  3. ^ Jon Zherka vs Prime Full Boxing Match | Hosted by @AdinRoss, 18 September 2023, retrieved 2023-09-23
  4. ^ Jon Zherka Dives Deep Into His Childhood. Retrieved 2024-04-15 – via www.youtube.com.
  5. ^ Ayub, Simon (2024-04-02). "Jon Zherka's ethnicity, nationality, parents, and background story". Tuko.co.ke - Kenya news. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  6. ^ Jon Zherka Roasts AbaNPreach, Whores, Woke Culture, & More!, 2023-05-24, retrieved 2023-09-23
  7. ^ Thapliyal, Shivangi (2023-07-09). ""He's Homosexual Bro"- Dwayne Johnson's "Stunt Double" Attacks His Sexuality After Working With Him in 'Skyscraper'". Sportsmanor. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  8. ^ Bradley Martyn Freaks Out On Zherka, 4 July 2023, retrieved 2023-09-23
  9. ^ Chakraborty, Nilotpal (2023-09-19). ""He detailed all the drugs" - Sneako leaks information on stream about Zherka doing drugs". The SportsRush. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  10. ^ "Right-wing dating podcast Fresh & Fit embraces Holocaust denial". Media Matters for America. 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  11. ^ "Rumble promoted and profited from an unhinged, harrowingly antisemitic and homophobic six-hour livestream". Media Matters for America. 2023-06-07. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  12. ^ Horowitz, Justin (2023-12-11). "Manosphere influencers are promoting abuse and violence against women". Media Matters for America. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  13. ^ Horowitz, Justin (2023-08-08). "Misogynistic manosphere influencers dive headfirst into antisemitism". Media Matters for America. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  14. ^ Horowitz, Justin (2023-09-29). "Social media megastar Bryce Hall joins forces with pro-Hitler influencers Sneako and Jon Zherka". Media Matters for America. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  15. ^ "Andrew Tate Calls Out Zherka for Embarrassing Showdown Against HSTikkyTokky". EssentiallySports. 2023-11-12. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  16. ^ "Drake follows HSTikkyTokky after Miami brawl with Zherka | indy100". www.indy100.com. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  17. ^ "VIDEO: Streamers Jon Zherka and Harrison's Epic MMA Street Brawl Shakes the Internet World". EssentiallySports. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  18. ^ ""Never seen such a devastating": Celebrity Streamers Fighting on Street Draws Scathing Remarks From Fans". EssentiallySports. 2023-11-12. Retrieved 2023-12-26.
  19. ^ "YouTubers Zherka and HSTikkyTokky spark street brawl in Miami amid explosive feud". Dexerto. 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-12-26.