TommyInnit: How Getting Banned From Minecraft Changed My Life! I Was 16 Years Old With £1 Million

We Need To Talk with Paul C. Brunson

FlightStory

Relationships, Society & Culture, Leisure

4.7 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2025

⏱️ 97 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of We Need To Talk, YouTube phenomenon TommyInnit (Tommy Simons) opens up about the truth behind going from playing Minecraft streams in his bedroom to global fame, the lessons and warnings from Mr Beast and Logan Paul, and why 15 million subscribers couldn’t fix the things that mattered most. Tommy shares the reality of becoming a millionaire at 16, the toll that fame, loss, and constant online attention took on his mental health, and how grief, anxiety, and the pressure to keep performing nearly broke him. For the first time, he speaks openly about the worst panic attack of his life, the heartbreak of his parents’ sudden split, and how losing his friend Technoblade (Alexander) changed his world forever. From 24/7 security on tour to wearing disguises in public, Tommy reflects on the extremes of internet stardom, the jealousy and self-doubt it sparked, and why learning to disconnect from the numbers may be the hardest lesson of all. Now, through stand-up comedy, music, and building real connections away from the screen, Tommy is finding his voice again, not just as a creator, but as a person learning it’s okay not to be okay. Tommy shares: ◽ The story behind his million-pound success at 16 ◽ The lessons (and warnings) from MrBeast and Logan Paul ◽ Why Technoblade’s last message means so much to him ◽ How he’s learning to separate self-worth from views ◽ The truth about the friendships he lost along the way ◽ Why love and connection matter more than any subscriber count TommyInnit, We Need To Talk. Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/needtotalk https://www.tiktok.com/@weneedtotalkpod Follow TommyInnit here:https://www.youtube.com/@shutuplmtalking https://www.youtube.com/@TommyInnit (00:00) Intro (02:04) Differences Between the UK and the USA (04:59) The 'Curse' of Being an Only Child (07:42) Tommy's Experience of School (10:32) Tommy's First Forays into YouTube as 'Channel Nutpig' (15:23) Adopting the Name TommyInnit (33:24) Treatwell Ad (34:46) Tinder Ad (36:00) Setting Up 'The Dream SMP' (41:06) How Much Money Tommy Made at the Start of His Streaming Career (51:22) Love Better Tour Ad (52:26) How Tommy Dealt with His Numbers Going Down (59:46) Tommy's Experience Losing His Friend Technoblade to Cancer (1:02:38) Tommy's Take on the Allegations Surfacing About YouTubers and DreamSMP Members (1:03:45) The Series of Events That Led to Tommy's Recent Depression (1:08:09) Tommy's Diagnosis for Depression (1:18:31) A Message from Tommy's Mum (1:20:52) Tommy's Struggles with Anxiety (1:30:09) Most Memorable Conversation (1:35:17) Paul's Takeaways Sponsored by: Treatwell: http://Treatwell.co.uk with code PAUL10 - T&Cs apply Tinder: https://tinder.com/en-GB Get Your Tickets to the Love Better Tour: https://bit.ly/lovebetter-MP Get The Love Journal now: https://bit.ly/lovejournal-yt SYNCID: MB01G28TXDZVAQM Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	I was 16 made like a million quid.
0:01.9	Tommy, in it, you are one of the most fellow people in the world. It was the most amazing thing, and then it really backfired. We had the police around, and my mum was crying. That was very scary. Start making these videos. I got a taste. And I was like, oh, I want more of that. That was genuinely the last moment in my life that things felt like real. And I was like just watching myself make the most money I've made. Keep it a big secret and no one at school knows. So the day of reckoning came. All of my self-esteem was leaning on this thing that I'm the most popular person ever. That was the worst feeling in the world. Because I'm still on this treadmill, but I'm not really running for nothing anymore. And at this point as well, I'm finding it really hard to navigate. So every week I'm having a call with a different YouTuber, KSI, Mr. Beast, Logan Paul. It appeared as if there was this brotherhood. Well, because we're all misfits. We don't fit in, and then we're all helping each other.
0:55.0	At night, I had a call that like Techno had died.
0:59.3	I loved him.
1:00.3	He was a hero of mine, and he was a friend.
1:02.6	At that point on, the world lost some of its color.
1:06.0	Thank you for being a voice that says, it's okay, not to be okay.
1:10.8	On that note, I have a little surprised me.
1:15.9	All right, before we begin, I want to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
1:23.6	Why? Because we can't believe how far we've come with this podcast. But in particular, we've come this far because of you. Your support means everything, whether it's a comment, whether it's a DM, whether I get stopped in the street, which I do and I appreciate. I just want to say how much we appreciate. And if you have not yet subscribed, I want you to click the subscribe button or hit
1:46.8	that bell icon. What it allows us to do is bringing you more and more of these incredible
1:51.5	conversations. And that being said, let's get into it. Tom Simons, we need to talk.
2:06.3	All right.
2:07.2	So here's where I love to begin.
2:10.1	You're internationally known, right?
2:11.8	How do you characterize the difference between British and, say, maybe American?
2:17.4	Even in the commentary, do you notice a difference?
2:20.3	Oh, massive.
2:21.1	Oh, you do?
2:22.1	Yeah, like British people are, like, funny always.
2:27.5	Like, some American people don't enjoy humor.
2:29.7	Like, everyone is English.
	...

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