Funny Mike: The Baton Rouge Class Clown Who Built a YouTube and Comedy Empire
MacArthur Johnson, known to millions online as Funny Mike, turned a childhood reputation as the class clown into one of the more durable career arcs in internet comedy — spanning Vine-era virality, a rocky detour into rap under a borrowed persona, a recurring seat on MTV’s “Wild ‘N Out,” and, ultimately, a YouTube channel with more than 12 million subscribers built as much around family life as it is around pranks.
Early Life in Baton Rouge
MacArthur Johnson was born on October 8, 1996, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he was raised and attended Tara High School. By his own account and those of people who knew him growing up, Johnson had been the jokester among his friends since childhood — the kind of natural comedic instinct that would eventually become his entire career, though at the time it was just a personality trait rather than a business plan.
Building an Audience on Vine and Social Media
Johnson’s public career began on Vine, the short-form video platform that launched the careers of numerous comedians and entertainers in the mid-2010s before its shutdown. He built a following in his hometown of Baton Rouge first, posting videos under a rotating set of nicknames over the years, including “Mighty Mike,” “Funny Ass Mike,” and “girlhefunny,” before eventually settling on the “Funny Mike” name that would define his career going forward.
A Detour Into Rap as “22 Savage”
Before fully committing to comedy content, Johnson pursued a parallel career in music, signing to the independent label Travis James Entertainment. His early single “Hit That Bit For the Gram” drew over 400,000 views, an early sign of his ability to generate attention online.
His music career took a controversial turn when he adopted the stage name “22 Savage” — a persona directly built on the identity of established rapper 21 Savage. In August 2016, he released a single called “No Heart,” using the same title as a 21 Savage track and echoing the branding of 21 Savage’s “Savage Mode” collaborative album with producer Metro Boomin. Rather than backing away from the comparison, Johnson leaned into it publicly, claiming he was better than 21 Savage. The conflict escalated in December 2016, when he released a series of diss tracks specifically targeting 21 Savage.
Not long after, Johnson moved away from the “22 Savage” identity entirely, shifting his content toward pranks, vlogs, and commentary videos under the Funny Mike name instead. In February 2017, he briefly rebranded his rap persona once more, changing his stage name to “Young 22” in an attempt to build a more independent, respectable musical identity separate from the earlier controversy. He continued releasing music under various names over the following years, including tracks like “Jumping,” which became something of a breakout song, followed by “Run It,” “Hit That 22,” and “Pay 4 It.” His song “Told On Myself” later drew more than 23 million views, and collaborative tracks released under the name Dede3x, including “Fresh” and “Do The WooWoo,” each drew more than 20 million views.
Becoming a YouTube Powerhouse
Johnson’s YouTube channel became the center of his career, eventually growing to more than 12 million subscribers across more than 1,000 uploaded videos. His content spans several consistent categories: pranks and challenges, comedy skits, social experiments, and family vlogs, often built as multi-part video series designed to keep an ongoing storyline hooking viewers across several uploads rather than resolving in a single video. He built an Instagram following of more than 7 million as well, extending his reach well beyond YouTube itself.
Over the years, Johnson has collaborated with a wide range of other online creators and influencers, including the Dobre Brothers, extending his content’s reach into other established fan bases within the prank and challenge content genre.
Joining Wild ‘N Out
Johnson’s profile expanded into television when he became a recurring cast member on “Wild ‘N Out,” the MTV improv comedy show created and hosted by Nick Cannon, appearing across the show’s 11th and 12th seasons starting around 2019. The show, known for pairing comedians, rappers, and internet personalities in freestyle comedy battles and improv games, gave Johnson a national television platform to complement his already substantial online following.
Family Life and Content
Johnson has been in a long-term relationship with Jaliyah Monet, herself a singer and content creator who has built a significant following on Instagram and Twitter, with music that has drawn millions of views on YouTube. The two reportedly met online through Snapchat, and their relationship has become deeply intertwined with their content: they run a shared YouTube channel, FunnyMike & Jaliyah, featuring their life and relationship directly for their combined audience.
The couple shares three children together—daughter Londy, the eldest; son MacArthur Jr., their middle child; and youngest daughter Germany—all of whom regularly appear in the family’s pranks, challenges, and everyday vlog content, making the family dynamic as central to Johnson’s brand as his solo comedy work.
Quick Facts
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real name | MacArthur Johnson |
| Online name | Funny Mike |
| Born | October 8, 1996, Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
| Education | Tara High School, Baton Rouge |
| Known for | YouTube comedy/pranks; “Wild ‘N Out” (Seasons 11–12); music as 22 Savage / Young 22 |
| YouTube subscribers | Over 12.2 million |
| Partner | Jaliyah Monet |
| Children | 3 |
FAQ
What is Funny Mike’s real name?
His real name is MacArthur Johnson.
Was Funny Mike ever on Wild ‘N Out?
Yes — he was a recurring cast member on MTV’s “Wild ‘N Out” across Seasons 11 and 12, starting around 2019.
Who is Funny Mike’s girlfriend?
He’s in a long-term relationship with Jaliyah Monet, a singer and content creator; the two share a joint YouTube channel and three children together.
Why was Funny Mike known as “22 Savage”?
Early in his music career, he used the stage name “22 Savage,” directly echoing rapper 21 Savage’s name and branding, which sparked a public back-and-forth before Johnson moved away from the persona and rebranded as “Young 22” and eventually focused primarily on his Funny Mike comedy content.
A Career Built on Reinvention
From a Baton Rouge Vine account to a controversial rap persona, a rebrand into full-time comedy content, and a national television platform on “Wild ‘N Out,” Funny Mike’s career has been defined by a willingness to shift identities and formats without ever losing the core comedic instinct he’s had since childhood. More than a decade into his online career, his family-centered YouTube channel and millions-strong following suggest that instinct has translated into one of the more durable careers in internet comedy.
