Gustav Emil Johnson was born in Grantsburg, Wisconsin,[2] on June 20, 1995,[3][2] the son of Debra and Pete.

[5] In middle school, he filmed what he called "stupid sketches that kids would think are funny", sometimes with his younger brother Sven.

[4] He was elected governor of Badger Boys State in 2013,[6] and graduated from Grantsburg High School in 2014.

[2] Johnson has released two albums: Lightning Rods and Leaky Roofs and Champagne Seats in 2016.

[14] On April 10, 2019, Johnson's channel reached one million subscribers on YouTube during his appearance on the H3 Podcast.