Last month, PewDiePie, the world’s most successful YouTube star, lost deals with Disney and YouTube after The Wall Street Journal reported on anti-Semitic jokes in his videos.

But PewDiePie, who has more than 54 million YouTube subscribers and made about $15 million in 2016, didn’t go silent. Instead, after apologizing for a joke he said went too far, PewDiePie gave the middle finger to The Journal in an explosive video.

Since then, PewDiePie’s subscriber count has increased, many YouTube stars have rallied around him, and he has said he’s excited about the new opportunities he’ll have as an independent creator.

This situation illustrates the complicated relationships among YouTube stars, their fans and established media brands like Disney. Since 2005, YouTube has become the de facto launchpad for the next generation of celebrities. These stars rack up millions of subscribers and have a direct relationship with fans.

From comedians to gamers to beauty vloggers, YouTubers have generally built their followings outside of the control of media giants, even if they are signing big deals with those companies. And there is power and independence in having that huge fan base.

To get a closer look into which stars rule YouTube, we looked at the SocialBlade rankings to see who had the most subscribers. We focused on independent YouTube stars, disregarding YouTube channels like mainstream music artists.

Here is the new generation of superstars.

PewDiePie — 54.1 million subscribers

In his YouTube videos, PewDiePie is boisterous and goofy, playing video games and swearing up a storm. PewDiePie — the YouTube name of 27-year-old Swede Felix Kjellberg — has used his charisma and close relationship to subscribers (whom he calls “bros”) to build a lucrative career around his YouTube output. But PewDiePie came into a negative spotlight recently after a Wall Street Journal report described anti-Semitic messages in his videos, leading Disney and YouTube to cut direct business ties with him (though he hasn’t been barred from YouTube).

PewDiePie apologized for taking a joke too far, but he maintained his right to joke about any topic and flipped a middle finger to the media in a response video. Since then, PewDiePie’s subscriber count has increased, and he has said he’s excited about the new opportunities afforded him as an independent creator.

Germán Garmendia (HolaSoyGerman.) — 31.2 million subscribers

Chilean YouTuber Germán Garmendia is Latin America’s biggest YouTube star. The comedian and musician has two channels in the top 20. He released a book in 2016 titled #Chupaelperro. He became famous with his video “Las Cosas Obvias De La Vida” (“The Obvious Things of Life”).

Besides HolaSoyGerman., Garmendia has another YouTube channel called JuegaGerman, which has 18 million subscribers and is focused on video games.

ElRubiusOMG — 23.5 million subscribers

Rubén Doblas Gundersen, better known on YouTube as ElRubiusOMG, is a 27-year-old Spanish YouTuber. He’s the most followed Spanish YouTube star. Like other popular YouTubers, Doblas Gundersen is a gamer who does walk-throughs, reviews and more, peppered with funny commentary. He published an interactive book called Troll in 2014.

Smosh — 22.6 million subscribers

Smosh

VanossGaming — 20.2 million subscribers

VanossGaming (or Vanoss) is the YouTube name of Evan Fong, a 24-year-old Canadian. While not much is known about Fong, he posts comedy videos that show him playing various video games. What sets his videos apart is the quality of his editing — he frequently posts montages that compress his hours of gaming into one compact video of funny moments.

Fernanfloo — 20 million subscribers

Fernanfloo — Luis Fernando Flores — is a YouTube star from El Salvador known for his gameplay videos and wacky antics. His signature color is green, and his dogs sometimes make appearances in his videos.

NigaHiga — 19.3 million subscribers

Ryan Higa, who goes by the username NigaHiga, was one of the first major YouTube stars. Higa produces a variety of comedy videos, including sketches, music videos and short commentaries on pop culture. His videos have high production value and a professional touch, but he remains as quick, funny and incisive as ever.

Yuya — 17.8 million subscribers

Yuya Vogue and on Mexican television

Whinderssonnunes — 17.7 million subscribers

Whinderssonnunes, 22-year-old Whindersson Nunes, is a Brazilian YouTube star who does comedy and vlogs, and he often appears shirtless. He does parodies, songs, movie reviews and videos about his daily life. He started making videos at 15.

Vegetta777 — 17.3 million subscribers

Samuel de Luque is a wildly popular Spanish YouTuber who has become known for his voiceovers of gameplay videos for Minecraft, Saint’s Row and Battlefield. His signature style is to create elaborate narratives and histories for the characters in his video games to make them “like a movie.”

On his About page, he says subscribing to his channel makes you risk falling into his madness.

JennaMarbles — 16.9 million subscribers

JennaMarbles (real name Jenna Mourey) started her career with BarStool Sports

Markiplier — 16.8 million subscribers

Mark Fischbach, better known as Markiplier, is a YouTuber focused on gaming. He has an energetic style that involves a bit of swearing and a lot of emotion. Fischbach has ambitions beyond YouTube, as well.

“I want to push myself into music and acting — more traditional media stuff,” he told Variety last year. “If someone wants to make a movie and have me in it, I want to make sure I have the skill set to do it properly.”

Dude Perfect — 16.2 million subscribers

Dude Perfect

KSI — 16 million subscribers

As a teenager, Olajide Olatunji would play EA Sports’ line of FIFA video games for hours on end in his parents’ home. In 2009, he began uploading footage of himself playing and commentating to YouTube, under the username KSIOlajidebt: a combination of a “Halo” franchise clan, his first name and British Telecom. His boisterous, goofy nature captured fans around the world.

Fine Brother (FBE) — 15 million subscribers

Brooklyn natives Benny and Rafi Fine trying to copyright

Jacksepticeye — 14.8 million subscribers

Seán William McLoughlin is a 27-year-old Irish game-based YouTube star who initially came to fame when PewDiePie mentioned him in a video in 2013. McLoughlin calls himself the “most consistently energetic videogame commentator on YouTube” and has bright green hair.

DanTDM — 14.4 million subscribers

Twenty-five-year-old Daniel Middleton, otherwise known as TheDiamondMinecart, is a popular Minecraft YouTuber, posting daily reviews and gameplay videos. He is married to another popular Minecraft YouTuber, JemPlaysMC.

Epic Rap Battles (ERB) — 14.2 million subscribers

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