Meg Turney
Megan LeeAnn Turney[2] (born March 12, 1987) is an American streamer, internet personality, cosplayer, glamour model, and vlogger. She became an internet personality through her hosting work, formerly with SourceFed and Rooster Teeth's The Know. She also maintains a personal YouTube channel where she posts vlogs and Let's Play videos and live streams. In addition to her work with online media, Turney also cosplays at various conventions, such as Comic-Con.
| Meg Turney | |||||||
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Turney at the 2015 Fantastic Fest | |||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | Megan LeeAnn Turney March 12, 1987 Austin, Texas, U.S. | ||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||
| Occupation | |||||||
| Height | 157 cm (5 ft 2 in) | ||||||
| Partner(s) | Kevin Pereira (2009–2012) Gavin Free (2013–present) | ||||||
| YouTube information | |||||||
| Channel |
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| Years active | 2012–present | ||||||
| Genre |
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| Subscribers | 327K[1] | ||||||
| Total views | 26.3 million[1] | ||||||
| Network | None | ||||||
| Associated acts | |||||||
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Last updated: April 6, 2020 | |||||||
Cosplay modeling
Through a friend's invitation to Ushicon 1, Turney was introduced to cosplaying and anime conventions in 2002.[3] Turney's first cosplay was of Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon from the anime, Sailor Moon.[4] On her first cosplay, Turney recalled, "I failed terribly. I couldn’t make half the costume, it was incredibly difficult, but I was as happy as a clam."[4] Since then, Turney became recognized for her cosplaying and was able to generate a following large enough to turn cosplaying into her full-time career.[4][5] The Vancouver Sun wrote that "Turney is an internet mainstay. She has her own YouTube channel and her Patreon fan site is an earner."[4] When she began to receive cover in online publications, Turney's Faye Valentine, Princess Leia, and Psycho cosplays were particularly recognized.[3][6][7] Turney's notability as a cosplayer led her to appear on the Syfy series Heroes of Cosplay and a commercial for Guild Wars 2.[8][9] She hosted a cosplay contest in 2013 at SXSW.[10] Turney was also a special guest at the 2016 edition of Fan Expo Vancouver.[4]
Her cosplaying has been noted by various media publications to be racy and erotic.[4][11] Turney's online content majorly includes images of her cosplaying and modeling, with Inquisitr writing that "she has a tendency to upload photos that push the boundaries of Instagram's community guidelines regarding nudity."[11] On sexuality in cosplay, Turney has stated, "I think there is an element of sexuality for cosplay and for some people there is no sexuality whatsoever. I think it is all about how you approach it. I think that is true of any community really."[4] Turney also maintains that there is more work involved in her cosplaying than showing off her body, such as costume designing, and stated "I think some people just go, 'She [fellow cosplayer Jessica Nigri] has boobs, that's why she's popular.' But that's not really the case."[9] In January 2015, Playboy ranked Turney at number 10 on its "25 Hottest YouTube Stars" listing.[12] In April 2015, FHM placed Turney at number 20 on its annual "100 Sexiest Women in the World" list.[13][14]
Having worked with various photographers, Turney also has experience modeling outside of cosplay.[15] In June 2015, Playboy conducted a photoshoot with Turney.[16]
One of her cosplays was of her boyfriend Gavin's character from Rooster Teeth's show X-Ray and Vav, with Ashley Jenkins joining her as X-Ray at RTX 2014. Ray and Gavin themselves had attended the Achievement Hunter panel of the previous year's RTX in costume as the duo, which had originally started out as an intro flub on Gavin's part for a Halo 4 achievement guide.
- Gallery
Cosplay of Elizabeth from BioShock Infinite
Cosplay of Vav from X-Ray and Vav.
Cosplay of Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon from Sailor Moon
Cosplay of a member of Team Rocket from Pokémon
Online media career
Career beginnings and SourceFed (2012–2014)
Turney registered her YouTube channel in November 2009[17] but began posting vlogs in 2012. During the early years of her online media career, Turney hosted event coverage for deviantART and appeared as a featured host on CraveOnline's TechKnow show.[6][18] In July 2012, Turney would break through as an online media host, making her debut appearance on SourceFed, alongside Steve Zaragoza, in which the two discussed Star Wars, Comic-Con, and cosplaying.[19] Later that year Turney was alongside Elliott Morgan and Philip DeFranco during SourceFed's videos for YouTube's "Election Hub."[20] In February 2013, Turney and her SourceFed co-hosts won an Audience Choice Streamy Award for Series of the Year.[21] Along with being a co-host of the channel, Turney was also a writer for the SourceFed website.[22] Turney would remain a host of the channel, as well as its Nerd spinoff,[23] until April 2014, when she announced she would be leaving SourceFed.[24][25]
During her time with SourceFed, Turney appeared as a host of other series including the AMA's On Demand,[26][27] as well as Nerdist News.[28] Additionally, in August 2013, Turney discussed Hollywood portrayals about life on Mars, alongside Bobak Ferdowsi, Matt Mira, and Kevin Lieber.[29]
Work with Rooster Teeth (2014–2016)
After departing from SourceFed, Turney was announced as a new host for Rooster Teeth's news channel, The Know, on May 30, 2014.[30] On joining Rooster Teeth, Turney claimed, "They have been pioneers in the industry for many years, and their level of originality and just plain fun in their content is unmatched in the space."[30] On June 1, 2014, Turney made her first appearance on The Know.[28] In July 2014, Rooster Teeth distributed the music video for "Did I Say That Out Loud?" by Barenaked Ladies, in which Turney portrays the exasperated girlfriend of Gavin Free's character.[31] In August 2014, Turney began co-hosting The Know It All: Leaderboard, a collaborative series between Rooster Teeth and The Daily Dot.[32][33] Turney also voiced Neon Katt in the animated series RWBY,[34] and was a regular host on The Patch, Rooster Teeth's weekly gaming podcast. On June 27, 2016, Turney announced that she had left Rooster Teeth on good terms.[35]
Twitch streaming and gaming (2016–present)
In October 2014, Turney was involved in a controversy when live streaming video website Twitch updated its rules of conduct telling users to not shoot videos in "lingerie, swimsuits, pasties, and undergarments".[36][37] Some news websites reported that Turney was the first user banned for violating the updated rules of conduct.[38] Turney clarified on Twitter, stating, "Dear everyone writing articles saying I was banned from Twitch, I wasn't. I've never been banned. I was told to change my picture," adding "while we're on the subject I've never done any 'sexy broadcasts'. I've never even streamed from that account."[36] Additionally, Turney also provided her opinion that the rule was not unfair to women, but just unfair in general, stating, "If someone has a big push-up bra and a low-cut shirt while they play [League of Legends] or a guy streams shirtless, who cares?"[37]
In June 2016, Turney began streaming on Twitch.[39] In the years since leaving SourceFed and Rooster Teeth, Turney has continued to upload video game commentaries and streams, as well as cosplay-related vlogs on her personal YouTube channel.[40][41]
In April 2019, Turney signed with talent agency Abrams Artists, joining its gaming roster.[42] In June 2020, Turney moved from Abrams to TalentX Gaming, where she is currently represented. In October, she participated in a Dead by Daylight tournament hosted by Twitch Rivals.[43]
Turney currently streams Dead by Daylight regularly, along with a variety of other games, and celebrated 5 years of Twitch partnership in June 2021. Turney's YouTube channel also became primarily used as a selection of highlights from her Twitch streams.[44]
OnlyFans (2020–present)
In March 2020, Turney created an OnlyFans account to supplement her Patreon account. At the time, Patreon was her primary venue for releasing her modeling work while OnlyFans was there primarily to share older photosets that were no longer available on Patreon, but in October 2020, Turney announced on her Twitter that she was moving all of her content to OnlyFans and that the site would be her new primary content hub.[45] After releasing her book of topless photos on her personal website, she began creating boudoir content full time on her OnlyFans. Turney still releases Cosplay photosets on her OnlyFans, but most of her content is boudoir photography.[46]
Personal life
Turney has openly spoken about her bisexuality with her audience.[47] In a video interview with the YouTube channel VlogBrothers, she further discussed being bisexual, and spoke about how she was teased for her sexual orientation.[48] At VidCon 2013, Turney spoke during the convention's "Being LGBT on YouTube" panel.[49]
She has been in a relationship with Gavin Free since 2013.
Home invasion
On January 26, 2018, a man armed with a handgun broke into Turney's and Free's home, breaking a window to enter and firing one round as he did.[50] Turney and Free hid in a closet and called police. When the man could not find the couple, he left but was confronted by police outside. The suspect fired one shot and police returned fire; when officers approached the suspect's vehicle, they found him dead. Turney and Free were physically unharmed during the incident. It has been assessed the suspect was a fan who had developed an obsession with Turney, and he was attempting to cause harm to Free, against whom he felt resentment.[51] Turney ceased updating her YouTube channel for nearly half a year following the incident, citing concern for her safety in sharing her life with an audience.[52]
Filmography
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Under the Table | Herself | |
| Ten Little Roosters | Herself | Episode: And Then There Were Nine | |
| 2014–2016 | The Know | Herself, co-host | |
| On the Spot | Herself, contestant | ||
| 2015 | X-Ray and Vav | Woman (voice) | Episode: The Dawn of Mogar |
| Immersion | Meg the Raider | Episode: Fallout 4 in Real Life Part 2 | |
| Buff Buddies | Herself | ||
| 2015–2021 | RWBY | Neon Katt[53] | 3 episodes |
| 2015–2016 | Free Play | Herself, co-host | |
| 2016 | Crunch Time | Ava Fontaine | 2 episodes |
| 2017 | Sugar Pine 7 | Meg |
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Lazer Team | Ruby Lakes cheerleader | Uncredited cameo |
Music video
| Year | Title | Artist | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Dumb For You | Hoodie Allen | Girl In Car |
References
- ^ a b "About megturney". YouTube.
- ^ Turney, Meg (January 25, 2010). "Just found out that I can have my full middle name on my diploma!!! How many times do you think they'll screw up LeeAnn? (There's no space!)". @megturney. Twitter. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ a b . Nerdist News. July 10, 2012. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gee, Dana (November 10, 2016). "Fan Expo Vancouver's nerd nirvana a festival of shiny, happy people". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ Hookway, James (May 20, 2015). "How to Get Wolverine's Look on a Budget". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
- ^ a b Milani, Jerry (March 13, 2012). . Wizard World Digital. Archived from the original on June 15, 2012. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ Arcelona, Marvin (September 25, 2012). "Sexy Borderlands Psycho Cosplay [Pic]". Geeks are Sexy. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ^ . Syfy. June 17, 2014. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2014.
- ^ a b Ore, Jonathan (September 4, 2015). "Cosplay at Fan Expo: How can you turn fandom into a career?". CBC.ca. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ Dayhoff, Matt (March 19, 2013). "Images from the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival". Journal Star. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ a b Moore, Nicole (January 27, 2020). "Cosplay Model Meg Turney Poses Topless In Japanese Hot Spring". Inquisitr. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ Misulonas, Joseph (January 2015). "The 25 Hottest YouTube Stars". Playboy. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ . FHM. Archived from the original on April 3, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
- ^ Atkin, Elizabeth (April 28, 2015). "Meet the vlogging lady-types and sexy internet celebs who've broken into 100 Sexiest". FHM. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ Foster, Leonard (March 5, 2015). "Meg Turney EXCLUSIVE interview with the geek gaming goddess". Flavourmag. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ "We Photographed The Many Sexy Shades of Meg Turney (You're Welcome)". Playboy. June 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ "Meg Turney's YouTube Stats (Summary Profile)". Social Blade. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "Free Play: Pie To The Face-Off – #35". Rooster Teeth. December 9, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Zaragoza, Steve; Turney, Meg (July 3, 2012). Comic Con, Cosplay & Star Wars!. SourceFed. YouTube. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
- ^ Gutelle, Sam (October 1, 2012). "YouTube To Stream Presidential Debates With Analysis From 8 Channels". Tubefilter. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ Hill, Naja (February 17, 2013). "Streamy Awards 2013: Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ Turney, Meg. "Meg Turney Archive". SourceFed. Retrieved October 26, 2012.
- ^ Cohen, Joshua (May 16, 2013). "SourceFed Launches Spinoff YouTube Channel, SourceFed Nerd". Tubefilter. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
- ^ Turney, Meg (April 3, 2014). Leaving SourceFed. Meg Turney. YouTube. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
- ^ Cohen, Joshua (April 3, 2014). "Elliott Morgan And Meg Turney Are Leaving SourceFed". Tubefilter. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
- ^ Billboard Staff (October 17, 2012). "AMAs On Demand: Britney Strips, Snoop Sells Brownies". Billboard. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ Billboard Staff (October 31, 2012). "AMAs On Demand: Pink's 2012, Halloween Costumes, Megan & Liz, Andy Grammer". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2013.
- ^ a b Gutelle, Sam (May 30, 2014). "Ex-SourceFed Host Meg Turney Comes To Rooster Teeth's 'The Know'". Tubefilter. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ Lazar, Shira (August 7, 2013). "How Awful Are Hollywood Portrayals of Life on Mars? NASA's Bobak Ferdowsi Answers!". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
- ^ a b Jarvey, Natalie (May 30, 2014). "YouTube Personality Meg Turney Joins Rooster Teeth News Channel The Know (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ Gutelle, Sam (July 17, 2014). "Rooster Teeth's Gavin Free Is On Fire In Barenaked Ladies Music Video". Tubefilter. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
- ^ Gallaga, Omar L. (August 26, 2014). "Daily Dot and Rooster Teeth launch e-sports show 'Leaderboard'". Austin 360. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ Renovitch, James (August 29, 2014). "Local Video Game News". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
- ^ Croswynd (December 6, 2015). . Desu Daily. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
- ^ Turney, Meg (June 27, 2016). I'm No Longer at Rooster Teeth – Meg Turney. Meg Turney. YouTube. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
- ^ a b Brouwer, Bree (October 29, 2014). "Twitch Updates Rules Of Conduct, Asks Users To Cover Up". Tubefilter. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- ^ a b Beres, Damon (October 28, 2014). "Twitch Insists Gamers Keep Their Clothes On". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- ^ Johnston, Casey (October 28, 2014). "Twitch to streamers: no shirt, no service". Ars Technica. Retrieved January 29, 2015.
- ^ Turney, Meg. "MegTurney - Twitch". Twitch. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
- ^ "Meg Turney - YouTube videos". YouTube. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ "Women Creative Wednesday: Cosplayers We Love!". NewMediaRockstars. October 15, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ Weiss, Geoff (April 2, 2019). "Abrams Artists Signs 5 Gaming Creators Including Meg Turney, Matt Cobuzio". Tubefilter. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ Becht, Eli (October 30, 2019). "How to Watch Dead by Daylight Twitch Rivals: Players & Rules". Heavy.com. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ "Meg Turney - YouTube about page". YouTube. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ @megturney (September 1, 2020). "Made a big announcement on my Patreon today" (Tweet). Retrieved May 16, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ @megturney (March 5, 2020). "After a mountain of texts" (Tweet). Retrieved May 16, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ Turney, Meg (August 6, 2013). Bisexuality: Dear Meg. Meg Turney. YouTube. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
- ^ Green, Hank (April 19, 2013). On Sexual Orientation, with Hannah, Ze, Tyler, and Meg. VlogBrothers. YouTube. Retrieved April 19, 2013.
- ^ Hillier, Sadie (August 13, 2013). "Being LGBT On YouTube". Tubefilter. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ Chalk, Andy (February 12, 2018). "YouTubers Gavin Free and Meg Turney survive break-in by armed, deranged fan". PC Gamer. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ Kaplan, Elise (February 10, 2018). "ABQ man targeted YouTube celebrities". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- ^ Turney, Meg. "Why I've Been Gone - Meg Turney". YouTube. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
- ^ RWBY Volume 3, Chapter 5: Never Miss a Beat. Rooster Teeth. YouTube. December 13, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2016.