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Sam and Nia

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Sam and Nia
Nia and Sam Rader with their children in 2016
Personal information
Born
  • Samuel Paul Rader
  • October 26, 1985 (1985-10-26) (age 39)
  • NiaChel Jonique Rader (née Rand)
  • September 2, 1988 (1988-09-02) (age 36)
OriginHeath, Texas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationYouTube vloggers
Children4
Websitesamandnia.com
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2014–Present
GenreVlog
SubscribersDecrease 2.52 million[1]
Total views1.11 billion[1]
100,000 subscribers2014
1,000,000 subscribers2016
Last updated: 28 May 2024

Sam and Nia are YouTube vloggers based in Terrell, Texas, who vlog about their daily life as a Christian family. They first rose to prominence with a video of themselves lip-syncing the song "Love Is an Open Door" from Frozen in March 2014.[2][3] They have over 2.5 million subscribers as of May 2024.[4]

In August 2015, Sam and Nia released a controversial viral video of Sam surprising Nia with her own pregnancy. A few days later, they announced that their pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, and a few days after that, Sam was exposed in the Ashley Madison data breach.

Personal history

[edit]

Samuel Paul Rader was born October 26, 1985, and NiaChel "Nia" Jonique Rand was born September 2, 1988.[citation needed] Sam and Nia met while attending Wills Point High School in Wills Point, Texas, and dated for nearly five years until they married in Wills Point on September 12, 2009.[5][6] The couple has four children.[7]

Both received associates degrees from Trinity Valley Community College, while Sam also earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas at Arlington.[8][non-primary source needed] For the first few years of their marriage, Sam worked as an emergency room nurse while Nia worked at a Maurices clothing store.[9][10] In 2024, the couple self-published a memoir titled Live in Truth: Public Scandal, Secret Vows, and Restored Hearts.[11]

YouTube history

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On March 10, 2014, Sam uploaded a video titled "Good Looking Parents Sing Disney's Frozen (Love Is an Open Door)".[12] The video was picked up by news stations and websites all over the world and quickly became a viral video.[13] The video has amassed over 22 million views. The video's success greatly increased the number of subscribers to their YouTube channel. Within one month, they had over 35,000 subscribers.[14] Their sudden burst into Internet fame gained them the attention of Disney who had them do a cameo appearance in a music video based on another song from the movie Frozen.[15]

In June 2015, Sam uploaded a video of him surprising his wife with her own pregnancy by dipping a pregnancy test into a toilet bowl with her urine in it on a morning she did not flush it.[16] It was immediately picked up by the media and went viral.[17] Within two days, it had over 5 million views and currently has 19 million views. The video caused a fair amount of controversy, including Vanity Fair and Mic questioning whether a man had the right to know a woman was pregnant before she knew herself.[18][19] To dispute the claims made by Sam and Nia in their video, BuzzFeed interviewed a doctor and published an article casting doubt on the ability to get a positive pregnancy test result from toilet bowl water.[20]

Three days after the pregnancy announcement video, Sam and Nia released another video (which has since been removed) announcing that their pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage.[21][22] This announcement received mixed reactions. Articles and videos were made to support them, and others were made doubting the authenticity of their claims. Sam admitted that Nia had not gone to a doctor to be looked at; he said it was unnecessary because he was a registered nurse and already knew how to handle the situation.[23] This created even more doubt. Sam and Nia have insisted that they were sincere in their pregnancy and miscarriage videos.[24] Sam and Nia have also insisted that they do not regret announcing the pregnancy so early, with Sam saying, "the video and miscarriage were part of God’s plan".[25]

In August 2015, Sam was thrown out of a vlogging convention in Seattle after getting into a physical altercation with another Christian vlogger.[26] Later that year, Sam and Nia were named by The Daily Dot in the top five most influential YouTubers of 2015.[27]

Ashley Madison

[edit]
See also: Ashley Madison data breach

In 2015, three days after Sam and Nia announced they had a miscarriage, it was revealed that Sam had an account on the affair website Ashley Madison three years prior.[28] Many major news websites and magazines picked up the story, including BuzzFeed, Cosmopolitan, and Perez Hilton.[29][30][31] Two days later, Sam, with Nia by his side, released a video (which has since been removed) acknowledging and apologizing for having the account and said that God and Nia had forgiven him.[32] This video caused further controversy and criticism,[33] yet their subscriber count grew greatly.[34] The couple took a hiatus from vlogging for 33 days before returning — though not daily as they had before.[35]

Initially, while Sam acknowledged that he did have an Ashley Madison account, he insisted he never met up with anyone or cheated on his wife. However, in 2024, in the Netflix documentary Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal,[36] Sam said he lied and had cheated on his wife throughout their marriage,[37] including using massage parlors and strip clubs, as well as engaging in two emotional relationships with the couple’s acquaintances.[38]

Sam and Nia have been included in lists of the biggest YouTube scandals by Teen.com,[39] Digital Spy,[40] and The Verge.[41]

Filmography

[edit]
Year(s) Show or Music Video Role Producer Ref(s)
2014 In Summer (from "Frozen") Sam Rader - the bus driver & male teacher
Nia Rader - a lunch lady & female teacher 		Disney Music Group [42]
2014 Good Looking Parents Sing Frozen, Again... (Love is an open door) Sam Rader - himself
Nia Rader - herself 		YouTube Music Awards [43]
2015 Nightline, Quest For Clicks (Interview) Sam Rader - himself
Nia Rader - herself 		ABC News [44]
2020 Sam and Nia Sam Rader - himself
Nia Rader - herself 		Pinnacle Peak Pictures LLC [45]
2024 Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal Sam Rader - himself
Nia Rader - herself 		Minnow Films, Netflix [46]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Recipient Result Ref(s)
2014 Artists Music Guild Video of the Year "Good Looking Parents Sing Disney's Frozen (Love Is an Open Door)" Won [47]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "About samuel8955". YouTube.
  2. ^ "Parents go viral with perfect 'Frozen' lip-sync video". Today.com. March 14, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  3. ^ "Good Looking Parents Sing Disney's Frozen (Love Is an Open Door)". YouTube. March 10, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  4. ^ "samuel8955 YouTube Stats, Channel Statistics - Socialblade.com". Socialblade.com. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  5. ^ "Texas Marriages, 1966-2010". FamilySearch. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  6. ^ "Good Looking Parents Q&A". YouTube. April 15, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2017.
  7. ^ Bond, Kimberley (May 20, 2024). "Where are YouTube couple Sam and Nia from Netflix's Ashley Madison documentary now?". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  8. ^ "TUESDAY'S CUTE EIGHT Q&A #7". YouTube. July 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  9. ^ "Tuesday's Cute Eight Q&As #5 by Sam and Nia". YouTube. May 27, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  10. ^ Mehrotra, Kriti (May 15, 2024). "Sam Rader: Where is the YouTuber Now?". Cinemaholic. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Live in Truth: Public Scandal, Secret Vows, Restored Hearts. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  12. ^ "Good Looking Parents Sing Disney's Frozen (Love Is an Open Door)". YouTube. March 10, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  13. ^ "Parents go viral with perfect 'Frozen' lip-sync video". Today. March 14, 2014. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  14. ^ "samuel8955 YouTube Stats, Channel Statistics". Socialblade.com. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  15. ^ "FROZEN'S "IN SUMMER" GETS A REBOOT IN THIS AWESOME NEW VIDEO". Disney. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  16. ^ "HUSBAND SHOCKS WIFE WITH PREGNANCY ANNOUNCEMENT!". YouTube. August 5, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  17. ^ "A Husband Did the Impossible and Surprised His Wife With Their Pregnancy News—Watch Now!". E! Entertainment Television, LLC. A Division of NBCUniversal. August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  18. ^ "Men Shouldn't Get to Surprise Women with a Pregnancy". Vanity Fair, Condé Nast. August 7, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  19. ^ "There's Something a Little Troubling About the Viral Male Pregnancy Reveal Video". Mic Network Inc. August 7, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  20. ^ "Doctors Cast Doubt On Viral Video Stars Sam And Nia's Pregnancy Claims". BuzzFeed News. August 16, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  21. ^ "Vlogger Couple Grieves Miscarriage Three Days After Announcing Pregnancy in Viral Video". Gawker.com. August 10, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  22. ^ "Days After Viral Pregnancy Announcement, YouTube Stars Sam and Nia Share Heartbreaking Miscarriage News". People, Time Inc. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  23. ^ "WHY WE NEVER SAW A DOCTOR". YouTube. August 17, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  24. ^ "Couple Behind Viral Baby Announcement Insists Pregnancy Was Real After Suffering Miscarriage". Inside Edition Inc. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  25. ^ "After a miscarriage, Sam and Nia explain why they don't regret their viral pregnancy announcement". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  26. ^ Coder, Maria. "Sam Rader Admits He Got Physical with Another Vlogger Before Being Thrown out of Convention – but Denies Making Threats". People Magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  27. ^ "The most influential YouTubers of 2015". The Daily Dot. December 24, 2015. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  28. ^ "The YouTube Star Who Surprised His Wife With a Pregnancy Announcement Was on Ashley Madison?!". E! Entertainment Television, LLC. A Division of NBCUniversal. August 21, 2015. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  29. ^ "Oh Crap, Sam Rader Had An Ashley Madison Account". BuzzFeed. August 22, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  30. ^ "Sam Rader of Christian Vloggers "Sam & Nia" Admits He Had Ashley Madison Account". Cosmopolitan, Hearst Communications, Inc. August 22, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  31. ^ "YouTube Surprise Pregnancy Husband Admits To His Ashley Madison Account — But He Says He's Already Been Forgiven, By God And His Wife!". PerezHilton.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  32. ^ "Sam and Nia Star Speaks Out on Ashley Madison Account: 'My Wife Has Forgiven Me'". People.com, Time Inc. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  33. ^ "God forgives Christian YouTube star who used Ashley Madison". National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Retrieved September 2, 2017.
  34. ^ "How a stunt pregnancy announcement, and a miscarriage, turned Sam and Nia into YouTube stars". National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  35. ^ "Viral Christian Vloggers Sam and Nia Are Taking an Internet Break". Cosmopolitan, Hearst Communications, Inc. August 26, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  36. ^ Fequiere, Roxanne. "Sam and Nia Rader on What Happened After Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal". Netflix. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  37. ^ Sarner, Lauren (May 16, 2024). "Ashley Madison Netflix doc: All the celebrities revealed in cheating hack". New York Post. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  38. ^ Aldecoa, Kayla (May 15, 2024). "Who Are YouTube Stars Nia and Sam Rader? Details Amid New Ashley Madison Documentary". InTouch Weekly. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  39. ^ "6 of Your Fave YouTube Stars Who Were Caught in Serious Cheating Scandals". Teen.com, Defy Media. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  40. ^ "7 of YouTube's most shocking scandals, from fake kidnappings to fake pregnancies". Digital Spy, Hearst Magazines UK, Defy Media. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  41. ^ "YOUTUBE'S GOSSIP VLOGGERS HAVE CREATED THEIR OWN TABLOID INDUSTRY". The Verge, Vox Media, Inc. June 7, 2017. Retrieved September 1, 2017.
  42. ^ "In Summer (from "Frozen")". Disney Music. June 6, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  43. ^ "Good Looking Parents Sing Frozen, Again..." YouTube Music Awards. December 17, 2014. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  44. ^ "Nightline, Quest For Clicks". Nightline ABC News. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  45. ^ "Amazon Prime Video". Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  46. ^ "IMDB.com". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  47. ^ "The Artists Music Guild - Awards Search". The Artists Music Guild. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
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