Filipino-Canadian Nurse John makes Forbes Top Creators 2026 list with $7.2 million earnings. ARCHIVE
Filipino-Canadian social media star Nurse John has made the Forbes Top Creators 2026 list after turning relatable stories about life in healthcare into a multimillion-dollar entertainment career.
Nurse John, whose real name is John Dela Cruz, ranked 28th on the global list, with Forbes estimating his earnings at $7.2 million. He has a combined 19.2 million followers, an average engagement rate of 12.97 percent and an entrepreneurship score of three.
Forbes described him as a nurse-turned-comedian who “has turned hospital burnout into a multimillion-dollar stand-up career.”
The Filipino-Canadian creator built a massive online following through comedy videos inspired by the realities of nursing, from exhausting shifts and demanding patients to the shared experiences of healthcare workers.
His sketches, often featuring exaggerated characters and situations familiar to nurses, helped him expand beyond social media and into live entertainment.
Nurse John has since transformed his online popularity into a successful stand-up career. According to Forbes, he sold more than 250,000 tickets for his Short-Staffed Tour in 2024, including sold-out runs in Australia and New Zealand.
His international momentum continued in 2026, when he sold out 22 shows across Europe. The achievement places him among digital creators who have successfully turned large online audiences into businesses extending beyond social media.
Forbes said creators are increasingly building major entertainment and commercial operations around their personal brands. “Social media entrepreneurs are now building hundred-person studios, leading national advertising campaigns and even beating Hollywood at the box office,” according to Forbes. “As these new platforms continue to go mainstream and grow, entrepreneurial Forbes Top Creators continue to expand their brands and empires.”
MrBeast tops Forbes Top Creators 2026 list
MrBeast topped the Forbes Top Creators 2026 list with estimated earnings of $300 million. The YouTube superstar visited Dubai earlier this year for the 1 Billion Followers Summit.
He was followed by Dhar Mann with estimated earnings of $65 million and Steven Bartlett with $52 million. Forbes evaluates creators using factors including estimated earnings, total followers and entrepreneurship.
Meanwhile, Palestinian-American comedian and digital creator Anwar Jibawi ranked 47th on the Forbes Top Creators 2026 list, with estimated earnings of $5 million.
Forbes recorded his combined following at 83.9 million, with an average engagement rate of 0.13 percent and an entrepreneurship score of three. According to Forbes, he now runs a production studio in downtown Los Angeles with two writers and two producers, creating comedy sketches and directing music videos. He also entered the restaurant business with Anwar’s Kitchen, a Middle Eastern fusion concept in Los Angeles. CAM/Expat Media
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