Inside Ms. Rachel's rollercoaster rise to fame: How YouTube star made millions despite backlash and controversy

Daily Mail​

a day ago

If you have a child under five years old, than you've probably heard of Ms. Rachel.
With her signature pink headband, pink T-shirt, and blue overalls, she has become a staple in the homes of millions of families across the globe.
The star, 42, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, has been transformed into a massive phenomenon thanks to her educational videos for children - wracking up billions of views on her YouTube channel, Songs for Littles, and earning her millions of dollars along the way.
Her sudden burst onto the scene in 2019 was certainly an unexpected one.
Before she became the internet's most trusted voice for toddlers, she was a preschool music teacher.
She started posting videos online after she struggled to find resources to help her own son when he developed a 'severe speech delay' - and she certainly didn't expect it to take off the way it did, nor for it to transform her into a star.
But her journey has not been easy, as the internet sensation has faced a slew of scandals and setbacks along the way.
She has openly struggled with the sudden fame and attention and has had to take multiple social media breaks over the years due to the immense pressure of being thrust into the public eye practically overnight.
The mother-of-two has also faced severe backlash over a few controversial comments that she made over the years.
In fact, Rachel has been in the news for something other than her catchy songs over the last few months: her unwavering support of Palestinian children in Gaza.
The educator also recently made headlines when she lashed out at critics after actress Olivia Munn shunned her show, slamming the news for not covering the people in Gaza instead.
As Ms. Rachel's brazen comments continue to put her in the hot seat, DailMail.com has taken a look back at her rollercoaster-ride rise to fame.
How Ms. Rachel used her music and education backgrounds to launch her groundbreaking YouTube channel after her son developed a speech delay
Rachel was born on November 30, 1980, in Biddeford, Maine, and was raised by a single mom in the small town of Sanford.
The YouTube star previously explained on the The Drew Barrymore Show that she likely wouldn't be where she was now had it not been for her mother's strength and determination.
'[I was raised] by a super strong wonderful single mom who - she's just incredible,' she explained on the show.
'She would set her mind to something and just do it, it's such an extraordinary example to watch her and it's why I think through my life I've been like, "I want to try this. I want to make this show and I'm just going to do it."
'She went back to finish college she worked at a daycare during the week, and at Pizza Hut as a waitress on the weekends.
'She went back and got a master's, and viewing that was extraordinary as a child. I was like, "I can do anything."'
Regarding her own education, Ms. Rachel graduated from the University of Southern Maine.
She went on to receive her master's degree in music education and a second master's degree in early childhood education from New York University.
The internet personality worked as a music teacher at a preschool in New York City during the early years of her career.
She started dating her now-husband, Broadway music director and composter Aron Accurso, sometime in 2010 after they met at a Unitarian church on the Upper East Side, according to The New York Times.
They tied the knot in 2016, and welcomed their son Thomas in 2018.
After becoming a mom, her passion for child development, paired with her music background, led her to a groundbreaking career shift.
'When my son was born, I stayed home with him for a year and saw how much music helped with soothing, bonding, play, and language development,' Rachel previously explained.
'I created an in-person baby/toddler music class informed by my music education teaching skills, which I then moved online to YouTube because I wanted the classes to be more accessible.'
She started her YouTube channel Songs for Littles in 2019, after she said she struggled to find online resources to help her son when he had a 'severe speech delay.'
'His first word was at two years and eight months and it was "mama" and I had waited for that for so long,' she detailed to NBC News.
'As a parent, you want to do anything you can to help them and it's not our fault when our child has a speech delay.
'A lot of things I teach are things I wish I had known for my son. I thought, "Wouldn't it be great if there was a show that really encouraged language development and worked on these important milestones and was slow-paced and a real person and very interactive?"'
After her YouTube channel became a massive success - earning her $15.7 million per year - she struggled to adjust to the sudden attention
As the COVID-19 pandemic kept families indoors, Songs for Littles began spreading quickly amongst parents looking for meaningful screen time for their children.
Her videos consist of her singing a combination of covers and original children's songs that help youngsters with their pronunciation and language skills.
Unlike many bright, flashy kids' channels, hers felt calm, purposeful, and soothing.
Dressed in her signature pink T-shirt and overalls, she looks directly into the camera, speaks slowly and clearly, and repeats simple phrases like, 'Can you say, "ball?"'
The results were staggering and parents flooded the comments with emotional messages about how their children were finally speaking after watching Ms. Rachel.
Her videos quickly started to go viral, and soon, her channel had taken off.
By 2023, she had become a household name among families with young children, and now, Ms. Rachel's channel has now amassed 15.2 million subscribers and billions of views.
According to Social Blade, her catchy tunes have earned her yearly earnings of up to $15.7 million, raking in between $77,000 to $1.2 million per month.
And in January, Netflix signed a deal with Ms. Rachel for an undisclosed amount.
But the star - who went on to welcome a daughter, named Susannah, with her husband in April 2025 via surrogate - struggled to adjust to the sudden attention.
She has been open about the difficulties of managing her booming career with parenthood.
'It's been hard to balance everything, which I think a lot of parents feel, but it was really important to me to have all that knowledge and early childhood to being in this field,' she told People in 2023.
'I felt that it was crucial for me to have that and I feel more confident. I just feel like I have a lot of tools.
'I've learned to help parents and I think I have a good work-life balance. Sometimes it takes us a while to get things out, but it's important to me to have that.'
In early 2023, Rachel made headlines when she took a brief step back from TikTok and other social media platforms, citing the toll that negative comments had taken on her mental health.
'I'm taking a break from TikTok for my mental health,' Ms. Rachel announced at the time.
She added in the caption: 'Hurtful videos and comments, no matter how much attention they get, will not bring you want you want. Only love can do that.'
Around that time, a nasty troll had commented on one of Rachel's Instagram videos saying she should 'lose weight and try to be prettier.'
She clapped back: 'Finishing my second masters in education while someone comments I've gained weight and should lose weight and try to be prettier if I'm going to have a show teaching toddlers.'
In early 2025, Rachel took another long absence from the platform, later revealing that 'family issues' were the reason.
Her sudden disappearance raised eyebrows and sparked concern from parents who depend on her videos.
At the time, Ms. Rachel wrote in a social media comment: 'I'm sorry. We've had some family things to attend to.' She has since returned to social media.
Ms. Rachel has faced a slew of backlash over her comments about Palestinian children in Gaza and her inclusion of a nonbinary musician in her videos
Over the years, Ms. Rachel has become embroiled in controversy multiple times.
In 2023, the child educator received backlash from parents who called her content 'inappropriate' after she featured nonbinary musician Jules Hoffman in a video.
Rachel including someone who uses they/them pronouns started a fierce debate online, and led to some of her fans announcing that they will no longer be watching her content.
In the past year, Rachel has also angered some with her outspoken advocacy on behalf of Palestinian children in Gaza who have been under consistent violence by Israel.
She has used her platform to raise awareness about the conditions faced by children there, including lack of access to food, education, and medical care.
Ms. Rachel has even made videos with Palestinian children who were able to escape Gaza - including three-year-old Rahaf who was left a double amputee after Israel's siege of the region.
She has repeatedly said that her advocacy is non-negotiable - even if it comes at the expense of her career.
'I am fully willing to risk my career for this,' she stated in a video shared earlier this year. 'It is more important to me to speak out than to remain silent.'
Her advocacy has included re-sharing posts from humanitarian organizations, educating her followers about the crisis, and calling for an end to the violence.
She posted a song on Instagram in prayer for all of the people involved in the war, begging, 'Please stop hurting them.'
Some have praised Ms. Rachel for speaking out, while others have accused her of anti-Semitism.
Most recently, the educator hit out at Olivia after the actress shunned her popular kids show.
While chatting with People last week, Munn - who is mom to two kids - explained her personal preferences when it comes to the kind of children's content she allows in her household.
'I know kids love [Ms. Rachel], but the thing is, if I can't watch it, I'm not going to spend the rest of my life going crazy,' she said, in part.
While Munn's comments appeared to be more about her personal viewing preferences than criticism of Ms. Rachel specifically, it did not stop online speculation that she was throwing shade at the YouTube star.
In response, Ms. Rachel commented directly on a social media post discussing Olivia's comment, writing, 'I'd rather you cover my advocacy for kids in Gaza.'
She later followed up with a post on her own Instagram account, sharing screenshots of those comments alongside a caption that read: 'WHO CARES?!
'I'd rather you cover me advocating for kids in Gaza who are literally starving, [the] largest cohort of child amputees in modern history, thousands and thousands killed – no medical care, no education, no homes… do better,' she added.
She emphasized that her frustration was directed at the coverage - not at Munn.
'Not against her at all and don't care that she doesn't want to watch the show - all my love to her and her family - disappointed in the outlets,' she wrote.