Destiny (streamer)


Steven Kenneth Bonnell II, better known by his online alias Destiny, is an American Twitch streamer and YouTube personality. Bonnell was among the first people to commit to full-time streaming and received some attention as a pioneer of the emerging industry.

Early life

Bonnell grew up in Omaha in a conservative Catholic home. He is of Cuban descent on his mother's side. He attended Creighton Preparatory School, a private, Jesuit high school in Omaha. When he was in his teens his parents moved to take care of an aging relative and he lived with his grandmother until he was 18. He attended the University of Nebraska, working at a local casino and dropping out in 2010. He worked in restaurants and as a carpet cleaner.

Career

Bonnell began his online career as a professional player who livestreamed his matches. According to Bonnell, he first started livestreaming in January 2011 on the website Justin.tv. Bonnell eventually signed with Quantic Gaming. Later, Bonnell would end up 4th in the 2011 MLG Global North American invitational.
Bonnell has also received coverage for his live-streamed political debates. Bonnell, along with Natalie Wynn, were credited by YouTuber Caleb Cain for his turn away from the alt-right. The New York Times has also identified Bonnell's political content, and particularly his combative debating style, as a force that has successfully worked against the far-right radicalization which some people experience through watching online videos. Bonnell describes himself as a rule utilitarian and a social democrat.
Throughout Bonnell's early career, he was well known for his provocative persona and common use of crass language. This led to temporary suspensions from the Twitch platform for insensitive language.
A debate between Bonnell and well-known YouTuber JonTron became popular and controversial.

Personal life

Bonnell lives in Los Angeles. He has a son who lives in Nebraska.