Kai Cenat Turned Down $60 Million Early in His Career: “Not All Money Is Good Money”

Online streamer and influencer Kai Cenat generated millions of subscribers by showing his authentic personality online. And that's no exaggeration. On Sept. 28, 2025, the Twitch star announced on social media that, after a challenging year, he reached a pivotal milestone in his career. In a historic first for the platform, Kai reached 1 million paid subscribers on the 27th day of his Mafiathon 3 subathon.

"STARTING 2025 I WAS A LITTLE LOST AND DIDN’T KNOW HOW IT WAS GONNA GO," he admitted while celebrating the achievement on his X (formerly Twitter) account. "BUT FAST FORWARD AND NOW I'M HERE 1,000,000 SUBS THANK YOU GODGOAL IS OFFICIALLY COMPLETE."

Kai's road to success may have come quickly to some, but for the New York native, it arrived right on time —and not without sacrifice. Before he won over the hearts of millions, he shared that he bravely walked away from even more millions.

During his Mafiathon streaming marathon, Kai spoke to Kirk Franklin about a decision he made to pass down a deal that could've earned him $60 million. The gamer shared with the gospel singer that he felt anyone could learn from “the letdowns and the failures" that come with a path to success.

“I learned that not all money is good money,” Kai told Kirk in the stream. “Like a lot of the time, there’s gonna be times and opportunities where you’re gonna wanna get money to do certain things that you wouldn’t normally do. Like, 2023, my first Mafiathon ever, I was offered like $60 million. $60 million to do something that I did not want to do, which is like gambling and stuff like that. I didn’t wanna take it because I knew it would mess me up. I knew it would make me lose focus on what I’ve got going on right now.”

Kirk, flabbergasted, replied by telling Kai, "You are lying to me." Kai added more to the conversation, stating that he knew accepting the Mafiathon offer wouldn't be something he would be proud of in the long term. He also said that his reaching “financial freedom" ahead of the offer made it easier for him to decline the offer.

"I said no,” Kai further explained. “The first thing I did, I went to my closet. We got off the call, I went into my closet, and I just asked God. I said, ‘Listen. … I’mma say no right now.’ I don’t wanna take the short-term. I wanna be able to take the long-term."

As Kai told his story, Kirk shared how much he admired and respected him for choosing his faith and morals. Underneath the clip, which was posted by @FearedBuck, fans also applauded Kai and admitted they likely wouldn't of had the same conviction.

"Kai rejecting that $60 million deal is the type and temptation and adversity that God talks about in the bible," one user said.

"He saved all his fans from watching those boring ahh slots/gambling streams," another joked.

"Kai really turned down that bag? Respect the hustle," a third user shared.

According to Celebrity Net worth, Kai is worth $35 million. While it's not quite what he was offered, his current net worth is likely something he's proud of, as he didn't have to compromise himself to attain it.