Anna McNulty burst onto the social-media scene as a self-taught contortionist from rural New Brunswick. She began cheerleading at age 10 and only gradually discovered how far she could bend – “I started stretching to get more flexible for cheerleading,” she recalls – eventually teaching herself full contortion on the side. In 2015-2016 she launched Instagram and YouTube channels to share her routines, tutorials and flexibility challenges. By 2020, as a high-school senior, McNulty had already amassed roughly 1.65 million YouTube subscribers, 4.6 million TikTok followers and 733,000 Instagram followers, after posting viral videos (for example, her wall-supported oversplits routinely earned millions of views). Those early viral moments – often simple split and backbend tutorials – built her audience and “taught me that I could definitely teach people online how to do it too,” she later said in interviews. (She even won a 2016 dance-wear contest, winning a Los Angeles shoot with Limelight Dancewear that same year.)
Career Evolution
After going viral, McNulty evolved her channel and brand. She leveraged her following into product partnerships and content pivots. By 2020 she was collaborating with major fitness and lifestyle brands – sponsoring videos for gym apparel brand Gymshark and haircare company Function of Beauty – and even co-designing merchandise. For example, Toronto-based Rhythm Jewelry released a “Forever Flexible” necklace line in her name, and she helped launch a stretch-focused clothing line with Rose Fitness Apparel. Rather than resting on tutorials alone, she diversified her videos to include flexibility challenges, day-in-the-life vlogs, and collaborations with other YouTubers. (In one popular challenge, she attempted to hold her splits for 24 hours straight.) McNulty has also made appearances in kid‑friendly media: in 2024 she attended Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards (dressed in a neon-green slime dress) and was featured in the network’s press releases. In May 2025 Nickelodeon even had her reveal nominees for the Kids’ Choice Awards’ “Favorite Breakout Creator”, cementing her profile as a youth‑oriented influencer. Despite these mainstream nods, McNulty remains primarily a digital content creator – she continues to post weekly videos on her YouTube channels (with playlists like “Flexibility Routines” and “2025 Stretches”) and daily TikToks. Her content stays true to her brand: new workouts, contortion tricks, and stretch tutorials mixed with personal Q&As.
- Major partnerships: Collaborations with Gymshark and Function of Beauty; released branded merchandise (e.g. a signature “Forever Flexible” jewelry line) with partners like Rhythm Jewelry.
- Media milestones: Named YouTube’s Top Canadian Creator for 2023 by Google; appeared at events like Nickelodeon’s Kids’ Choice Awards 2024; moderated sweepstakes and reveal videos in 2025.
- Content growth: Evolved from basic tutorials to high-production challenges and lifestyle vlogs; expanded into a second YouTube channel (“Anna McNulty Stretches”) for longer workouts and giveaways.
Current Status (2025)
As of 2025, Anna McNulty is still very much an active creator. Google’s official blog even hailed her as the year’s “Top Canadian Creator” in late 2023. Canadian media note that her “viral contortion videos” have “shocked and inspired millions of people on the internet”. In other words, she continues to command a global audience. While her subscriber counts continue to grow (she now has on the order of 10–12 million followers on her main channels), McNulty’s strategy has not radically shifted – she still posts mix of flexibility routines, Q&A livestreams, and fun challenge videos. She has deferred college to focus on her career; indeed, she told a CBC-affiliate in 2020 that she’d taken a gap year to work on her social media full-time. In interviews she emphasizes that her life is still centered on content creation. For example, she describes a typical filming day stretching “from 10 AM to 9 PM,” editing and uploading content around the clock, and jokes that she even has to “force” herself to take days off. In short, McNulty remains a full-time influencer: releasing new videos and participating in sponsored campaigns, while eyeing future projects (she has teased ideas like fitness guides and possibly world-record attempts to keep fans engaged).
Influence & Cultural Impact
McNulty’s influence has extended well beyond her Canadian hometown. She helped spark a community of flexibility enthusiasts worldwide. Viewers in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia follow her tutorials to improve their own splits and backbends – a niche community that she helped pioneer online. Google’s awards notice highlights that her channel “helps viewers improve their range of motion and flexibility”. Her content aligns fitness with entertainment, reaching not just dancers but anyone interested in wellness or gymnastics-inspired workouts. One industry observer noted that social platforms have democratized the dance world: “People in really small towns or remote locations now have a shot at the same opportunities as dancers based in cities like Los Angeles or New York,” reflecting the level playing field platforms afford performers. Anna herself became a role model of sorts for young aspiring gymnasts and dancers who see her rural-to-global story and think, “If she can do it, maybe I can too.”
- Global reach: Officially recognized as Canada’s top YouTuber of 2023; media report her videos have “shocked and inspired millions” of viewers worldwide.
- Fanbase: Predominantly Gen Z and young millennial audiences (fans often cite her as motivation for exercise/stretch routines). Her community is active: fan pages and remix TikToks of her splits tutorials are common, indicating a lively international following.
- Genre impact: McNulty helped popularize contortion and stretching videos on TikTok and YouTube. Before creators like her, such niche content was rare on social media; now, dozens of “stretch-tutorial” channels have appeared in her wake.
Comparisons & Context
Anna McNulty’s career is part of a broader shift in how dancers and performers emerge in the internet age. Consider these parallels:
- Sofie Dossi – Another young contortionist/influencer (American-born, America’s Got Talent alumna) who built a 10+ million–subscriber YouTube following through similar flexibility stunts. Both Sofie and Anna were self-taught gymnasts-turned-YouTubers, though Dossi’s initial fame came from TV exposure while McNulty’s came entirely online.
- Charli D’Amelio – A TikTok native who, around the same time McNulty was rising, went viral with short choreographed dances to pop songs. Charli (and peers like Addison Rae) exemplify the traditional “dance influencer” model: quick viral routines in teen-pop style. McNulty differs by focusing on flexibility training rather than mainstream choreographies – carving out her own niche in the broad dance/fitness genre.
- Misty Copeland – In contrast to social-media stars, Copeland followed the classical ballet trajectory. She made history as the first Black principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre (named principal in 2015). Copeland’s rise was through institutions (ballet schools, competitions, ABT) rather than online platforms. Anna’s path shows that today’s performers often skip the gatekeepers; whereas Misty’s breakthroughs happened on stage and in major media, McNulty’s came on smartphones and algorithm feeds.
- Other influencers – Social media has also produced famous dancers (e.g. TikTok’s Sparkles* or Hollywood’s child prodigy dancers), but few have blended “athlete meets entertainer” like McNulty. For contortion specifically, McNulty and Dossi stand out as the most prominent North American examples, each inspiring younger contortionists.
In sum, Anna’s story highlights a generational contrast: where once dancers relied on schools or Broadway, now even a small‑town Canadian teen can cultivate a global audience from her basement studio.
Business & Personal Ventures
Beyond video content, McNulty has turned her personal brand into business ventures. She co-designed an activewear collection (sold via YouTube announcements) and maintains an official merchandise store selling hoodies, notebooks and mugs printed with her slogans. In 2020 she also partnered with two apparel and accessories brands (as noted, Gymshark and Function of Beauty) and launched themed products with third parties (e.g. the “Forever Flexible” jewelry line). These moves show her savvy in monetizing the “flexibility” theme. McNulty often remarks in interviews that she prefers calling herself a video creator rather than an “influencer,” underscoring that her focus is content-based, not purely advertising.
On a personal note, she chose to pause higher education plans to ride the momentum of her platforms. (She had been accepted to university but decided a gap year – in effect, an entrepreneurial leave – was more prudent.) In wellness terms, she advocates balance: though her skills are extreme, she regularly stresses that “anyone can improve flexibility” with commitment. We haven’t seen McNulty author any books or apps yet, but her official site sells a “365 Days of Stretches Journal,” and she frequently promotes at-home fitness. To date she hasn’t publicly launched philanthropy or teaching seminars, but many fans use her videos in home gyms and fitness classes worldwide.
Challenges & Controversies
By most accounts, McNulty’s career has been relatively scandal-free. She has not been embroiled in any public controversies or drama beyond the usual online chatter among fans. Instead, the biggest challenges she faces seem to be the grind of influencer life itself. In interviews she admits content creation became a relentless job: one 2020 Tubefilter profile quotes her saying a typical shoot-edit-upload cycle could run from “10 AM to 9 PM” each day, and that she often has to force herself to take time off. Physically, she notes she doesn’t train obsessively: “I don’t practice for a specific amount of time every day” and “I’m not practicing for hours on end”, because overstretching risks injury. (Her friends and family occasionally express mild concern over such flexibility, but she has not reported any major injuries so far.) McNulty does admit to the usual social-media pressures: managing trolls, privacy, and the pressure to constantly top her last video. However, she largely handles negativity by refusing to engage and by maintaining that positive “creator” identity. In short, her setbacks have been mostly logistical and emotional – the long hours, performance anxiety, and uncertainty that many YouTubers share – rather than concrete public scandals.
Broader Significance
Anna McNulty’s journey illustrates key truths about Gen‑Z influencer culture. Her rise shows how anyone with a phone and a niche talent can gain global recognition, validating what observers note about today’s “culture industry”: it’s more open but also more capricious. On one hand, McNulty’s success supports the optimistic view (as Business Insider reported) that social apps are a “gold mine” for undiscovered talent – even in “small towns,” a skilled dancer can directly reach audiences and win gigs without intermediaries. On the other hand, her career underscores the precarious “pyramid” of influencers. As The Atlantic points out, “54% of young Americans would become an influencer if given the chance” – a sign of Gen Z’s financial uncertainty – yet only a tiny fraction ever achieve multi‑million followings. Most creators toil with uncertain pay and constant hustle. McNulty’s diversification into merchandise and brand deals hints at how online stars must branch out to sustain themselves.
More specifically for the world of dance and contortion, her story reveals that these art forms have found a new digital stage. Acrobatic dance used to be confined to circuses or TV talent shows, but now it lives on phones. Through Anna and peers like Sofie Dossi, contortion has become legible to the average viewer – one swipe or click, and a teen anywhere can watch a mind-bending bend. This reflects a broader trend: social media is rewriting how performing arts thrive. Ballet companies now post TikToks of rehearsals, and choreographers land jobs by going viral, as covered in recent dance-industry analyses. McNulty’s niche is extreme-body contortion rather than classical technique, but her path parallels other innovators who broke dance norms via the internet.
In the end, Anna McNulty’s trajectory offers a snapshot of influencer fame in flux. She capitalized on an early wave of platform growth to build a seven-figure audience, showing the rapid upward potential for talented young creators. But her story also highlights sustainability issues: even as she turned her flexing into real-world products and media appearances, she remains subject to the fickle tastes of algorithms and trends. Her experience echoes the cautionary notes of commentators who warn that only a few “mega-influencers” reach stardom, while countless others strive without guarantee. For today’s aspiring creators, McNulty’s success is inspiring – proof that niche passion can turn global – yet it also exemplifies the ongoing hustle required to make that virality last.
Insight: McNulty’s path suggests that social-media fame can start with a personal passion and seemingly overnight success, but making it sustainable requires continual adaptation. She has expanded her brand through merchandising, partnerships and new platforms, reflecting how Gen-Z influencers must treat their following as both an audience and a business. Her story underscores that viral fame alone is fleeting – the future belongs to those who can blend creative skill with savvy entrepreneurship, much as she has done.
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