Getty Austin McBroom and Catherine Paiz.
Austin McBroom and Catherine Paiz are social media influencers who share videos of their relationship and family to millions of followers on YouTube. They’re known on YouTube as the “ACE Family.” He’s a former college basketball player who had some success on the court, and she’s a former fitness model.
Together, though, they’re creating a social media empire. It’s not without some controversy. In October 2019, McBroom and Paiz were embroiled in a dispute with fellow YouTuber and makeup artist Cole Carrigan. They’re best known for their family videos, which have made them a fortune. They were just added to Univision’s creator list and live in Los Angeles, California, according to Daily Variety.
How big is the ACE family? So big that, according to Variety, they bring in 100 million video views monthly. “Austin and Catherine are a young, talented family that share our mission to entertain and empower audiences,” said Jennifer Perri, VP of the Univision Creator Network, to Variety. She pointed out that a large Hispanic audience follows the ACE family. “When it came time for them to search for a new network partnership, they came to us and it felt like the right fit.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. McBroom & Paiz Have More Than 17 Million Followers on YouTube, Which Has Made Them Very Wealthy
GettyAustin McBroom and Catherine Paiz, of the Ace Family.
Austin McBroom and his partner Catherine Paiz are YouTube stars. The “Ace Family” page has 17.7 million followers, so there’s a lot at stake. The page showcases the couple’s family and children. The ACE family consists of McBroom, Paiz, and their two daughters. McBroom’s net worth is estimated at around $5 million. Paiz is his fiancee. McBroom also has more than 6 million Instagram followers.
At first, Variety explains, they started out posting prank videos but then switched to family-centered posts.
The Ace family’s fame and high number of social media followers has grown their net worth enough to afford a new mansion. They shared the inside of it on… of course… YouTube. “WE’RE MOVING IN!!! **FINALLY**” they wrote in June 2019 in the caption to a video that was watched more than 8 million times. The video shows McBroom and Paiz walking through the still unfinished mansion and even trying out the kitchen counter stools.
“Just so you guys know, I feel like a lot of people are always like, ‘Oh, why do they need such a big house …’ but to be honest with you, we have so many people that stay with us all the time,” Paiz explained to the camera.
2. Austin McBroom Accused Cole Carrigan of Extortion After Carrigan Lobbed Unproven Allegations at McBroom in a YouTube Video
YouTubeCole Carrigan video screenshot.
McBroom turned to Twitter to respond to accusations leveled by makeup artist Cole Carrigan, writing on Twitter to 1.7 million followers, “I hope you really all understand what’s going on here…”
The McBroom response came after Carrigan, who is also a YouTuber, lodged serious, unverified accusations against McBroom in a sensational YouTube video. The claims then made the rounds widely on social media. Carrigan’s YouTube page has 185,000 followers. The video is titled, “The Truth About The Ace Family..” and it’s been viewed more than 3 million times. Carrigan wrote, “this video had to be made and i hope u guys can understand. thank u for watching..” Heavy is not detailing the accusations made by Carrigan against McBroom because they are not proven or verified. That didn’t stop some people on social media from believing them, sparking a response from McBroom and Paiz.
I hope you really all understand what’s going on here…
The McBroom tweet contained a statement that reads, “If you have not heard, I have recently been a victim of extortion, defamation, and slander. I knew this was a cold world but never did I forsee something this disturbing upon me. Thank you to all of my Ace Family members for all of your concerns and thank you to those who know my character and my heart.”
The post continued, “I don’t wish this upon anyone and I can only hope that those responsible for this learn from their mistakes and become better people. My family and I are dealing with this matter privately and taking legal action. Bullying extortion, slander and defamation of charterer (sic) is something I will not stand for and I can promise that justice will be served.”
Paiz has also responded to the allegations on social media, writing, “I don’t know who’s worse? The person who photoshops conversations OR the people who believe it? NEXT. Can’t break us, ever. ?♀️” She added, “I literally died of laughter
? along with everything else that comes up ?.”
Carrigan responded to the Paiz photoshop tweet with a string of expletives and more claims, denying what Paiz wrote. “wait is this b*tch delusional?” the tweet started. Carrigan also wrote, “yes i know i leaked my own number and yes i already changed it. ?”
It’s not the first time that McBroom has found himself in the middle of controversy. According to Newsweek, he was criticized for “buying a young girl a phallic-shaped lollipop.” According to Buzzfeed, McBroom was also criticized over old tweets that people felt were disparaging to black women.
McBroom turned to video to deny he’s racist.
The couple still has many fans and celebrity friends; no other than Kylie Jenner threw them a gender reveal party.
3. McBroom Is a Former College Basketball Player
McBroom once had a different focus: College basketball. Sports-reference.com lists McBroom as playing for “Central Michigan, Saint Louis and Eastern Washington” as a 5 foot 9 inch tall, 165 pound guard. His high school was Campball Hall and he’s listed as being from Los Angeles.
According to the site, he played in 130 college games. He went undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft. In 2014-15, St. Louis Men’s Basketball wrote that McBroom “Played in all 32 games and was fourth on the team in scoring with 6.7 ppg … second on the squad with a 42.9 percent shooting mark from 3-point range, the best percentage by a junior in school history …”
Spokesman.com reports that McBroom was once “the third-ranked 3-point shooter in the nation in his only season at Eastern.”
McBroom was a promising athlete in high school. The St. Louis men’s team bio says he was a “heralded three-sport athlete at Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood, Calif., also playing football and baseball … averaged 25.1 ppg his senior season en route to being named first-team All-CIF Division 3AA … All-State selection in both basketball and football … as a freshman, played on the Vikings’ state championship team that also featured Jrue Holiday … was a running back on the football team and played shortstop on the baseball squad.”
4. Catherine Paiz Is a Former Fitness Model Who Has Acted in a Couple Movies
According to the Spokesman-Review, Paiz is a former fitness model. The couple’s first child is named Elle, and some of their videos show things like McBroom helping Elle with potty training.
When the pair had only 1.4 million YouTube followers, that newspaper estimated they were bringing in at least $250,000. For starters. How old is Catherine Paiz? She was born August 24, 1990. How old is McBroom? He was born May 20, 1992. According to her IMDB profile, Paiz has acted in a couple movies: You Can’t Have It; Monday Nights at Seven; and Lilin’s Brood.
According to Newsweek, Catherine Paiz was born in Montreal but moved with her family to Miami, Florida as a child. She “began modeling in her teens and attended St. Louis College,” Newsweek reports, adding that she met Austin McBroom in 2015 at a dinner party. They started their YouTube channel when Elle was born and the term “Ace Family” is an acronym for their three first names.
They’re engaged – not married – since 2017 and now have a second daughter named Alaïa in October of the next year. They have yet to wed.
Their videos are titled things like “Who does our baby love more?!?!” and “taking a pregnancy test on camera!!!”
5. McBroom’s Dad Was Surprised by His Social Media Career But He Was a Communication Major in College
McBroom’s father spoke to Spokesman.com and revealed he thought his son would still be interested in basketball after college.
An Eastern Washington Eagles bio for McBroom states that his parents are Allen and Michale McBroom. “Majoring in communications at Eastern. Born May 20, 1992. His parents are Allen and Michale McBroom,” the site wrote.
“He’s had more success than we could have imagined,” Allen McBroom told Spokesman.com. “And he gets to be with his family every day.” Allen McBroom is the chief operations officer for The Painted Turtle, which is a charity with a mission to provide “a year-round, life-changing environment and authentic camp experience for children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.”
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