American YouTube and Instagram star Runik is known for his signature brand of comedy, vlogs, and other entertaining content on social media. One of his first viral videos was filmed from his hospital bed, while he was being treated for cancer. In fact, he created a GoFundMe page to raise money for his cancer treatment. He not only beat cancer but also diversified his career with hip-hop and rap music and acting. He is now a father of two.American YouTube and Instagram star Runik is known for his signature brand of comedy, vlogs, and other entertaining content on social media. One of his first viral videos was filmed from his hospital bed, while he was being treated for cancer. In fact, he created a GoFundMe page to raise money for his cancer treatment. He not only beat cancer but also diversified his career with hip-hop and rap music and acting. He is now a father of two.
Early Life
Louisiana native Mike Castillo is better known by his online pseudonym, Runik. He has Hispanic roots. He left his 9-5 job because he felt he should be associated with the entertainment world. By then, he already had a massive following on Instagram. He decided to team up with his friend, Funny Mike, to create entertaining videos.
Social Media Career
Best known for his eye-catching Instagram posts on his account, @runiktv, Runik is also a talented musician. On January 7, 2019, he released his first single, Demons After Me, while on December 28, 2019, he released his debut EP, Life, of a Twisted, and Fantasy. Some of his popular tracks include Change on Me, Change Up (feat. TJE Mike), It Ain’t Nice, Way Too Long, Dreaming, and War.
He launched his YouTube channel, Runiktv, on February 25, 2015. His content on the platform mostly consists of vlogs, pranks, and commentaries. In fact, his first viral video was filmed from his hospital bed, while he was being treated for cancer. He has amassed over 1.9 million subscribers on the channel since then.
Some of his most popular videos on YouTube have been Lacing Trey PRANK on Ar’mon & FunnyMike *VERY FUNNY, I’M PREGNANT BY YOUR FRIEND PRANK!! ON KING W/ NIQUE & FUNNYMIKE, and ABUSIVE BOYFRIEND PRANK ON FUNNYMIKE!! *WILD! He once put a firecracker in his mouth and blew it up for a video.
One of his earliest posts on Instagram dates back to October 2015. Over the years, he has gained more than 1.8 million followers on the platform.
Apart from being a hip-hop and rap artist, he is also venturing into movies and shows. He is currently working on a show with the Zeus Network.
Family
Though not much is known about Runik’s family, it is known that he has an older sister.
Runik has reportedly dated social media star Hali in the past. In October 2020, Runik announced via Instagram that he and his then-girlfriend, Sierraslaays, were expecting their first child. They had their son, Ressiah Divine, in May 2021. The couple then had a daughter, Zariyah Lynn, in December 2022. They also managed a collaborative YouTube channel, Runik & Sierra.
Runik is known for his signature curly hair. He also sports a lipstick mark tattoo on his neck.
In 2017, Runik was diagnosed with a type of blood cancer known as diffuse large B cell lymphoma. He underwent several chemotherapy sessions. Runik also launched a GoFundMe page to crowdfund his treatment. By 2020, Runik had successfully beaten cancer.
