Josh Liljenquist

Josh Liljenquist didn’t set out to become one of the most-watched kindness creators in the world. He set out to help people — and discovered that social media, pointed in the right direction, could multiply a single act of kindness into life-changing support.

Known online as JoshLilj, Josh built an audience of more than 34 million followers across platforms by doing something radically simple: showing up in person for people in hard moments. Handing out meals in Minneapolis. Buying a homeless man interview clothes. Sitting down with a stranger and listening before helping. The videos are short, but the follow-through is long.

The engine behind the mission is his audience. Josh supplies the attention; the community funds the outcome. When Josh featured Chuck, an 88-year-old homeless Army veteran, viewers raised over $300,000 and Chuck moved off the streets into a condo. When he featured Sheena and her one-year-old son, the audience raised over $500,000 to move them from homelessness toward stability. Across featured stories, more than $1.7 million in support has been publicly documented.

The work is built on standards most creators never write down: consent, dignity, case-by-case review of every nomination, and a public trust-and-care policy. Behind the camera is a small team — including people who first met Josh as the subject of a fundraiser — reviewing stories with lived perspective.

Brands have partnered on brand-supported acts of kindness, and the work has been covered by major outlets. The mission stays the same regardless of the sponsor: find real stories, treat people with dignity, and use the platform to help when help is needed most.