Say what you will about the cast of Hype House, but there’s no denying that Alex Warren is an American success story. From overcoming homelessness and the death of his parents to making videos on his neighbor’s webcam in 2011 to now transforming himself into a self-made millionaire creating some of the most viral internet videos of his generation, his story is nothing short of inspirational. On the Netflix original show Hype House — a Shakespearean reality drama that looks at the lives of America’s most notorious TikTok influencers — Warren stands out as the moral center. Sure, he plays inconsiderate pranks, plans fake weddings for the sake of engagement and appears to be some type of “bad boy.” But he’s also the show’s beating heart — the one who pours all he has into the work, the one who supports his family members, friends and everyone around him in every way possible. (Plus, he came up with the name “Hype House,” so we’re giving credit where it’s due. “They were walking around being like, ‘Let's name it House of Olympus,’ and I was like, ‘That is terrible. It's not going to be a thing,’ ” he laughs.)

We sat down with Warren to discuss his journey to TV stardom, mental health, what it’s like making millions before even hitting legal drinking age and how exactly he lodged a bullet in his lung. That one, you’ll have to read on for. And, as always, be warned: Spoilers follow.

You’ve had quite the journey to social media fame, and you’ve been really candid with your audience about your past. Tell us how you got to this point and what it took to get there.

My entire life in the last four years has been a rollercoaster. I've experienced more shit than any average adult has. When I was 17, about to turn 18, my mom gave me an eviction notice and I just left. It was a very toxic household. I'm not going to get into it because my mom did pass away, but it was pretty bad. I was like, "I can't live here anymore" and I left. I didn't have anywhere to go, so my friends would let me sleep in their cars.

I think I spent four or five months sleeping in cars. When I would make $100 a month off my YouTube videos, I would get a Motel 6 for the night. Kouvr was homeless with me for about three of those months, and our videos started really taking off after the last two months. Once I started making $2,000 a month, I decided to rent a guest house off of one of my friends. Then we got an apartment and moved all my friends in.

On the show, you speak openly about the death of your dad, your mom’s battle with alcoholism and just generally not having a happy childhood. Is sharing your story online part of your grieving process?

There’s a lot of things I never got to do. Living out my dream childhood is essentially just like me being a dumbass for a year or two, doing things I was never able to do. It’s “go big or go home,” get it out of my system and then become an amazing father and an amazing husband. I do a lot of the things that most people view as vulnerable. [I’m] sharing my story because I know damn well there's kids who have terrible things happening to them right now, and they want to do exactly what I'm doing. They feel like the odds are against them and it'll never happen. It’s so cliché in this business, but, truthfully, if I did it, you could do it. That’s what I'm trying to show them without saying those words, so that way, they believe it. 

There’s a moment in the show where you discuss your circumstance, but stress that your life wasn't perfect. It might’ve come off as disingenuous, but then you point out that people would roll their eyes at that. It felt very–

Self-aware?

Yeah. But there’s the danger of “Is this performative self-awareness, or is this real self-awareness?”

Sure. The only reason I think I'm qualified to make that statement is because I've been everywhere. I've been negative $400, wondering how I'm going to eat my next meal. You don't know where you're sleeping tonight. I've lived through my childhood in a very privileged position, but I had an abusive alcoholic mother and a dead dad. When they say money can't make you happy, it can sure as fuck help you. I got everything I wanted in life and more. I'm in a great position where I don't have to worry about things that I used to worry about. But I still have pent-up trauma and depression. I can't ask for sympathy, nor would I ever, but I don't think anyone could ever not justify why I could be depressed. And that's where I think the disconnect is. I've definitely been through it all, and it's really cool to see everyone's perspectives, because I understand where a lot of people are coming from.

Did you have other career ambitions, if being a content creator didn’t pan out? 

Everyone gave me shit for not having a plan B, but there was no choice. It was either do this or be homeless. I couldn't go to school. I got kicked out because I wasn't able to show up because I was homeless. I didn't have a car. Everyone would always be like, "What's your backup plan?" I'm like, "I know I'm going to do this." It was a feeling I had. I don't know if it was manifestation. I don't know if I believe in any of that shit. I just knew that I was going to do this.

Do you ever take a beat and think, "How did this happen?" or "What if this goes away?"

If you had asked me this question a year ago when we were filming the show, I would've told you no. Recently, in the last four or five months, I took a bit of a break, which wasn't like me. If you watch the show, it's work, work, work. I don't think there's one minute I'm not talking about views or subscribers or clout or content. I realized after a while I was starting to lose reality. I got stuck in this mindset that nothing mattered in life except for work. It started messing with my friendships and my relationship.

One of the overarching themes of the show is questioning who are your actual friends and who are people you just film with.

[Something I say a lot is] I can never tell who are my colleagues and who are my friends. It’s a blurred line in this business. [After] a while, I blurred that line completely. I completely lost touch of ‘What is a friend? How do you interact with friends?’ I was socially awkward. Before this job, I was completely extroverted and outgoing. After this job, that changed. I took a step back and figured out how I am supposed to interact with people.

There’s more that's happened to you that wasn't included in the show. I heard you’ve been shot before?

I still have the bullet in my lung, because if they were to remove it, I would've had to break all my ribs, and there was a possibility of death. It capsulized in my lung and it’s lead, so it won't set off anything, but I can't go in an MRI or else the fucking bullet comes out of my stomach and kills me, pretty much. It's like a reverse shooting. Have you ever seen Tenet? Just like that.

How did that happen?

One of my friends' dads was messing around, and he shot at a target. Let’s just say the sight was not very well aimed, and it ricocheted.

My God. You should have your own documentary.

What's crazier: It was on video.

Well, there you go.

I ended up deleting it. But it's crazy. Within the last four years, I've been shot. I've been homeless. I've gone from negative $600 and homeless to a millionaire all in the ages of 17 to 20. I've been on Netflix. Honest to God, I could die knowing that I've done everything I've ever wanted to do.