Dr. Pimple Popper Isn't Popping Out Money On YouTube Because of 'Graphic Videos'

Despite millions of subscribers, Dr. Pimple Popper’s YouTube videos aren’t popping off with advertising income.

Sandra Lee, the dermatologist behind the pimple-popping franchise, got her start on YouTube back in 2010, before scoring her show on TLC and further expanding her following on TikTok.

Her channel now boasts more than 7 million subscribers and 2 billion views, but Lee says she struggles to make decent money on YouTube because the site insists her content is “too graphic.”

A YouTuber’s value is based on their view count, according to Influencer Marketing Hub’s estimates, who said that for every 1,000 views Lee gets on her videos, she should earn between $3 and $5 — which means she would have earned between $6 and $10 million from her 2 billion views in total.

YouTube policy states that any content creators who post “graphic or violent content” risk having their videos removed and, in extreme cases, their account revoked. This includes “footage or imagery showing bodily fluids, such as blood or vomit, with the intent to shock or disgust viewers,” which may fit the description for some of Lee’s content.

Lee said that her videos earned nearly $100,000 per month before 2016 before YouTube began taking disciplinary actions — though she maintains her content was always meant to be educational.

Lee added that she’s starting to see the same sort of content warning messages appear on some of her TikTok videos too.