Michelle Choi, born on October 3, 1994, in Seoul, South Korea, is a Korean-American YouTuber, lifestyle content creator, and fashion entrepreneur based in New York City.
She built a loyal audience through her “Living Alone Diaries” vlog series on YouTube and runs the women’s fashion label Little Puffy.
In July 2025, she announced her engagement to her partner, Joey Kiho Kim, in one of her most-watched videos.
Who is Michelle Choi?
Michelle Choi is a Korean-American content creator known for her YouTube channel, where she documents her life in New York City with a calm, minimalist style.
Her “Living Alone Diaries” series covers mental health, wellness, beauty, and solo apartment living, all presented with a quiet aesthetic that sets her apart from louder, flashier creators.
She has grown her channel to over 2.3 million subscribers, and her Instagram account, @michellechoii, has attracted a large following as well.
Beyond content creation, Michelle launched Little Puffy in 2021, a women’s apparel label specializing in hoodies and casual wear. The brand has held physical pop-up events, including a launch in late 2023.
She also fundraised for Black Lives Matter through Little Puffy, donating proceeds alongside her parents.
Her audience responds strongly to her honesty about mental health, her Korean-American identity, and her journey through her twenties in New York.
Early Life of Michelle Choi
Michelle Choi was born on October 3, 1994, in Seoul, South Korea. Her family moved to Orange County, California when she was young, and she grew up there with her parents and a younger brother.
Her parents, South Korean immigrants, ran a small dry-cleaning business in California. Michelle has spoken about how their work ethic influenced her approach to her own career and business ventures.
She attended school in California through high school. After graduating, she moved back to Seoul to attend Yonsei University, studying abroad after being raised in the United States.
Growing up, Michelle experienced scoliosis severe enough to require surgery during her high school years. She had to be homeschooled for half a year following the procedure, and during that time she started watching YouTube videos and reading beauty blogs. That period sparked her long-term interest in content creation.
After completing her degree in Seoul, she relocated to New York City to pursue a career as a content creator and fashion personality.
Michelle Choi Age
Michelle Choi is 31 years old as of 2026, born on October 3, 1994. Her zodiac sign is Libra.
She launched her YouTube channel in 2012, but did not begin posting content consistently until July 2017.
By her late twenties, she had grown her channel past the two-million-subscriber mark.
Michelle Choi Ethnicity and Nationality
Michelle Choi holds American nationality. She is of Korean descent, born in Seoul to Korean immigrant parents who settled in California.
Her Korean-American identity shapes much of her content. She lived in Seoul for university and regularly returns to Korea, weaving Korean culture, food, and family visits into her videos. That cross-cultural perspective is one of the defining traits of her storytelling style.
Michelle Choi Height and Weight
Michelle Choi stands 5 feet 8 inches tall, which equals approximately 1.72 meters. Her weight is around 58 kg, or roughly 128 lbs.
She carries herself with a poised, minimalist presence that aligns well with her brand’s aesthetic. Her fashion-forward approach to her own wardrobe also fuels her credibility as a style creator.
Michelle Choi Education
Michelle attended high school in California before moving to Seoul to pursue higher education. She attended Yonsei University in Seoul, one of South Korea’s leading universities, where she graduated in 2016.
Her time at Yonsei University gave her direct immersion in Korean culture and also served as the setting for some of her earliest vlogs. After finishing her degree in Seoul, she moved to New York City to begin her career full-time.
Michelle Choi Career
Michelle Choi’s career spans YouTube content creation, social media influencing, and fashion entrepreneurship.
Each layer of her work feeds the others, creating a consistent personal brand around minimalist New York living and Korean-American identity.
YouTube Beginnings and Living Alone Diaries
Michelle created her YouTube channel on June 1, 2012, though she did not begin regularly uploading content until July 10, 2017. Her early videos covered student life in Seoul, fashion, and personal reflections on growing up between two cultures.
Her real breakthrough came with the “Living Alone Diaries” series, which documented her solo apartment life in New York City. The series covered daily routines, meal prep, mental health, skincare, fitness, and the emotional realities of navigating young adulthood alone in a big city.
The format resonated deeply with viewers in similar life stages. Her calm pacing, thoughtful narration, and carefully composed visuals created an ASMR-adjacent viewing experience that fans found genuinely soothing.
She also worked as a museum educator in New York during her early years in the city. That experience alongside her channel work shaped her voice and her connection to her audience.
Brand Partnerships and Little Puffy
Michelle built her income through brand collaborations, embedding affiliate links from companies like Crocs, Madewell, Primal Kitchen, and Dell into her videos.
Her engagement rates run well above average for creators at her subscriber count, making her attractive to brands seeking genuine audience connections.
In 2021, she launched Little Puffy, a women’s apparel brand specializing in hoodies and casual clothing. The label reflects her personal style: relaxed, soft, and understated. New drops from Little Puffy have repeatedly sold out within weeks of release.
Little Puffy also became a vehicle for family and community involvement. During the Black Lives Matter movement, Michelle’s parents contributed proceeds from the brand to organizations supporting the cause. Their participation was a moment Michelle publicly celebrated and has referenced in multiple videos since.
Physical pop-up events for Little Puffy began in late 2023, bringing Michelle’s online community into in-person spaces for the first time.
Recent Work and Social Media Growth
As of 2026, Michelle continues to post regularly on her YouTube channel and Instagram. Her channel has surpassed 2.3 million subscribers, with over 229 million total video views. Her combined following across YouTube and Instagram exceeds 3 million.
She also maintains an active TikTok presence, where shorter clips of her daily routines and fashion content have expanded her reach to younger audiences. Her content shifted in late 2025 to include wedding planning content, following her engagement announcement in July 2025.
Michelle Choi Fiancé
Michelle Choi got engaged to Joey Kiho Kim in spring 2025. She announced the news publicly via a July 31, 2025 YouTube vlog titled “Homebody in New York | We’re Engaged! The Proposal, asking parents for blessing, engagement gifts!”
Joey proposed at the Palace of Versailles during a Paris trip, roughly six weeks before the announcement. The original plan for a private spot was disrupted by a closed-off area, so the couple improvised and found a quiet fountain within the grounds. Michelle shared that Joey was visibly emotional during the proposal.
The couple began dating in 2022, following Michelle’s breakup with her previous partner, Ivan Hui. Joey, a doctor who also previously worked as a model, appeared in Michelle’s content with his face blurred for over a year before his identity became known to her audience.
As of 2026, Michelle and Joey are engaged and working through wedding planning.
Michelle’s earlier relationship with Ivan Hui, a Korean national, was a visible part of her channel until Ivan returned to South Korea to fulfill his mandatory military service in early 2022. Ivan had frequently appeared in her YouTube and TikTok videos before his departure.
Michelle Choi Net Worth
Michelle Choi’s estimated net worth is $1.5 million as of 2026. Her income comes from YouTube ad revenue, brand partnerships, and her fashion label Little Puffy.
Her YouTube channel generates ongoing ad revenue across more than 229 million lifetime views. Brand collaborations with companies including Crocs, Madewell, and Primal Kitchen add sponsored content income.
Little Puffy, her apparel label, contributes sales revenue directly, with new drops selling out quickly after launch.
Michelle Choi Social Media
Michelle is most active on YouTube under the handle @michellechoii, where she posts long-form lifestyle vlogs. Her Instagram account, @michellechoii, features fashion content and daily life updates.
She is also active on TikTok under @michellechoii, where she shares shorter clips for a different segment of her audience. Her brand Little Puffy has its own web presence at littlepuffy.com.
Her business email, listed publicly on her YouTube channel, is michellechoi@select.co, reflecting her management through a creator agency.
The Bottom Line
Michelle Choi built her “Living Alone Diaries” series into a YouTube channel with over 2.3 million subscribers, establishing herself as one of the most recognizable Korean-American lifestyle creators in New York City.
Little Puffy, her apparel brand launched in 2021, expanded her career beyond content into fashion retail with real-world pop-up events.
She grew up between Orange County, California and Seoul, South Korea, a cross-cultural upbringing that runs through everything from her bilingual cultural references to her family-focused vlogs.
Her scoliosis surgery and months of homeschooling in high school led her to YouTube in the first place, an unexpected path thaot shaped her entire career.
Her 2026 content increasingly features wedding planning alongside her fiancé Joey Kiho Kim, following their Paris engagement announced in July 2025.
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