The Truth About The ACE Family's Austin McBroom
The ACE family has become a household name on YouTube since starting their family vlog channel in 2016. With a subscriber count of over 19 million, the ACE family consists of pivotal members Austin and Catherine McBroom and their children, Elle, Steel, and Alaïa. Their channel details their life in a positive way that emphasizes fun and family with a loyal fan base.
A family channel's success is a combination of each member's contribution, but Austin McBroom seems to take the lead on the channel as he did most of the editing in the channel's early days and has done most of the collaborations with other YouTubers. But he doesn't mind being the one in charge. He actually prefers it.
A loyal husband and father, a dedicated worker, and a former basketball star, Austin McBroom has shared years of his life with millions of fans. But there's still a lot about him you might not know, whether you're a long-time viewer or you want to get to know the "A" in ACE family. Here's the untold truth about Austin McBroom.
Austin McBroom attended three different colleges
A lot of fans know that Austin McBroom was a communications major (which seemed to be the perfect choice for his YouTube career now), but what a lot of fans don't know is that he actually attended three different colleges. In a 2016 YouTube video, McBroom revealed the three different colleges he attended and why.
After attending high school at Campbell Hall, he went to Central Michigan. "The reason why I left there was because my coach got fired," he shared. The second college that Austin attended was Saint Louis University, but he left this one too because of differences with his basketball coach. Remember, he was a basketball star, and who the coach was surely had an impact on which college he would decide to attend. In a strange turn of events, the coach that first recruited Austin when he transferred to St. Louis actually ended up passing away as soon as he moved there, so Austin didn't stay.
The final college the ACE family star attended and graduated from was Eastern Washington for his last year. He also made it a point to share with his fans that he received a 3.9 GPA upon graduation.
Austin McBroom excelled in three different sports in high school
Not only was Austin McBroom a great student, he also excelled in basketball, baseball, and football, as he stated in an ACE family YouTube video. He is known for his accomplishments at basketball, but during his time at Campbell Hall, he had the opportunity to pursue any of the three sports. "He earned All-State honors in both basketball and football," GoEags.com reported on his time in high school.
So why did Austin choose to pursue basketball as opposed to football or baseball? "Basketball was my all-time love," he shared. As he revealed in the video, baseball was "too slow" of a sport for him while football was too violent. "I hate getting tackled," he said. "I would just run all over the field." He was also a pretty fast runner, which would make sense for someone who played multiple sports at the same time.
For Austin, basketball was the sport that kept him the most interested, that he could never "get bored with," and that he decided to pursue in college. A pretty smart choice considering that Austin became quite accomplished as a basketball player before he switched to YouTube.
Austin McBroom used to be a basketball star
Austin McBroom has made a career out of presenting his life on YouTube, but fans of his channel know he used to be an accomplished basketball player, as the website GoEags.com reported. His coach once said, "[Austin] is a proven player that can really shoot and has excellent floor-leading skills. This is a great addition for us to add a high-quality person and player."
Austin, during his senior year playing for Campbell Hall, scored an average of 25.1 points per game and earned himself All-State honors. As a freshman, he played the state championship with the NBA's Jrue Holiday on the Vikings team. In Central Michigan, McBroom led 30 games for the Chippewas, the Mid-American Conference All Freshman team. He was also one of the team's top three-point shooters and "[scored] in [the] double figures 19 times" during his multiple games for the Chippewas in Central Michigan University.
His time at Central Michigan was cut short, and he soon after played at Saint Louis, where he had some of the most impressive stats of his career. "He scored all 11 of his points at Duquesne in the second half, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with less than a minute remaining," GoEags.com noted.
What tattoos does the ACE family's Austin McBroom have?
Austin McBroom is no stranger to getting inked. In a 2017 video, in which he gets a new tattoo of an ace on his arm to represent the legacy of the ACE family, he revealed the meaning behind many of his tattoos, including his very first one. "I know, I'm crazy for getting the biggest tattoo I have [as] my very first tattoo," he recalled, talking about his chest tattoo. It was actually a tribute to his mom, and reads, "Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all."
When he was younger, his mom saw his tattoo for the first time when Austin McBroom was in a basketball game. "My mom had no idea. ... So we got home, she asked me, 'What do you have on your chest?' And I was trying to hide it," he said. "Of course, I had to show her, and she broke down crying."
Additionally, Austin, who also has three piercings, has a tattoo of daughter Alaïa's name on the side of one of his hands and his other daughter's name Elle on the other. Elle's middle name, Lively, lines his arm, and surely one day Steel will have his own permanent place on his dad's arm too.
Austin McBroom has always wanted three kids
In a 2017 ACE family video, Austin McBroom challenged his father and his now wife Catherine McBroom to a trivia game to reveal who knows him the best. When he asked his dad and Catherine to answer the question of how many kids he wanted, Catherine correctly answered three. Along with Steel, their youngest child born on June 20, 2020, Austin McBroom also has two other children: Elle, the oldest, born on May 28, 2016, and Alaïa born on Oct. 17, 2018, completing his wish of having three.
But has he changed his mind since then? Is baby No. 4 on the way? Likely not. In a July 2020 video, he and Catherine actually discussed their options, sharing that he might possibly get a vasectomy. Although he and Catherine both agree that, for now, three kids is more than enough, Austin has hinted at wanting a second son. Fans will just have to wait and see.
This is what the ACE family's Austin McBroom really wants to find out
In a video in which his wife, Catherine, exposes him by asking him fan-based questions (and a couple Catherine was curious about as well), the ACE family's Austin revealed that he doesn't know who his grandpa is, but would like to. In the video, Catherine asked him what he would like to know the answer to in life. "Who is my dad's real dad," he replied. According to Austin, his grandfather left as soon as his grandmother got pregnant.
Austin's dad, Michael, had apparently been seeking out his father for quite some time. "He's actually hired private investigators to look for him, and they haven't found him," Austin revealed. But he admitted that it might not have been "meant to be," and he is grateful for Al McBroom, his dad's stepfather who spent a lot of time with him and Catherine through the years. "[Michael] has a great father," Austin fondly stated. Unfortunately, Al passed away in September 2020.
Austin McBroom tries to make sure his family and work lives are balanced
In an interview on Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast, the ACE family's Austin McBroom was asked about his hectic work schedule and how he manages that with being a dad. For a family YouTuber, the question could be complicated, as work and family time likely overlap. But McBroom has a system in place that makes sure he gets uninterrupted time with his girls without the camera.
Being super consistent and doing the 25 Days of Vlogmas, where they filmed 25 days in a row, took a toll on the family, so they decided to take a step back. Austin admitted how difficult it is as a family to "unplug" and not miss out on real-life moments, but he said that being realistic about how consistent they can be with YouTube is the key. "We ... post three times a week," he said. "But it works for us because we get to get away. We take the kids out."
He also respects the boundaries of his family. He recalled how Elle would sometimes call the shots on whether or not that day was a film day: "She's either in the mood or she's not in the mood."
The ACE family's Austin McBroom has been to jail
Austin McBroom has hinted before that he's been to jail, but he never revealed the story... that is, until he and Catherine filmed a Q&A, this time focusing on his secrets. When Catherine asked the question of whether or not he'd ever done anything when he was younger that he regretted, he reluctantly admitted he'd been to jail, but the reason why might be surprising. "Nobody knows this, but back in high school I used to steal," he shared. Specifically, shoplifting clothes.
Normally, Austin and his best friend, Trey, used to shoplift as a duo, but one day, he decided to shoplift alone and the alarm went off. He recalled, "And some lady runs up and she starts looking in my bag, and that moment I was like, 'I knew it was over for me.'" After he was taken to the back of the store, the cops were called, and he spent a few hours in jail.
But he mentioned how that experience changed his life forever. "I'm very thankful for that moment," he said, noting that he never even thought about doing it again.
Austin McBroom's struggles as a soon-to-be father inspired him to give back
Austin McBroom may have success and fame now, but it wasn't always like that. In 2018, Austin recalled a difficult moment when he was a soon-to-be-father. Prior to the ACE family channel when Catherine was pregnant with Elle, he wasn't making as much money as he is now, and he didn't want to ask anyone for help. But when Catherine wasn't feeling well, they went for a check up at a local hospital, without insurance, where they ended up in the waiting room for more than three hours. Frustrated, Catherine burst into tears and left the waiting room to call her parents and ask them for financial help.
"I'm the one who should be taking care of her and my soon-to-be-daughter, and I feel helpless," he recalled, with tears in his eyes, how he felt in that moment, sitting in the car and listening to his wife cry on the phone.
But there is a bright side. The story of his struggles was a preface to a bigger project he announced in the video. Austin traveled to Swaziland, Africa to take part in a community project for Thirst Project to help bring water from a well they funded to a local school.
Austin McBroom is friends with some seriously popular celebrities
Austin McBroom has a lot of celebrity friends. He's been featured on popular YouTubers' channels like JoJo Siwa's (Siwa drove him around to practice her driving skills) and has befriended even higher profile celebrities like Tyga and Chris Brown. Austin is also not shy about letting his friends be featured on the ACE family channel as well. In a video, Austin invited James Charles and Logan Paul over to his house to try his product Silly Juice, a naturally-flavored juice that launched in 2020.
Austin has been known to speak positively of his friends. In a paparazzi interview with Be Like Water Media, Austin was asked about the Tati Westbrook and James Charles beauty YouTube drama and kept it positive. Austin said, "That's my guy." But he also doesn't think Tati was in the wrong either, noting, "Everyone has their opinion," and that his family stays out of the drama. And when asked about Jake Paul's idea of creating a family channel, Austin also offered his support: "That's all love. Me and him are boys. I told him that's the way to go."
This pushed Austin McBroom to get over his fear of heights
Austin McBroom has once admitted he's afraid of heights on his YouTube channel, which is the reason why he'd never gone skydiving, even after wife Catherine McBroom had asked him to. "Austin is so afraid of heights. We've talked about skydiving in the past and he's like, 'I would never do that,'" she recalled. Until the day he proposed to his then girlfriend, Catherine, that is. In an elaborate plan that he thought up, Austin decided to gift Catherine on her birthday with candy, a sky-diving experience, and an engagement ring.
Catherine should have known something extra special was coming based on just how afraid of heights Austin really is. Looking visibly nervous, Austin told the camera, "She knows I would never hop out of a plane. I can't even go on roller coasters, but for her, I'll do anything." But when it came to the actual event, Austin proposed he'd jump first, and he landed with a huge smile.
"The best feeling in the world," he said after landing. But, of course, the best feeling came later when Catherine and Austin were engaged.
Austin McBroom has been critical about some fans in the past
Should fans have to pay to watch YouTube content? Austin McBroom says that maybe they should. In a deleted tweet reported by Insider, Austin replied to criticism over missing a regularly scheduled posting time. After a streak of posting videos daily or every other day, fans noticed when the ACE family was a few days late.
"Some of y'all are ungrateful for free content," he wrote. "Some of y'all should be charged every time you watch someone's video. Idk why y'all think [it's] just so easy to make videos everyday or every other day. If it was so easy everyone including yourself would be doing it."
Though Austin may have been speaking out of a moment of frustration (he deleted the tweet a few hours later), fans didn't appreciate the statement, with some saying that the ads they receive means their content isn't free or pointing to the family's accumulated wealth from their channel (this is how much money the ACE family makes from YouTube). But the concept of creator burnout is a real issue, and the ACE family may have just been feeling the pressure which could have caused their hiatus.
Is Austin McBroom always villainized on social media?
Austin McBroom has not been without his controversies as many YouTubers with his subscriber count have been. Insider reported on a controversy in which a "Day in the Life" vlog from Catherine's point of view started with the pair bickering. In the now-deleted moment of the video, Austin is seen to be visibly frustrated, as is Catherine.
But in a video uploaded afterwards, titled, "WE WENT TO THERAPY," Catherine spoke up about the fan reaction to a moment that wasn't supposed to be seen. "It was a rough morning ... We were frustrated with each other," she said. But Catherine and Austin both explained this was a normal part of a marriage, and sometimes they fight.
Catherine also had this to say about the comments pointed directly at her husband. "So basically you guys want Austin to be the villain at all times," she said. "I can honestly say that he is officially numb to it. He wasn't at first. ... And I am too." But Catherine always supports her husband and asks for the conspiracies about their relationship to stop, and she told their fans, "There's real people out there that are going through abuse ... and it's just not the case here."
Austin McBroom says the Ace family channel is all about making their fans' days better
In an interview with Logan Paul on the Impaulsive podcast, Austin McBroom was asked about his views on having children and if he's thought about his influence and impact on the world. "Everyday," he answered. Clearly, being a parent in today's world is not something Austin takes lightly.
When explaining the intention of his channel, Austin said he tries to stay away from drama or negativity in order to bring positivity into the lives of the ACE family channel's fans who may be struggling. "We're really blessed to be able to have people that watch us that come home from school, work, whatever it is, and be able to change their day around completely," he said.
Just prior to the interview, Austin heard a heart-warming example of a struggling fan who watches their videos daily and who stayed at a camp for children with disabilities where Austin's father works. At the camp, Austin's dad received a call about the child who was diagnosed with cancer and had to have her leg amputated. "She was watching our videos in the hospital," Austin recalled in the interview. "She said that the ACE family gets me through all this s**t." And for Austin, that's what keeps him making videos.