Meg Turney (Austin, Texas; March 12, 1987) is an American youtuber, streamer, cosplayer, internet personality, glamour model and vlogger. She gained prominence through her work as a host, previously on Rooster Teeth’s SourceFed and The Know. She also maintains a personal YouTube channel where she posts vlogs, Let’s Play videos and live streams. In addition to her online media work, Turney also cosplays at various conventions, such as San Diego Comic-Con.
Meg Turney (Cosplay model)
Thanks to a friend’s invitation to Ushicon 1, Turney was introduced to cosplay and anime conventions in 2002. Her first cosplay of Turney was as Sailor Heavy Metal Papillon, from the anime Sailor Moon. Since then, Turney has been recognized for her cosplays and has been able to generate a large enough following to make cosplay her full-time career. The Vancouver Sun newspaper wrote that “Turney is an Internet mainstay. He has his own YouTube channel and his fan site Patreon is a source of income.” When she began receiving covers in online publications, Turney’s Faye Valentine, Princess Leia and Psycho cosplays were especially recognized. Turney’s notoriety as a cosplayer led her to appear on the Syfy series Heroes of Cosplay and in a commercial for Guild Wars 2. She hosted a cosplay contest in 2013 at SXSW. Turney was also a special guest at the 2016 Fan Expo Vancouver.
Several media outlets have noted that her cosplays are racy and erotic. Turney’s online content mainly includes images of her cosplays and modeling work. On sexuality in cosplays, Turney has stated, “I think there is an element of sexuality in cosplays and for some people there is no sexuality at all. I think it all depends on how you approach it. I think that’s true for any community.” She also maintains that there is more work involved in her appearances than just showing off her body, such as costume design. In January 2015, Playboy placed Turney at number 10 on its list of “25 Hottest YouTube Stars.” In April 2015, FHM placed her at number 20 on its annual list of “100 Sexiest Women in the World.”
Having worked with several photographers, Turney also has experience as a model outside of cosplay. In June 2015, Playboy did a photo shoot with Turney.
Meg Turney Internet career Startups and SourceFed
Turney registered her YouTube channel in November 2009, but did not start posting vlogs until 2012. During the early years of her career, Turney hosted event coverage and appeared as a featured host on CraveOnline’s TechKnow show. In July 2012, Turney would break through as an online media host, making her first appearance on SourceFed, alongside Steve Zaragoza, where the two discussed Star Wars, Comic-Con and cosplaying. Later that year Turney stood alongside Elliott Morgan and Philip DeFranco during SourceFed videos for YouTube’s “Election Hub.” In February 2013, Turney and her SourceFed co-hosts won an Audience Choice Streamy Award for Series of the Year. In addition to co-hosting the channel, Turney was also a writer for the SourceFed website. Turney would continue to host the channel, as well as its spinoff, until April 2014, when she announced that she would be leaving SourceFed.
During her time with SourceFed, Turney appeared as a host for other series, including the AMA’s On Demand, as well as Nerdist News. In addition, in August 2013, Turney discussed Hollywood’s depictions of life on Mars, alongside Bobak Ferdowsi, Matt Mira and Kevin Lieber.
Meg Turney Rooster Teeth
After leaving SourceFed, Turney was announced as the new anchor of Rooster Teeth’s news channel, The Know, on May 30, 2014. On joining Rooster Teeth, Turney stated, “They have been a pioneer in the industry for many years, and their level of originality and just plain fun in their content is unparalleled in the space.” On June 1, 2014, Turney made her first appearance on The Know. In July 2014, Rooster Teeth distributed the music video for “Did I Say That Out Loud?” from Barenaked Ladies, in which Turney plays the exasperated girlfriend of Gavin Free’s character. In August 2014, Turney began co-hosting The Know It All: Leaderboard, a collaborative series between Rooster Teeth and The Daily Dot. Turney also voiced Neon Katt on the animated series RWBY, and was a regular host of The Patch, Rooster Teeth’s weekly gaming podcast. On June 27, 2016, Turney announced that he had left Rooster Teeth on good terms.
Twitch streaming and gaming.
In October 2014, Turney became embroiled in controversy when live video streaming website Twitch updated its rules of conduct instructing users not to record videos in “lingerie, swimsuits, panties and underwear.” Some news websites reported that Turney was the first user banned for violating the updated rules of conduct. Turney clarified on Twitter, stating, “Dear everyone writing articles saying I was banned from Twitch, I was not. I was never banned. I was told to change my image,” adding, “While we’re on the subject, I have never done any ‘sexy streaming’. I’ve never streamed from that account.” In addition, Turney also gave her opinion that the rule was not unfair to women, but unfair in general, stating, “If someone has a big push-up bra and a low-cut top on while playing [League of Legends] or a guy streams shirtless, who cares?”
In June 2016, Turney began streaming on Twitch. In the years since leaving SourceFed and Rooster Teeth, Turney has continued to upload video game commentary and streams, as well as cosplay-related vlogs on his personal YouTube channel.
In April 2019, Turney signed with talent agency Abrams Artists, joining their gaming roster. In June 2020, Turney moved from Abrams to TalentX Gaming. In October of that year, he participated in a Dead by Daylight tournament hosted by Twitch Rivals.
Meg Turney OnlyFans
In March 2020, when much of the coronavirus pandemic that forced global isolation broke out, Turney created an OnlyFans account to supplement his Patreon account. At the time, Patreon was his primary venue for releasing his modeling work, while OnlyFans was there primarily for sharing older sets of photos that were no longer available on Patreon, but in October 2020, Turney announced on his Twitter feed that he was moving all of his content to OnlyFans and that the site would be his new primary content hub. After launching her topless photo book on her personal website, she began creating boudoir content full-time on her OnlyFans, though most of the content is softcore boudoir photography.
Meg Turney’ Personal life
Turney has openly discussed her bisexuality with her audience. In a video interview with YouTube channel VlogBrothers, she further discussed being bisexual, and talked about how she was teased for her sexual orientation. At VidCon 2013, Turney spoke during the convention’s “Being LGBT on YouTube” panel.
She has been in a relationship with British actor and director Gavin Free since 2013.
Home invasion.
On January 26, 2018, a man armed with a gun broke into Turney and Free’s home, smashing a window to gain entry and firing a round while doing so Turney and Free hid in a closet and called the police. When the man couldn’t find the couple, he left, but confronted police outside. The suspect fired one shot and police returned fire; when officers approached the suspect’s vehicle, they found him dead. Turney and Free were physically unharmed during the incident. It has been estimated that the suspect was a fan who had developed an obsession with Turney, and was intent on causing harm to Free, against whom he felt resentment. Turney stopped updating his YouTube channel for nearly half a year after the incident, citing concerns for his safety in sharing his life with the public.