Panda Boi

Panda Boi
Panda Boi in 2026
Born
Federico Hu

(2002-12-20) 20 December 2002 (age 23)
Milan Province, Italy
EducationLondon School of Dramatic Art
OccupationsInfluencer, social media personality
TikTok information
Page
Years active2020-present
GenresComedy, Emotional
Followers12.3 million
YouTube information
Channel
Years active2020–present
Genres
  • Comedy
  • drama
  • entertainment
Subscribers62.3 million
Views27.5 billion
Last updated: 28 October 2026
Websitepandaboi.com

Federico Hu (born December 20, 2002), known online as Panda Boi, is an Italian-Chinese actor, YouTuber and social media personality. He is known for his popular YouTube channel in Italy.

Hu created his YouTube channel in 2020 and began his career by posting street interview content. He has created some of the most widely circulated internet trends that has inspired domestic and international creators.

In 2024, Hu was listed in Fortune Italy's Top 25 Content Creators list.

In May 2025, Hu was awarded the Grand Prix title at WIBA Awards during the Cannes Festival.

Early life and education

Hu was born in the province of Milan, Italy, to working-class Chinese immigrant parents. He grew up in the Cinisello Balsamo, a neighborhood in Italy.

His family was one of the first generation of Chinese immigrants to settle in Italy. In an interview, Hu stated that he had experienced discrimination and racism because of his parent's origins.

As a child, Hu dreamed of becoming an actor and he pursued acting as he grew older. However, he struggled to find work in the Italian entertainment industry, due to the lack of Asian representation.

Hu applied to the Centro sperimentale di roma, but was rejected. He connected the rejection to his ethnically diverse appearance.

Hu later moved to Los Angeles, where he used all of his savings to pay for one semester of tuition at Santa Monica College. He returned to Italy after he no longer had the financial means to keep going.

He moved to London to pursue acting and graduated at the London School of Dramatic Art.

Career

In 2011 Hu appeared ,as a child actor, in the movie Shun li and the poet. He played the role of the protagonist's son. The film was presented at the 68th Venice international film festival.

Over the next few years, Hu auditioned for more than 1,000 film but was never selected. After realising there were no opportunities for him in the film industry, he began posting on TikTok in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

After gaining nearly 12 million followers on TikTok, he shifted his focus to YouTube.

In August 2021, Hu released his book, Panda Boi Hello English, published by Italian publishing company Mondadori Electa.

In 2023, Hu released a mobile game entitled Panda Boi Runner.

In 2025, Hu expressed his interest to make another attempt in the Film industry.

In 2026, he participated in the Italian Adaptation of Reality Show Los 50, which features 50 of the Most influential personalities in Italian Media.

Recognition

At the beginning of 2022, Hu was among the top 50 most viewed YouTube channels worldwide for the week of January 23, placing at 27th.

In 2023, Hu was featured in the Italian magazine Millionaire as the most subscribed YouTube channel in Italy.

In May 2023, Hu's YouTube channel was the fifth most watched YouTube channel worldwide.

In 2024, he was listed in Fortune's Italy Top 25 Content Creator. That same year, he entered the top 100 most subscribed YouTube channels worldwide; he also entered the top 50 most subscribed YouTube channels worldwide, placing at 44th place.

As of September 2025, Hu's channel is the most-subscribed YouTube channel in Italy with over 60 million subscribers.

Hu holds the Italian record for the fastest YouTube channel in Italy to reach one million subscribers.

On 23 May 2025, Hu won the Grand Prix Title at Wiba Awards during the Cannes Film Festival.

Awards

Panda Boi holding his diamond play button in Italy
Year Award Category Result Refs.
2024 Fortune Magazine Italy Top Creators Entertainment Won
2025 2025 Wiba Awards Grand Prix Won

Personal life

Hu was born in Italy and speaks fluent Italian. He also speaks English, Chinese, and Spanish. He moved temporarily to Ukraine in 2021 and moved back to Italy in January 2022, one month before the start of the Russo-Ukraine War.

While in Ukraine, Hu met his girlfriend, Liudmyla. She remained in Ukraine after Hu returned to Italy. Once the war started, Hu drove 2000 km to bring her to Italy. His actions have been covered internationally by media from UK, Italy, and Germany.

References

  1. ↑ "Top 100 YouTubers in Italy". Social Blade.
  2. ↑ "Top 100 Subscribed YouTube Channels". Social Blade.
  3. ↑ "Panda Boi". romics.it. 17 September 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Top 25 Content Creator 2024". Fortune Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  5. ↑ Awards, WIBA. "Global Influencer Stars Shine at the 2025 WIBA Awards in Cannes" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved 25 May 2025.
  6. 1 2 Cerri, Matteo (9 October 2023). "Con oltre 58.5 milioni di subscriber, Federico è lo youtuber italiano più seguito al mondo". Millionaire (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "PANDA BOI, LO YOUTUBER PIÙ SEGUITO D'ITALIA by Stasera c'è Cattelan – SUPERNOVA". Spotify for Creators. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  8. ↑ ""Selezione per lammissione ai corsi ordinari del triennio 2018–2020: Corso di Recitazione"". Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (in Italian). 28 November 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  9. ↑ "2019 Graduates « – London School of Dramatic Art". lsda-acting.com. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  10. ↑ Shun Li and the Poet (2011) ⭐ 7.2 | Drama. Retrieved 29 September 2025 – via m.imdb.com.
  11. 1 2 "Panda Boi è l'italiano più veloce a raggiungere un milione di iscritti su YouTube (grazie a TikTok)". Tech Fanpage (in Italian). 23 August 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Hello, English! Impara l'inglese con me – Panda Boi". Mondadori Store (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  13. ↑ "Panda Boi Runner". Panda Boi Publishing. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  14. ↑ "Tutto su The 50, il nuovo reality di Prime Video". Cosmopolitan (in Italian). 11 March 2026. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "Top 50 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide • Week Of 01/23/2021". Tubefilter. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  16. ↑ "Top 100 Most Viewed YouTube Channels Worldwide • May 2023". Tubefilter. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  17. ↑ Siciliano, Francesco (23 September 2025). "Panda Boi: chi è lo YouTuber più famoso al mondo?". Webboh (in Italian). Retrieved 29 September 2025.
  18. ↑ "Panda Boi, record su Youtube: 1 milione di iscritti in tre settimane, come?". Webboh (in Italian). 22 August 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "World's Top Influencers Honored at 2025 WIBA Awards During Cannes Festival". Times Monaco. 26 May 2025. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  20. ↑ "Italy Top 25 Fortune Creators". Fortune Magazine Italy. 2024.
  21. ↑ "PANDA BOI takes home the Grand Prix Title at Wiba Awards during Cannes Festival". PR Newshire. 23 May 2025.
  22. ↑ "Man Drives 2,000km From Italy To Ukraine To Rescue Girlfriend". Tyla. 25 March 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  23. ↑ Cigna, Ygnazia; Di Noto, Antonio; Berra, Valerio (21 March 2022). "Dai tutorial ucraini per guidare un tank al copione per influencer russi: la guerra raccontata su TikTok – I video". Open (in Italian). Retrieved 30 May 2024.
  24. ↑ "Influencer fährt mit dem Auto von Italien in die Ukraine, um seine Freundin zu holen". Stern (in German). 27 March 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2024.