PopularMMOS

Patrick Thomas Juliannelle (born November 25, 1988), better known as PopularMMOs, is an American YouTuber and social media personality. He is best known for his gaming videos, particularly those featuring the video game Minecraft. His channel has featured gameplay, challenges, mod showcases, and collaborative videos with fellow YouTuber GamingWithJen, whom he was previously married to.

Early life

Juliannelle was born on November 25, 1988, in Connecticut. He attended college, where he studied psychology.

Career

Julianelle created his YouTube channel, PopularMMOs, in 2012. He initially uploaded gaming videos before becoming known for his Minecraft content. His videos included gameplay, mod showcases, challenges, and other Minecraft-related series.

Between 2015 and 2018, PopularMMOs experienced its most significant growth, becoming one of the most-viewed gaming channels on YouTube. The channel's content heavily featured recurring series such as Epic Modded Survival, Lucky Block Races, Mob Battles, and Custom Map Challenges. Most videos were co-hosted with Julianelle's then-wife, Jennifer "Jen" Flagg.

During this period, the channel amassed over 17 million subscribers and billions of cumulative views. Beyond YouTube, Julianelle co-authored a series of graphic novels, starting with PopularMMOs Presents: A Hole New World in 2018, which became a New York Times Best Seller. He followed it with several sequels, including Enter the Mine (2019) and Zombies' Day Off (2020).

Domestic battery allegations (2021)

In May 2021, Julianelle was arrested in Florida on charges of domestic battery following an incident involving his partner at the time. He initially disputed the claims on social media, telling fans not to believe everything they heard; however, court records confirmed the arrest. Prosecutors officially dropped the charges two months later after both parties declined to pursue prosecution.

Field intrusion incident (2022)

On November 6, 2022, Julianelle was detained alongside two companions at TIAA Bank Field during a Jacksonville Jaguars NFL game after a member of the group ran onto the field during live play. Julianelle was initially booked on third-degree felony criminal conspiracy and breach of peace charges. The felony conspiracy charge was later dropped, and the incident was resolved after he paid court fines for the misdemeanor offense.

2024 arrest and probation violations

In March 2024, Julianelle was arrested in Duval County, Florida, and charged with resisting an officer with violence—a felony—and misdemeanor possession of [...]. In November 2024, he entered a guilty plea to the resisting charge and was sentenced to 12 months of probation along with 100 hours of community service. Between late 2024 and mid-2025, Julianelle was detained multiple times for probation violations relating to substance use, requiring mandatory rehabilitation programs.

Personal Life

In May 2019, Julianelle and Lynn announced in a video that they were separating after four years of marriage, citing differing long-term goals regarding family planning. Despite the split, they initially continued to collaborate on content.

In September 2025, he posted how severe alcoholism contributed to his legal trouble, periods of incarceration, and admissions into rehabilitation facilities. He has since focused on his ongoing sobriety and recovery.

In October 2025, Julianelle released a video revealing that while reviewing his finances following his discharge from rehabilitation, he discovered he had been the victim of extensive identity theft and financial fraud. He stated that during the peak of his severe addiction, an acquaintance obtained his banking information and forged checks to make unauthorized purchases, open credit accounts, and pay personal expenses. Julianelle estimated the total financial loss at approximately $250,000 over a multi-year period and confirmed he had filed a report with local law enforcement to pursue grand theft and fraud charges.

He started dating his girlfriend Hope in 2025. The following year, in 2026, she announced she was pregnant.

Bibliography

• PopularMMOs Presents: A Hole New World (2018, ISBN 978-0062790880)
• PopularMMOs Presents: Enter the Mine (2019, ISBN 978-0062894304)
• PopularMMOs Presents: Zombies' Day Off (2020, ISBN 978-0062894335)
• PopularMMOs Presents: Into the Overworld (2021, ISBN 978-0063080386)
• PopularMMOs Presents: The End of All the Things (2022, ISBN 978-0063080416)

Awards and Nominations