iShowSpeed stunned as he joins King of Squats’ high-energy South African workout
By Steve Ireri, January 3, 2026American streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr, popularly known as iShowSpeed, on Friday, January 2, 2026, met popular South African gym instructor King of Squats and even did a nearly one-hour live stream with him and his gym members.
In a live stream on Speed’s YouTube, the two are seen meeting outside a field where other fitness enthusiasts from King of Squats’ class were and beginning to catch up as King introduced Speed to some of his popular fitness sessions.
The session focused heavily on squat variations and lower-body exercises.
In the video, Speed is seen reacting shockingly to how King was squatting and also asking whether the male gym instructor’s well-developed back and glute muscles were real.
“Oh my God. Oh no, is this real?” Speed said.
Despite the shocking reaction, Speed still went ahead to join in the squatting session, but he preferred to do it behind the women King was coaching.
In the video, the women are also seen getting excited at Speed’s presence, and they went ahead to even show more fitness moves, including one where they worked out while combining dance and twerking movements with squats.
Speed, however, could not concentrate on the whole session, and he is seen in other parts doing his signature backflips as the squatting sessions continued.
Tour’s setback
The American streamer’s hangout with King of Squats comes just a day after he revealed that his African tour encountered a major setback as he transitioned from Angola to South Africa, forcing last-minute changes to his travel and streaming plans.
Speaking shortly after arriving in South Africa on Wednesday, December 31, 2025, the content creator disclosed that a private jet arrangement meant to cover the tour had fallen apart due to unresolved landing permits.
“I was really angry yesterday. We booked an entire private jet company for this tour two months ago, and they knew exactly which countries I was travelling to,” Speed said.
According to the streamer, the jet company had been booked nearly two months in advance and had full knowledge of the countries on his itinerary, yet failed to secure the necessary permissions to land.
“The whole time, they never secured the permits to land in the country, so I had to reschedule my stream yesterday. I was extremely mad,” he added.
The situation left him visibly frustrated, as the delay disrupted his scheduled live stream the previous day.
He explained that despite the long planning window, the permits were never obtained, forcing him to abandon the private jet arrangement entirely.
As a result, he had to fly commercial to South Africa, a development that significantly altered his tour logistics.
“For me to get here to South Africa, I had to fly commercial. I just couldn’t understand it because they had two full months to get the permits,” he said.
The South Africa stop remains a key part of the wider African tour, which is expected to span 20 countries and is being broadcast daily on YouTube and Twitch.
The streamer has also previously confirmed that Kenya is among the countries on his itinerary.