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Vehicle enthusiasts flock to YouTube in search of videos of people modifying or testing vehicles from their favorite motor vehicle manufacturers. One content creator tops the search history of every auto enthusiast, for his daring videos of himself modifying and testing the abilities and endurance of vehicles, which often ends in him wrecking the vehicles, and sometimes sustaining injuries in the process – his name is Cody Detwiler, known across social media as WhistlinDiesel. Naturally, his antics attract fans and critics alike. Often, vehicle enthusiasts will call out to the manufacturers of the vehicles he wrecks, not too pleased with his stunts, imploring them to threaten lawsuits, but has any manufacturer actually taken the step to sue WhistlinDiesel? Here is everything you need to know about the life of the daring YouTuber.
Destruction or Entertainment?
WhistinDiesel is one of the content creators whom many loves to hate. He rose to fame by editing and posting pictures of his trucks in dangerous confounding situations, such as a picture of a truck wrapped around a tree, to rile up viewers and attract the attention of auto enthusiasts on social media. The images achieved his intended purpose, when the truck community criticized his antics. Before long, the off-road community joined in the criticism, attacking the content creator’s carelessness. WhistlinDiesel capitalized on the attention he attracted from the controversy to build a large following, and to create content around trucks and off-roading vehicles.
However, his form of content has been criticized heavily for being highly destructive. For instance, early in 2023, the content creator posted a video with a title suggesting that he had bought a Ferrari worth $400,000 just to destroy it. In the video, WhistlinDiesel puts the red Ferrari through the wringer by taking it off-road and driving it carelessly through the woods, thrashing it repeatedly until it displays error codes, replacing its stock exhaust, pouring water down its air ducts, and attempting to destroy its immaculate paint job by power washing the vehicle. The video attracted criticism and elicited an uproar from car enthusiasts, chastising Cody for destroying the vehicle senselessly for clicks and likes. While some of his viewers and followers seem to like such content, others are disgusted by his antics, and question the sensibility of destroying vehicles for sport.
YouTube
The controversy that WhistlinDiesel attracts is good for business. The people who attract him and his supporters all flock to his channel every time he posts new content. When he posted the controversial video of destroying a Ferrari, for instance, he gained 10 million views in just three months, which isn’t a fluke. A month later, a video of him attaching 10ft tall wheels to a Tesla and driving the vehicle upside down has 9.8 million views two months after it was posted. Another video of him testing the speeds, durability, and capabilities of the world’s largest and smallest trucks has gained seven million views in a month, and as of 7 June 2023, WhistlinDiesel’s content has earned him 5.62 million subscribers, confirming that his strategy of engaging in expensive, dangerous, and, according to several auto enthusiasts and vehicle manufacturers, disrespectful stunts for views, actually works.
Scrolling across WhistlinDiesel’s YouTube leaves fans wondering the same thing; how often does he sustain injuries from his stunts? Watching a few of his videos confirms that the controversial YouTuber often injures himself while completing his daring stunts. One time, he grazed his forehead with a live bullet while shooting at steel plates, and posted pictures of his bloodied face along with a description of how he had hurt himself. Such incidents fuel critics, who caution the content creator against putting himself in danger for content. However, Cody lives for the thrill, and doesn’t listen to, and nor does he address his critics.
Net Worth
Watching Cody destroy vehicles worth thousands of dollars and modify other equally expensive vehicles creates an image of a wealthy man who can afford to acquire luxury vehicles and destroy them for sport. Besides, the content creator has an impressive fleet of vehicles, and an expansive property through which he drives them to test their abilities. As of 2023, WhistlinDiesel is worth an estimated $5 million, having built his wealth mainly on social media by capitalizing on the large following he’s accumulated on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
Marriage and Divorce
Cody’s personal life is as controversial and tumultuous as his online persona. The YouTuber was born in 1998, is turning 25 in July 2023, but has already been married and divorced once. Cody Dewitler was married to Rae, who adopted his online persona and went by the name Mrs WhistlinDiesel on her social media – the two married when they were both 18. Rae made several appearances on her then-husband’s videos, but was a content creator in her own right as well, focusing on Twitch, OnlyFans, Twitter, and Instagram. In 2021, Rae stopped her occasional appearances in WhistlinDiesel’s videos, fueling speculation that the couple’s marriage was on the rocks; the speculations worsened when keen fans noted that the couple had stopped following each other on social media. The following year, Cody confirmed the rumors of the couple’s split, but Rae is yet to acknowledge or comment on the issue.
Katie Miller
WhistlinDiesel validated the rumors of his divorce from Rae as most celebrities do; he posted a picture of himself sitting in a car while a woman sat on the ground mock-cleaning the vehicle’s tires. He captioned the picture with a quote about sipping wine in a Lamborghini while his girlfriend cleans its wheels. After soft-launching his girlfriend, he tagged her, dropping the crumbs that hawk-eyed fans followed to discover her identity and learn more about her. From what Cody has shared and what little information is available online, Cody’s new girlfriend is Katie Miller, a model and photographer from Nashville, Tennessee. She limits the information she shares about herself on social media, but is an active Tiktoker with over 90,000 followers. Katie, like Rae, had an OnlyFans account that she’s since deactivated.
Lawsuit
As anyone who watches or interacts with WhistlinDiesel’s content will tell you, his videos are lawsuits waiting to happen. In fact, in some instances, the content creator has tried daring stunts or destroyed vehicles deliberately to goad their manufacturers into suing him, such as his recent destruction of a Ferrari, a company that has a reputation for suing its own customers for using their vehicles with malicious intent. Last year, WhistlinDiesel was involved in an incident that ended in a lawsuit against him and some of his friends. Initially, fans thought that some of his antics with his fleet of luxury vehicles had got him into trouble but explained that the lawsuit had nothing to do with his vehicle-related content.
It all started when Cody and some friends went jet skiing on a lake in Tennessee in May 2022. They were having too much fun, and ventured into an area where the sport wasn’t allowed. Once they realized their mistake, the guys headed back to shore, where a man angrily chastised them for venturing into the prohibited part of the lake, promoting a disagreement that escalated into a fight. Afterwards, the group went back into the water only to be met by a police boat and written up for splashing in a prohibited zone. WhistlinDiesel and his friends were required to go to court to answer the charges – the YouTuber responded to the court summons by rallying his fans to appear outside the courthouse with signs protesting the splash legislation, which he deemed stupid. Despite his attempts at trivializing the charges against him, WhistlinDiesel faces a jail sentence of up to one year if he is found guilty of jet-skiing in a prohibited zone. We are keeping an eye on the case as it progresses, and will share the verdict once the court makes its decision.
