Jonas Ems

Biography

Jonas Maximilian Ems (born December 30, 1996, in Cologne) is a German web video producer, author, actor, and director. Jonas Ems grew up in Cologne and received his Abitur (high school diploma) in 2015 from the Heinrich-Böll-Gymnasium in Troisdorf. In 2016, he moved to Berlin. He operates several YouTube channels, the Twitch channel jonasems, as well as a TikTok account with over 3.4 million followers (as of January 2026). In late 2021, he announced a shift in content strategy on his main channel—moving away from comedy and toward socially critical topics. On his channel JONAS SHORTS, he continues to publish short-form comedy videos. Ems appeared in the feature film and web series Oberucken. He also gained prominence through the web series Krass Klassenfahrt, in which he played various roles such as Kenneth, Mc Larry, Cringe Timmy, and TJ. Additionally, he co-wrote the scripts and served as director alongside Jonas Wuttke. Together, they also founded the media company Moonvibe and produced the web series Villa der Liebe. In 2021, a feature-film adaptation of the series titled Krass Klassenfahrt – Der Kinofilm was released. Since 2022, Ems has voiced the character Mike in the mystery audio drama podcast Forever Club. His novel Schattenseite was adapted into a six-part mystery miniseries in 2025, for which he served as a co-writer and also played a supporting role. Furthermore, Ems is an advocate for animal welfare; in 2024, in collaboration with the organization Aninova, he released a video documenting conditions inside a pig barn.