The Real Reason Valkyrae Won't Use Dating Apps

Though Valkyrae recently stepped away from streaming for a long while to do some traveling, her career doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. The streamer has already broken barriers, both by becoming one of the first women to co-own an esports organization and by amassing over 3.5 million subscribers on YouTube, where she frequently streams. Things haven't been universally great for Valkyrae, though. The failed rollout of her sponsored RFLCT skin care line was more tragic than many fans realized, briefly impacting her reputation online. The other problem in Valkyrae's life? It's hard to find a good date, apparently.

Valkyrae recently sat down with fellow 100 Thieves members Peter Park and Kyedae for the first episode of "Boomers vs. Zoomers," a new YouTube podcast series that aims to do exactly what the title implies: pit older people against Gen Z. However, for most of the podcast the crew just chatted about things happening in their lives, discussing everything from if they wanted to eventually have kids to manga and anime. Rae even talked about her biggest teen celebrity crush: Orlando Bloom. But what about Valkyrae's real dating life?

Valkyrae took some time to discuss her experiences with dating, even going so far as to describe her experiences with dating apps, which haven't been entirely successful. It turns out that Rae doesn't have a special someone right now, but that doesn't mean she's totally closed off to love. Here's what she had to say about dating and her journey to have higher standards for herself.

After a lull in the conversation, Valkyrae playfully suggested that the group discuss something that would make for a good clickbait headline. "You wanna talk about boyfriends? You wanna talk about dating apps? I can talk about dating apps," Valkyrae proposed. However, when Peter Park asked her about her dating life, she nervously laughed. Park quickly shifted to asking how her experience with dating apps has gone lately, and Valkyrae seemed to feel more comfortable talking about her time with dating apps, and she readily offered that she'd uninstalled them all from her phone.

"I get too paranoid that I'm going to get recognized and that's going to be the reason they try to talk to me," Valkyrae explained. She said that while she's successfully gone on a date with a person she met on an app, she worries that people will recognize her and try to take advantage of her fame. When Kyedae asked about the possibility of Valkyrae finding love on a verified version of Tinder, Rae admitted she still felt concerned over that dating pool, too. She said that even if the people on the app were vetted properly, they might still see her for her job and not her personality. Instead of meeting someone on an app, Valkyrae has a completely different way she'd like to find love.

Valkyrae is a bit old fashioned, and she revealed that she wants to find romance in a traditional way. "I would like to meet someone naturally, like someone who doesn't recognize me, out in the streets – well, maybe not the streets," Valkyrae laughed. She commented that although she enjoys the single life, and has done a lot of work on herself and her own personal dating standards, she still feels like her options are limited because of her career. Meeting people is fun, but as more and more people become familiar with Valkyrae, it's more likely she's going to be recognized by strangers.

There's another reason for Valkyrae's hesitance to date online: her standards are extremely high, as well they should be. Valkyrae admitted that after several bad relationships, she's ready to meet someone who appreciates and celebrates her hard work. "The thing is, I've had relationships in the past where, like, my partner will compare their success to mine ... and it actually got to the point where I didn't want to share anything good that was happening," Valkyrae said. She explained that it doesn't matter what someone does professionally, as long as they are able to support her and receive her support in return. She also said that it's important for people to have their own passions and do their best at their work – no matter what that work is.

All that being said, Valkyrae is happy being single for now, and says that not being in a romantic relationship has given her time to grow closer to her friends. Right now, she's just enjoying life, working hard and trying to grow her following even more.