Chris Comstock was the Face Behind Masked Marshmello – Meet Him

Chris Comstock is an electronic music producer and international disc jockey who gained public attention after he appeared wearing a Marshmallow helmet and refused to unmask his real identity. He would go on to release successful tracks by Russian-German deejay DJ Zedd and DJ Jack.

We must say that performing under a mask triggered a lot of curiosity from fans and the general public and before long, some tell-tale signs like his leg and hands tattoo gave him away. Some of his colleagues in the industry also contributed to Marshmello’s unmasking and today, it is common knowledge that Chris Comstock, Marshmello, and Dotcom (his other stage name) are one and the same person.

Who is Marshmello and What is His Real Name?

Christopher Comstock is the real moniker for Marshmello, an the electronic music producer who has kept his identity under wraps until recently when people started making attempts to unmask him. He is also called Dotcom.

For now, not much is known about the American Disc Jockey’s early life and family background as he insists on keeping that part of his life under lock and Key. However, it was recently revealed that his father goes by the name Matthew Comstock while his mum is named Stephanie.

Mello’s paternal grandparents are listed as Harold Eugene “Gene” Comstock and
Shelby Jean Sevy. His maternal grandparents include Garley Ray “Tommy” Whitt, Jr. and Brenda Jean Jones. Chris’s academic records have never been revealed to the public which makes it hard to know the level of education he attained.

How Old is Chris Comstock?

Chris Comstock is 31 years old in 2024. The American DJ and electronic music producer was born on the 19th of May 1992 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, making him an American national. Marshmello’s ethnicity is said to be white.

How Did Chris Comstock Come About His Marshmello Identity?

Moe Shalizi, Chris Comstock’s manager, was in an interview session with Forbes in November 2018 when he revealed how they came about the identity of Marshmello. According to Moe, the DJ wanted to create a unique brand that will appeal to demographics.

They needed the brand to be accessible to everyone and everybody will be able to relate to it – a sort of universal character. The brand was targeted to transcend differences, such as language, religion, country of origin, and more. The brand Marshmello meant that fans could actually identify with Chris’ music without having to worry about the face behind the mask.

In their bid to create something larger than one person, the duo contemplated using several materials like a bandana and pantyhose for the mask. However, they later settled on a cut-up yoga mat cemented in the back; this sufficed for the initial iteration of the mask. Presently, Mello’s helmet weighs eight pounds and costs the sum of $55,000.

After they formulated the identity, it didn’t take long to become a hit and they decided to shroud Chris Comstock’s real identity in secrecy. They even succeeded in keeping it from Skrillex (Marshmello’s hero) for a while.

Why Does Chris Comstock wear a Helmet?

Since he appeared on the music scene wearing a white mask, Marshmello triggered one of the hottest debates among lovers of music. When asked why he has never taken off his mask, Mello said it is because he does not need or want fame. Via his Twitter handle in 2017, the masked DJ said he was genuinely trying his best to create something positive that people can connect with.

I don't take my helmet off because I don't want or need fame. I'm genuinely trying to create something positive for people to connect with

— marshmello (@marshmello) August 6, 2017

In another tweet, Mello gave a further description of his thought behind putting on a helmet. According to the singer, it helps him to stay anonymous, besides, wearing a helmet can make anyone become Marshmello. His exact words were: “The helmet makes me marshmello and equally, makes you marshmello…we are all marshmello.”

The helmet makes me marshmello and also makes you marshmello…we are all marshmello

— marshmello (@marshmello) August 6, 2017

It must be noted that Chris Comstock is far from being the first musician to perform behind a helmet. In the past, we saw several helmet-wearing artists like Daft Punk with his signature Robot helmets and Deadmau5 DJs who performed behind a giant mouse helmet.

When was Marshmello’s Face Revealed?

After the masked DJ gained prominence and started making waves in the showbiz industry, the matter of his real identity became a subject of serious debate among fans. With time, so many tell-tale signs started suggesting that Chris Comstock and Marshmello are one and the same person. The first hint came from Skrillex in 2016.

Skrillex was the First to Unmask the DJ

Marshmello’s hero, Skrillex, takes the credit for being the first to unmask the American DJ. On the occasion of Mello’s 2016 birthday on the 19th of May, Skrillex uploaded a video, and knowing fans, they were quick to put two and two together, coming to the conclusion that Comstock also celebrates his birthday on the 19th of May.

Skrillex was in an interview session with Katie Couric when a call came in for him in the middle of their interaction. It happened that Katie was the one who picked up the call and said, “It’s Chris,” and in his reply, Skrillex inadvertently said “Oh, Marshmello” before picking the call up and putting Mello on speaker.

That particular interaction sparked a heated debate around the identity of Marshmello – whether it has something to do with Chris Comstock. The debate soon rubbed off on other media outlets including social media detectives.

Forbes Contributed to Mello’s Unmasking

On the 14th of November 2017, Forbes announced they were set to conclusively report that Chris and the masked DJ were one and the same person. Forbes cited several pieces of evidence, including the fact that Marshmello was listed in the management roaster for Dotcom/Christopher Comstock. Further digging also revealed that Christopher Comstock is the manager of Marshmello’s holding company.

Several industry insiders equally confirmed Marshmello’s identity to Forbes, albeit, most of them spoke in anonymity. One said, “It’s absolutely the same guy.” Chris Comstock = Dotcom = Marshmello.

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A post shared by chris comstock (@chriscomstock)

His Holding Company was a Huge Giveaway

In addition, pieces of evidence also came from the DJ’s company known as Marshmello Creative, LLC. The company which was launched in August 2015 in Delaware listed Christopher Comstock as its sole manager.

Also, the organization attached to Marshmello Creative, LLC named Dotcom Music, LLC listed Comstock as its only manager. Another giveaway was Marshmello’s track “Silence” which listed Chris as its sole songwriter apart from Khalid (a featured vocalist)

Social Media was Another Contributor 

For quite a while now, the EDM community has known the real identity of Marshmello and it is all thanks to social media. The clues started emanating from Twitter users in 2016 after they compiled shots of the leg tattoos on both Chris Comstock and Marshmello revealing the same ink.

Some tweeps even went as far as stitching photos of the DJ’s neck and hands together just to draw attention to similarities. Skrillex’s “Happy Birthday Marshmello” post on Facebook which coincided with Chris’ birthday also gave tweeps enough clues to go by.

In March that year, Mello was caught in an Insta Story video without his helmet.

Bollywood Actress Urvashi Rauteli Facebook Tag

In July 2016 more concrete pieces of evidence of the true identity of Marshmallow came from Urvashi Rauteli a known Bollywood actress who shared Chris Comstock’s photo and mistakenly tagged Marshmallow. A few days later, she edited the picture to erase that tag but it was too late already. To date, the edited history remains visible on Facebook

Vogue Magazine Confirmation

Vogue magazine also played a major role in the unveiling of Marshmallow. Their April 2017 issue unequivocally confirmed that the masked face called Marshmello is none other than Chris Comstock.

What Does Marshmello Look Like?

From the moment Marshmello surfaced on the music scene, the electronic music producer triggered the curiosity of millions of fans who wished to unravel the mystery of the man behind the helmet. After efforts from media outlets, social media investigators, and other interested individuals revealed that Mello is the same as Chris Comstock, it put paid to speculations regarding his general physical appearance.

With that said, Marshmello is a tall guy standing at 5 feet 11 inches which is approximately 180.5 cm. The popular DJ is of slim build with a bodyweight of 75 kg or 165 pounds. He is a dark brown-haired dude with eyes of similar color.

When did Chris Comstock come into the Limelight?

Chris Comstock was just 23 in 2015 when the American DJ started making a name for himself as Dotcom in the showbiz industry. The year was just beginning when Marshmello took to his SoundCloud page to release what is today known as his debut original song. Mello followed this up by dropping remixes of tracks by the popular American DJ duo, named Jack Ü, and Russian-German DJ Zedd.

As he dropped more tracks on SoundCloud, Mello was garnering attention both from the general public and fellow artists. Skrillex was one of the first to notice the up-and-coming star and decided to support his endeavor by going on SoundCloud to repost one of his songs, “Find Me”.

The Electronic Music Producer has Dropped Multiple Albums

After he came onto the music scene in 2015, it took Chris Comstock less than one year to release his debut album. Joytime as his first studio album was called hit the music stand in January 2016 and it garnered so much attention thanks to its lead single, Keep it Mello; the song wasted no time in becoming everyone’s favorite.

Marshmello’s first studio album was succeeded by the single, Alone via a Canadian record label, Monstercat. Alone did not just top multiple charts, it peaked on US Billboards. Eventually, the track was certified platinum in both Canada and the United States.

Joytime soon had sequel albums – Joytime 2 was released in 2018, and Joytime 3 followed the next year in 2019. In addition, Mello released a handful of other singles including Rainbow, Moving On, and Chasing Colors. Moe Shalizi from Red Light Management is Mello’s current representative, and the masked DJ is also known for several successful collaborations with other artists.

His latest effort is the album Shockwave which was dropped on the 11th of June 2021. In addition, the masked DJ has two extended plays under his belt namely Right and Roll in the Dice.

All the Artists Chris Comstock Has Collaborated With

Chris Comstock has done some successful collaborations with some of the industry’s A-listers – he featured Khalid in his popular track, “Silence”. With Selena Gomez, he worked on “Wolvers” and was seen in “Friends” (2018) with British singer Anne Marie. He also collaborated with Logic in the number, “Everyday”.

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A post shared by marshmello (@marshmello)

He also collaborated with Bastille in “Happier”, worked with Roddy Ricch in “Project” Dreams, with Halsey in “Be Kind”, and Juice Wrld in “Come & Go”. Others include Kane Brown in the track “One Thing Right”, and “OK Not to Be OK” – a song where he worked with Demi Lovato.

Marshmello Loves Trying his Hands at Different Genres of Music

Marshmello was in an interview session with Complex in April 2021 when he talked about the music genres he favors. According to the masked DJ, he came from an electronic music background but is presently jumping into hip-hop. Even in the face of resistance, he just keeps at it, the singer said.

According to the DJ, he has done some work with other artists and producers and has proved his competence in the hip-hop space. Though it has taken a bit he has the intention of showing fans that he can do it. The electronic music star also experiments with other genres like Progressive House, Trap, and Future Bass.

His YouTube Channel

Apart from being known as a musician, Chris Comstock is also a YouTuber. The masked DJ has his own YouTube channel dedicated to gaming and cooking videos. The two are known as Gaming with Marshmallow and Cooking with Marshmello, and they have since become favorites among fans.

The channel has amassed above 6.1 billion in views and its subscription level is beyond 35.2 million and still counting.

Chris Comstock is on Other Social Media Platforms

Just like every other artist of similar ilk, Marshmello has established a palpable presence on several social media platforms. The electronic music Disc Jokey joined Twitter in January 2015 @marshmellomusic and since then, he has amassed over 2.4M followers

Chris Comstock is equally on the picture-sharing platform at marshmellomusic
His IG handle is a verified one with over 29.2m followers from inception to date. The total post on his Instagram came to 68 posts at the last count.

What is Marshmello’s Net Worth?

Marshmello is currently worth a whopping $40 million as of 2024, a figure majorly earned from private gigs and touring.

The world of showbiz has witnessed several masked performers but truth be told, Marshmello has been way faster than any of his compatriots in his stratospheric rise. Thanks to his infectious hits and ingenious marketing, the white mask-wearing DJ was propelled to the world’s highest-paid DJs – an annual ranking by Forbes; he achieved this in less than a couple of years of public performance.

Going by Forbes estimates, the independent artist netted an astounding $21 million pretax within one year before June 2017. This is all thanks to over 170 gigs/performances with grosses north of $150,000 per show.

Forbes also reported about the cost of Chris Comstock’s helmet which was pegged at $55,000. It is far from an ordinary helmet, the publication said. It comes complete with an internal air-conditioning system, weighing around eight pounds

Despite the fact that Mello refused to reveal his real identity to fans and the general public, the masked DJ keeps thriving in his professional life.

FAQs

Who is Chris Comstock?

Chris Comstock is an electronic music producer and international DJ famous for wearing a Marshmallow helmet.

Why does Marshmello cover his Head?

Marshmello covers his head to hide his appearance. He says he does not want the fame that comes with being popular and wants the mask to connect with people instead of him.

How was Marshmello Discovered?

Marshmello was discovered on Soundcloud, where he uploaded a song that caught the attention of EDM legends like Skrillex, who reposted it.

How Much Does DJ Marshmello Make?

DJ Marshmello makes about $20 million each year from appearing in various events across the world.

How Much Does it Cost to Book Marshmello for Event?

DJ Marshmello was previously paid around $150,000 per show, but he now makes upwards of $200,000 to appear at an event.