Who said Rizz first? Meet Kai Cenat

Rizz, short for “charisma,” comes from Black culture, as most American neologisms do. In this case, the word “rizz” was popularized by streamer Kai Cenat. (Cenat, incidentally, is old-person-famous for inciting a riot by offering free video game consoles to his followers in New York’s Union Square.)

Who said Rizz first? Meet Kai Cenat

As for where the actual word came from, 21-year-old Cenat explains that Rizz was a product of his group of friends’ shared vernacular. “It’s just from like, us being at home, like just talking. … One person said it, and then another person said it, and then I said it on my Twitch,” Kai says.

He adds that “rizz just meant game,” before clarifying it’s not “short for charisma,” contrary to what others have said.

As discussed in an article by Complex’s Eric Skelton, rizz blew up in 2022, as the word began popping up all over social media, to the point where NBA insider Shams Charania was called a “Rizz God” during a live interview.