- MrBeast is the biggest YouTuber in the world by number of subscribers
- He is known for his massive stunts and philanthropic gestures
- His fortune has grown quickly in recent years
MrBeast is known for his huge stunts on YouTube – something that has helped him to become the biggest YouTuber in the world by number of subscribers.
When you have more subscribers than anyone else on YouTube, then you need to keep making content that is bigger and better than before. MrBeast is certainly doing that – earlier this year it was revealed that he is renting the Pyramids – one of the ancient wonders of the world and a hugely significant archaeological site – for 100 hours to create content for his channel.
This work has also led to MrBeast amassing a large fortune. But who is MrBeast and what is his net worth?
Who is MrBeast?
MrBeast – real name Jimmy Donaldson – is a 26-year-old American from North Carolina. He currently has 347 million YouTube subscribers on his main channel at the time of writing. He also has more than 150 million subscribers across his four other channels, which include MrBeast Philanthropy and MrBeast Gaming.
In addition, he has more than 107 million followers on TikTok, 65.4 million on Instagram and 31 million on X (formerly Twitter).
Early life
MrBeast moved around in his early life as his parents worked long hours in the military. His parents divorced in 2007.
After graduating from a private high school, he briefly attended East Carolina University but soon dropped out. After dropping out, MrBeast, along with his friends, poured their energy into analysing the YouTube recommendation algorithm, while also developing his channel.
YouTube career
MrBeast first began posting videos on YouTube in 2012, when he was aged 13. His early content usually focused on him playing video games, or providing tips to other YouTubers.
The channel grew steadily at first – he had 30,000 subscribers by 2016.
However, it was 2017 that provided his breakthrough. A video showing himself counting to 100,000 went wildly viral, and after that a series of other stunts, such as trying to stay underwater for 24 hours or watching paint dry for an hour helped to boost his popularity.
As his popularity grew, so did the size and scope of his stunts. For instance in 2019, he organised a real-life battle royale event with prizes totalling $200,000.
Big prizes became a feature of MrBeast’s videos. For instance, in 2020, he organised a rock, paper, scissors competition between 32 influencers with a grand prize of $250,000. It was YouTube’s most-watched live Original event at the time, with 662,000 concurrent viewers.
His Squid Game in Real Life video of November 2021 recreated the famous South Korean drama with 456 people competing for a $456,000 prize. It was one of the most watched videos of 2021.
Philanthropic work
MrBeast is known for his giveaways on his main YouTube channel, but he also does other work.
On his Beast Philanthropy channel, among other things, he has donated 20,000 shoes to children in Africa and gifted $300,00 of technology to various schools.
He has also been behind various environmental ventures. For instance #TeamTrees sought to raise $20 million for the Arbor Day Foundation, which pledges to plant a tree for every dollar donated. Thus far, more than 24.7 million trees have been planted.
Likewise #TeamSeas has raised more than $33 million for The Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup to remove more than 30 million pounds of plastic and other waste from oceans, beaches and rivers.
TV show
In 2024, MrBeast teamed up with Amazon MGM Studios to produce a reality series called Beast Games. This featured 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million prize – the biggest in the history of TV and streaming shows.
However, the show has faced controversy when contestants compained about allegedly being denied food, water and medication. In addition, several contestants were hospitalised during initial filming sessions. However, these issues have been blamed on external factors by a spokesperson for MrBeast.
The show is currently on Amazone Prime. The first episode aired on December 19, 2024 and new episodes of the 10-epsiode series drop weekly.
MrBeast achievements
MrBeast has many achievements during his YouTube career. He was the second individual YouTuber to reach 100 million subscribers in July 2022 – the fifth channel in all. Later that year, he achieved a Guiness World Record of ‘most subscribers for an individual make on YouTube, when he main channel reached 112 million subscribers.
On June 2 2024, MrBeast took the outright record for most subscribed YouTube channel, overtaking Indian music label and film production company T-Series, with 267 million subscribers.
Just over a month later, he became the first YouTuber to break the 300 million subscribers barrier.
MrBeast also has the most watched video on YouTube. Would you fly to Paris for a baguette?’ has had more than 1.3 billion views.
MrBeast net worth
While MrBeast’s YouTube channels and advertising on that nets him millions, he does have other income streams.
For instance, there is his range of chocolate bars called Feastables, as well as snack kit brand Lunchy.
He also launched a toy line last year called MrBeast Lab, which includes small-scale collectibles, action figures and vinyl and collector’s figures. The figures come in a range of scales, designs, finishes and color combinations. There are also some figures that are rarer to find than others.
MrBeast has also invested in various tech companies, such as Backbone, which produces a controller accessory for smartphones.
Currently, MrBeast’s net worth is $1 billion, according to Celebrity Net Worth. This total is based on his business empire and is thought to be a conservative estimate.
He officially became a billionaire in June 2024 aged just 26 – making him the eighth youngest billionaire in the world. However, all the others had inherited their fortunes.
