MrBeast
MrBeast | |||||||||||||||||||
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MrBeast in 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | James Stephen Donaldson May 7, 1998 Wichita, Kansas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Education | Greenville Christian Academy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | East Carolina University (dropped out) | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Years active | 2012–present | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Partner(s) | Thea Booysen (2022–present; engaged) | ||||||||||||||||||
YouTube information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Channel | |||||||||||||||||||
| Subscribers | 405 million | ||||||||||||||||||
| Views | 86.3 billion | ||||||||||||||||||
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Last updated: June 16, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Website | mrbeast | ||||||||||||||||||
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James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson (born May 7, 1998), commonly known by his online alias MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, media personality, and businessman. His YouTube videos, where he often hosts elaborate challenges and philanthropic efforts, are known for their fast pace and high production values. With over 404 million subscribers, he has the most subscribers on any YouTube channel; he is also the third-most-followed creator on TikTok, with over 115 million followers.
Donaldson was born in Wichita, Kansas and raised in Greenville, North Carolina. He began posting videos to YouTube in early 2012 under the handle MrBeast6000. His early content ranged from Let's Plays to "videos estimating the wealth of other YouTubers". He went viral in 2017 after his "counting to 100,000" video earned tens of thousands of views in just a few days. His videos have become increasingly grand and extravagant. Once his channel took off, Donaldson hired some childhood friends to co-run the brand. Donaldson also runs the YouTube channels Beast Reacts (formerly BeastHacks), MrBeast Gaming, MrBeast 2 (formerly MrBeast Shorts), and the philanthropy channel Beast Philanthropy.
Donaldson is the founder of MrBeast Burger, Feastables, and a co-founder of Team Trees, a fundraiser for the Arbor Day Foundation that has raised over $24 million for its campaigns, and Lunchly, a food and snack brand similar to Lunchables. He also co-founded Team Seas, a fundraiser for Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup that has raised over $30 million. He is the creator of the reality competition television series, Beast Games. In September 2024, Donaldson was one of the subjects of a class action lawsuit that alleged widespread mistreatment, sexual harassment, and unpaid expenses and wages on his ongoing reality television series.
Donaldson won the Creator of the Year award four years in a row at the Streamy Awards in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023; he also won the Favorite Male Creator award three times at the 2022, 2023 and 2024 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. In 2023, Time named him one of the world's 100 most influential people. He ranked first on the Forbes list for the highest-paid YouTube creator in 2024. In 2022, Forbes estimated his net worth at $500 million.