Dr. Fauci
$5 million
MrBeast’s net worth is estimated at $2.6 billion, reflecting his majority ownership in Beast Industries, a holding company that was valued at $5 billion in a February 2025 fundraising round. Born Jimmy Donaldson in Wichita, Kansas, he grew from a teenager filming YouTube videos in his bedroom into the most-subscribed individual creator in the platform’s history, with a business empire spanning food brands, a streaming deal with Amazon, and consumer products.
Updated March 2026: According to Bloomberg, Beast Industries was raising capital at a $5 billion valuation in February 2025. Donaldson holds a majority stake in the company. Forbes has separately estimated his annual earnings at approximately $85 million for the 2024–25 period, driven by YouTube ad revenue, brand sponsorships, and Feastables chocolate sales.
James Stephen “Jimmy” Donaldson was born on May 7, 1998, in Wichita, Kansas. His parents divorced in 2007, and he was raised primarily by his mother, Susan Parisher, a military veteran. He has an older brother, CJ Donaldson, who has appeared in his videos and online content. Due to the family’s ties to military service, the Donaldsons relocated frequently, eventually settling in Greenville, North Carolina, where Jimmy attended Greenville Christian Academy and graduated in 2016.
At age 15, Donaldson was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition that required dietary management and medical attention. He has spoken about the diagnosis publicly and cited it as part of what motivated him to accelerate his career rather than delay for conventional schooling. He briefly enrolled at Pitt Community College and later East Carolina University but dropped out within his first year to pursue YouTube full-time.
Donaldson created his MrBeast YouTube channel in February 2012 at age 13, initially posting gaming commentary and video game walkthroughs under the handle “MrBeast6000.” His first significant viral moment came in January 2017 when his video “Counting to 100,000” (a real-time recording of him counting aloud for approximately 40 hours) accumulated millions of views and established his brand of extreme endurance and attention-grabbing stunts.
That format escalated systematically: cash giveaway videos, elaborate challenge formats with real prizes, and philanthropic videos in which he gave away homes, cars, and cash to strangers. By 2021, his recreation of Netflix’s Squid Game in a real-world setting—costing an estimated $3.5 million to produce—drew 130 million views in its first week of release in November 2021, a YouTube record at the time.
Donaldson reached 100 million subscribers in July 2022 and became the most-subscribed individual channel on YouTube in June 2024, surpassing PewDiePie’s long-held record. By July 2024, he had crossed 300 million subscribers. As of March 2026, the MrBeast channel is the most subscribed channel on the platform.
In December 2024, his reality competition series Beast Games debuted on Amazon Prime Video. The show, which featured a $5 million grand prize and 1,000 contestants, drew 50 million views in its first 25 days—a record for an unscripted Amazon Original. The series established Donaldson’s reach beyond YouTube and into mainstream streaming.
Beast Industries, the umbrella company for all Donaldson’s commercial ventures, was valued at $5 billion in a February 2025 fundraising round per Bloomberg. The company’s projected revenues for 2025 were estimated internally at approximately $899 million across all divisions.
Donaldson announced his engagement to South African gamer and content creator Thea Booysen on December 25, 2024. The two met in 2022 when Donaldson traveled to South Africa to film YouTube content; Booysen is known in gaming circles for her work as an esports commentator and her Twitch streaming career. They have no children; Donaldson has said in interviews that he would only have children if he were confident he could be a “phenomenal father,” given his current workload.
Donaldson describes himself as an introvert who manages Crohn’s disease through careful diet and lifestyle choices. He has stated he is agnostic-theist, having moved away from his evangelical Christian upbringing. He is politically non-committal in most public forums but has expressed personal admiration for Elon Musk. In November 2025, he posted a public apology acknowledging that recent video quality had dipped below his standards and pledging improved content heading into 2026. He also appeared in a Super Bowl commercial with Salesforce in early 2026, his first major traditional media advertising appearance.
In the broader content creator ecosystem, his business trajectory is frequently compared to that of Jake Paul and Logan Paul, who have similarly expanded from YouTube into broader commercial enterprises. Fellow creators Kai Cenat and Sophie Rain are among the next generation of creators whose business ambitions have been publicly influenced by Donaldson’s model.
MrBeast’s net worth is estimated at $2.6 billion as of 2026. The figure is anchored by his majority ownership in Beast Industries, which was valued at $5 billion in a February 2025 fundraising round per Bloomberg. Annual earnings from YouTube, Feastables, and Amazon content add significant cash flow on top of that equity value.
MrBeast earns from YouTube advertising and brand sponsorships (~$85 million annually per Forbes), Feastables chocolate ($250 million in 2024 revenue), Beast Games on Amazon Prime Video, and equity appreciation across Beast Industries, which spans multiple consumer brands and ventures targeting $899 million in 2025 revenue.
Yes. Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast) proposed to South African gamer and content creator Thea Booysen on December 25, 2024. The couple met in 2022. They are not yet married as of March 2026 and have no children.