MrBeast

Who Is MrBeast?

MrBeast, whose real name is James Stephen Donaldson, is an American YouTuber, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is famous for creating massive challenges, expensive giveaways, entertaining competitions and videos that often reach hundreds of millions of viewers.

What makes MrBeast different from many other creators is the scale of his ideas. From giving away huge amounts of money to organizing real-life competitions, he has turned ordinary video concepts into large entertainment productions.

He started uploading videos as a teenager and gradually built one of the biggest audiences in YouTube history. Today, he is also known for his businesses, including Feastables, and his charitable work through Beast Philanthropy.

MrBeast was born on May 7, 1998, in Wichita, Kansas, United States. His family later settled in Greenville, North Carolina, where he spent much of his childhood.

His interest in the internet and video creation started at a young age. He was curious about YouTube and spent time studying popular creators, video formats and what made people watch online content.

He attended Greenville Christian Academy and graduated in 2016. He briefly attended college but left to concentrate on building his YouTube career.

His decision was a significant risk at the time, but he wanted to give content creation his full attention.

MrBeast launched his YouTube channel in February 2012, when he was around 13 years old. His original channel name was MrBeast6000.

His early videos were mostly about gaming, commentary and other YouTube creators. They did not attract a massive audience immediately.

His breakthrough came in January 2017, when he published a video of himself counting from 1 to 100,000. The challenge took around 40 hours and attracted widespread attention.

That video helped introduce his unusual content style to a much larger audience.

He gradually moved towards bigger challenges, expensive giveaways and creative experiments. His videos became known for their strong concepts, dramatic presentation and surprising results.

One of his most recognized productions was $456,000 Squid Game In Real Life!, inspired by the popular Netflix series.

In November 2022, he became YouTube's most-subscribed individual creator. In June 2024, his channel surpassed T-Series to become the platform's most-subscribed channel.

On June 12, 2026, YouTube announced that MrBeast had become the first individual creator to reach 500 million subscribers.

MrBeast has expanded beyond YouTube and developed several business ventures.

1. Feastables

Feastables is his chocolate and snack brand. It launched in 2022 and became popular through his large online audience and retail partnerships.

2. MrBeast Burger

MrBeast Burger launched in 2020 as a delivery-focused virtual restaurant brand. It became widely recognized through its unusual restaurant partnership model.

3. Beast Philanthropy

Beast Philanthropy is a nonprofit organization founded by MrBeast. Its work focuses on charitable projects, including food distribution, healthcare and access to clean water.

4. Beast Games

Beast Games is his reality competition series on Amazon Prime Video. It takes the large-scale challenges associated with his YouTube videos into a television and streaming format.

His income comes from multiple sources, including YouTube advertising, sponsorships, merchandise, business ventures and entertainment projects.

MrBeast's exact personal net worth is not publicly verified.

Although various websites publish estimates, these figures should be treated cautiously. His companies' revenue, production budgets, business valuations and personal wealth are different financial measures.

His business activities and global audience make him one of the most commercially influential creators in the digital entertainment industry.

MrBeast has used his popularity to support several large charitable campaigns.

• TeamTrees (2019): A campaign launched with Mark Rober that raised more than $25 million for tree planting.
• TeamSeas (2021): A campaign that raised more than $30 million to help remove trash from oceans and waterways.
• TeamWater (2025): A campaign with Mark Rober that raised $40 million for clean-water initiatives.

These projects demonstrate how online audiences can be mobilized to support real-world causes.

Want to watch his latest videos or follow his updates? Here are his official social media profiles.

Official social media hub: MrBeast on Linktree

1. He started his YouTube journey at approximately 13 years old.
2. His original channel name was MrBeast6000.
3. His counting-to-100,000 video was a major turning point in his career.
4. He became YouTube's most-subscribed channel in June 2024.
5. He launched Feastables in 2022.
6. He founded Beast Philanthropy.
7. He collaborated with Mark Rober on TeamTrees, TeamSeas and TeamWater.
8. He expanded into television entertainment through Beast Games.