MrBeast facts for kids

Quick facts for kids MrBeast
MrBeast in 2023
Personal information
Born	James Stephen Donaldson (1998-05-07) May 7, 1998 (age 27) Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Origin	Greenville, North Carolina, U.S.
Education	Greenville Christian Academy
Occupation	YouTuber entrepreneur influencer
Partner(s)	Thea Booysen (2022–present; engaged)
Signature
YouTube information
Years active	2012–present
Genre	Challenge vlog gaming react
Subscribers	356 million (main channel) 48.6 million (MrBeast 2) 27.3 million (Beast Philanthropy) 46.5 million (MrBeast Gaming) 35.3 million (Beast Reacts)
Total views	71.774 billion (main channel) 7.302 billion (MrBeast 2) 1.048 billion (Beast Philanthropy) 8.508 billion (MrBeast Gaming) 6.521 billion (Beast Reacts)
Associated acts	Karl Jacobs PewDiePie Marques Brownlee Jay Leno Mark Rober Gordon Ramsay Airrack
Subscriber and view counts updated as of Feb 5, 2025.

James Stephen Donaldson, known as MrBeast, was born on May 7, 1998. He is a famous American YouTuber, online personality, and someone who helps others. He's known for his exciting videos. They often show big challenges and huge giveaways of money or prizes.

MrBeast has over 350 million subscribers, making his channel the most subscribed on YouTube! He is also very popular on TikTok, Instagram, and X.

Jimmy grew up in Greenville, North Carolina. He started making YouTube videos in 2012 when he was 13. His first channel was called "MrBeast6000." He became super popular in 2017 after a video where he counted to 100,000. Since then, most of his videos get millions of views.

His videos became bigger and more amazing over time. As his channel grew, Jimmy hired his childhood friends to help him. Today, the MrBeast team has over 250 people! Besides his main channel, he also runs Beast Reacts, MrBeast Gaming, MrBeast 2, and Beast Philanthropy.

MrBeast also started MrBeast Burger and Feastables. He helped create Team Trees, which raised over $23 million to plant trees. He also co-founded Team Seas, which raised over $30 million to clean up oceans. He has won the "Creator of the Year" award at the Streamy Awards four times in a row. Time magazine even named him one of the world's 100 most influential people in 2023.

Early Life and Education

Jimmy Donaldson was born on May 7, 1998, in Kansas. He grew up in Greenville, North Carolina, with his older brother, Charles "C.J." Donaldson. Jimmy finished high school at Greenville Christian Academy in 2016.

He briefly went to East Carolina University but decided to leave to focus on his YouTube career. His brother, CjTheseDays, is also a YouTuber.

MrBeast's YouTube Journey

Starting Out on YouTube (2012–2017)

Chris Tyson, a key member of the MrBeast team.

Jimmy uploaded his first YouTube video in February 2012. He was only 13 years old! His channel was called "MrBeast6000." In his early videos, he played games like Minecraft and Call of Duty: Black Ops II. He also made videos about other YouTubers' wealth and gave tips for new creators.

In 2015 and 2016, he started getting more attention with his "Worst intros on YouTube" series. By mid-2016, he had about 30,000 subscribers. In late 2016, Jimmy decided to leave college to become a full-time YouTuber. His mom wasn't happy about this at first.

As his channel grew, Jimmy hired some of his childhood friends. These included Chris Tyson, Chandler Hallow, Garrett Ronalds, and Jake Franklin. They helped him understand how YouTube's recommendation system works. Later, Karl Jacobs, who was a cameraman, joined the main team.

Becoming Famous (2017–2020)

MrBeast in March 2019.

In January 2017, Jimmy posted a video where he counted to 100,000. This video took him 40 hours! It became very popular and helped him gain many new viewers. He also did other wild stunts, like trying to break glass with 100 megaphones or watching paint dry for an hour.

By 2018, MrBeast had given away $1 million through his videos. This earned him the nickname "YouTube's biggest philanthropist." During the competition between PewDiePie and T-Series for the most subscribers, MrBeast bought billboards and ads to support PewDiePie. He even wore "Sub 2 PewDiePie" shirts at the Super Bowl!

In 2019, he held a real-life battle royale game in Los Angeles. The winner received $200,000! This event was sponsored by Apex Legends. In April 2020, he hosted a "rock, paper, scissors" competition with 32 famous internet stars. The winner got $250,000. It became YouTube's most-watched live event at the time.

Huge Success (2021–Present)

On January 1, 2021, MrBeast released his own "YouTube Rewind 2020" video. He wanted YouTubers to have more say in the official Rewind videos. A month later, he signed a deal to share his content on Facebook and Snapchat.

In November 2021, MrBeast created a real-life version of the TV show Squid Game. 456 people competed for a $456,000 prize. Unlike the show, there was no violence. This video has over 325 million views, making it one of his most-watched videos ever!

In January 2022, Forbes magazine named MrBeast YouTube's highest-earning creator. He earned an estimated $54 million in 2021! On July 28, 2022, his main channel reached 100 million subscribers. This made him only the second individual YouTuber to hit this huge milestone. In November 2022, he earned a Guinness World Record for having the "Most Subscribers for an Individual Male on YouTube."

In December 2022, MrBeast outfits and items were added to the game Fortnite Battle Royale. Epic Games also held a Fortnite tournament called "MrBeast's Extreme Survival Challenge" with a $1 million prize. In June 2024, MrBeast's channel passed T-Series to become the most subscribed channel on all of YouTube!

How MrBeast's Videos Work

MrBeast's videos are designed to go viral. This means they get seen by millions of people. He earns a lot of money from advertising sales. His videos often include fun challenges, guest appearances, and reaction segments. These are all popular types of videos online.

His YouTube videos use exciting titles to grab attention. They explain the challenge quickly and are usually 10 to 20 minutes long. Big cash prizes are also a key part of his videos. He often gives away large sums of money to people. Many of these videos are sponsored by companies. MrBeast is known for starting a new style of YouTube videos. These videos feature expensive stunts and large giveaways.

Other Projects by MrBeast

Finger on the App

In June 2020, MrBeast launched a mobile game called "Finger on the App." Players had to keep their finger on their phone screen. The last person to remove their finger won $25,000! Four people ended up winning $20,000 each after keeping their finger on the app for over 70 hours. A second game, "Finger on the App 2," was released in March 2021 with a grand prize of $100,000.

MrBeast Burger

In December 2020, MrBeast launched a virtual restaurant called MrBeast Burger. This means you could order his burgers online for delivery. In August 2022, he opened his first physical MrBeast Burger restaurant. It's located at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The restaurant officially opened on September 4, 2022.

Feastables

A Feastables chocolate bar.

In January 2022, MrBeast started a new food company called Feastables. They launched with their own brand of chocolate bars called "MrBeast Bars." There were three flavors: original, almond, and quinoa crunch. The launch included a contest with over $1 million in prizes. Ten grand prize winners got a chance to compete for a chocolate factory in a future video! That video came out in June 2022. It featured famous chef Gordon Ramsay and a $500,000 cash prize. Feastables made $10 million in its first few months!

Helping Others: Philanthropy

Team Trees

The logo for Team Trees.

On October 25, 2019, MrBeast and former NASA engineer Mark Rober started a fundraising challenge called #TeamTrees. Their goal was to raise $20 million for the Arbor Day Foundation by January 1, 2020. For every dollar donated, one tree would be planted. Many famous YouTubers helped spread the word. The project reached its $20 million goal on December 19, 2019! As of February 2025, over 24.8 million trees have been planted.

Beast Philanthropy

On September 17, 2020, MrBeast created a new YouTube channel called Beast Philanthropy. In the first video, he announced a charity and food bank. The channel's description says that 100% of its money from ads, brand deals, and merchandise sales goes to charity.

Team Seas

The logo for Team Seas.

On October 29, 2021, MrBeast and Mark Rober started another big project called #TeamSeas. Their goal was to raise $30 million by January 1, 2022. This money would help remove 30 million pounds of plastic and trash from oceans, rivers, and beaches. Many content creators joined in to promote the fundraiser. As of February 2025, over $34 million has been raised!

Helping with Cataract Surgery

In January 2023, MrBeast paid for cataract surgery for a thousand people. These people had very limited vision and couldn't afford the surgery themselves. This video sparked a lot of discussion about healthcare.

MrBeast won the Favorite Male Creator award at the 2022 Kids' Choice Awards.

Personal Life

Jimmy Donaldson says he is an introvert. He admits it's hard for him to have a normal social life because he works so much on YouTube. His mom says his quiet nature is partly because they moved often and he has Crohn's disease.

Jimmy dated YouTuber Maddy Spidell from 2019 to 2022. In 2022, he started dating gaming streamer Thea Booysen. On January 1, 2025, he announced that he and Thea got engaged on December 25, 2024.

In June 2023, after the Titan submersible sadly imploded near the Titanic wreck, MrBeast shared that he had been invited on that expedition but had said no.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

World Records

See also

In Spanish: MrBeast para niños