MrBeast | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() Donaldson in 2023 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | James Stephen Donaldson May 7, 1998 Wichita, Kansas, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other names |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Education | Greenville Christian Academy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Alma mater | East Carolina University (dropped out) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Occupations |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years active | 2012–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Partner(s) | Thea Booysen (2022–present; engaged) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
YouTube information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Channel | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Subscribers | 444 million [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Views | 97 billion [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Associated acts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last updated: October 8, 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website | mrbeast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Signature | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() |
James Stephen "Jimmy"Donaldson [b] (born May 7, 1998), commonly known by his online alias MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, media personality, and businessman. Donaldson produces fast-paced YouTube videos built around elaborate challenges and grandiose philanthropic efforts, noted for their high production values. [14] With more than 444 million subscribers, his main channel is the most subscribed on YouTube. [15] [16] He is also the third-most-followed creator on TikTok, with over 119.3 million followers.
Donaldson was born in Wichita, Kansas and raised in Greenville, North Carolina. He began posting videos to YouTube in early 2012 [17] under the handle MrBeast6000. His early uploads ranged from Let's Plays to estimations of other YouTubers' wealth. [18] In 2017, after his video "I Counted to 100,000!" drew tens of thousands of views within days, his productions quickly became more extravagant. [19] As the audience expanded, Donaldson brought longtime friends into the brand and launched companion channels including Beast Reacts (formerly BeastHacks), MrBeast Gaming, MrBeast 2 (formerly MrBeast Shorts), [20] and Beast Philanthropy. [21] [22]
Donaldson founded MrBeast Burger and Feastables, co-founded Team Trees—a fundraiser for the Arbor Day Foundation that has raised more than $24 million, and launched Lunchly, a food and snack brand similar to Lunchables. [23] [24] [25] He also co-founded Team Seas, a fundraiser for Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup that has raised over $30 million, [26] and created the reality competition series Beast Games .
Donaldson won the Creator of the Year award at the Streamy Awards in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. He also won Favorite Male Creator at the 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. In 2023, Time named him one of the world's 100 most influential people, [27] and the magazine included him in its 2025 TIME100 Creators list. [28] Forbes ranked him first among the highest-paid YouTube creators in 2024, [29] and estimated his net worth at $500 million in 2022. [30]
James Stephen Donaldson [b] was born in Wichita, Kansas, [31] on May 7, 1998. [32] He was mainly raised in Greenville, North Carolina. [33] [34] He moved houses often and was under the care of au pairs because his parents, Susan Parisher and Charles Donaldson, worked long hours and served in the military. [35] His parents divorced in 2007. [33] In 2016, Donaldson graduated from Greenville Christian Academy, a private evangelical Christian high school in the area. He briefly attended East Carolina University before dropping out. [36] [37] While at Greenville Christian, Donaldson played baseball as an outfielder for several years. [38] After dropping out of university, Donaldson and his friends attempted to analyze and understand YouTube's recommendation algorithm to create viral videos. [39] Donaldson recalled regarding this period, "There's a five-year point in my life where I was just relentlessly, unhealthily obsessed with studying virality, studying the YouTube algorithm. I woke up. I would order Uber Eats food. And then I would just sit on my computer all day just studying shit nonstop with [other YouTubers]." [33]
Donaldson uploaded his first YouTube video in February 2012, at the age of 13, under the channel name "MrBeast6000". [40] His early content included Let's Plays focusing on Minecraft and Call of Duty: Black Ops II , [40] videos estimating the wealth of other YouTubers, [41] videos that offered tips to upcoming YouTube creators, and commentary on YouTube drama. Donaldson appeared infrequently in these videos. [40]
In 2015 and 2016, Donaldson gained popularity with his "Worst Intros on YouTube" series poking fun at YouTube video introductions. [40] By mid-2016, Donaldson had around 30,000 subscribers. Donaldson dropped out of college in late 2016 to pursue a full-time career as a YouTuber. [18] [41] His mother disapproved of his decision and forced him to leave the family home as a result. [36]
As his channel grew, Donaldson hired four childhood friends—Ava Kris Tyson, Chandler Hallow, Garrett Ronalds, and Jake Franklin—to contribute to his channel. [36] Franklin left the crew in 2020. Karl Jacobs, previously a cameraman, was promoted to replace him. [42] [43] [44] Tyson left the crew in 2024. [45]
In January 2017, Donaldson published an almost day-long video of himself counting to 100,000, which became his breakthrough viral video. [19] The ordeal took him 40 hours, with some parts sped up to "keep it under 24 hours". [46] Donaldson gained popularity during this period with stunts, such as attempting to break glass using a hundred megaphones, watching paint dry for an hour, [37] staying underwater for 24 hours, which ended up failing due to health issues, and an unsuccessful attempt to spin a fidget spinner for a day. [47] By 2018, Donaldson had given out $1 million through his stunts, earning him the title "YouTube's biggest philanthropist". [36]
In June 2017, Donaldson gained his first brand deal, from a digital collectibles app called Quidd. This partnership funded his first philanthropic video in June 2017 where he gave the entirety of the $10,000 sponsor's fee to a homeless person. [48] This set the stage for his now-famous brand of large-scale giveaways and philanthropic stunts. [49]
During the PewDiePie vs. T-Series rivalry in 2018, a competition to become the most-subscribed channel on YouTube, Donaldson bought billboards and numerous television and radio advertisements to help PewDiePie gain more subscribers than T-Series. [50] [51] During Super Bowl LIII, he purchased multiple seats for himself and his team, whose shirts spelled out "Sub 2 PewDiePie". [52] [53]
In March 2019, Donaldson organized and filmed a real-life battle royale competition in Los Angeles with prizes totaling $200,000 (two games were played, each awarding $100,000) in collaboration with Apex Legends . [54] Apex Legends publisher Electronic Arts sponsored the event and prize pool. [55]
In April 2020, Donaldson created a rock, paper, scissors competition stream that featured 32 influencers and a grand prize of $250,000, which, at the time, became YouTube's most-watched live Original event with 662,000 concurrent viewers. [56] Professional esports player Nadeshot won the event. [57] In October 2020, Donaldson hosted another influencer tournament. This time, it was trivia, featuring 24 competitors with a grand prize of $300,000. The tournament's winners were siblings Charli and Dixie D'Amelio, which caused controversy due to claims that they cheated. [58]
On January 1, 2021, Donaldson released the "Youtube Rewind 2020, Thank God It's Over" video. In Donaldson's video, he explains that he had always believed that YouTubers "should get more say in Rewind", and with this in mind, he decided to call "hundreds of YouTubers". At the end of the video, Donaldson gives a shout-out to PewDiePie, citing him and his 2018 Rewind as the inspiration for Donaldson's Rewind. [59] Donaldson signed a Facebook and Snapchat content distribution deal with Jellysmack a month later. [60] [61]
During a Clubhouse room in February 2021, Donaldson removed entrepreneur Farokh Sarmad after he allegedly said he could not pronounce his name, a move that Sarmad later said was racist. Sarmad's claims were questioned and denied by other Clubhouse users, who were present at the call and argued against Sarmad's claims, claiming that Donaldson removed him and others to make room for women to be more inclusive. [62] [63]
In April 2021, Donaldson announced a sponsorship with mobile banking app Current, marking the first time he took an ownership stake as part of a sponsorship deal. [64] Donaldson stated he struck the deal with Current's SVP of Marketing Adam Hadi, who worked with Donaldson on his first brand deal with Quidd in 2017. [65]
In November 2021, Donaldson uploaded "$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!", a recreation of the survival drama streaming television series Squid Game in real life. The video had 456 people compete for a $456,000 cash prize. [66] It was one of the most-watched YouTube videos of 2021, receiving over 130 million views within a week. [67] A review of the video in Vice argued that it "badly misunderstood the anti-capitalist message of Squid Game". [68] Despite this, Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk has reacted positively to the recreations and parodies of the series. [69]
In December 2021, Donaldson created a third influencer tournament featuring 15 competitors with a grand prize of $1 million. [70] [71] [72] In January 2022, Forbes ranked Donaldson as YouTube's highest-earning creator, earning an estimated $54 million in 2021. Forbes stated that his income in 2021 would have placed him 40th in the 2020 Forbes Celebrity 100, earning as much money as Vin Diesel and Lewis Hamilton did in 2020. [73] [74]
On July 28, 2022, Donaldson surpassed 100 million subscribers on his main channel, making him the fifth channel and the second individual YouTuber to achieve the milestone. [75] [76] On November 17, 2022, Donaldson achieved the Guinness World Record of "Most Subscribers for an Individual Male on YouTube" with his MrBeast channel at 112 million subscribers. [77] The previous record holder, PewDiePie, had held the record as the most subscribed YouTuber for almost ten years. [78] Donaldson achieved one billion video views over 30 days on his main YouTube channel in November 2022. [79] On October 15, 2023, Donaldson surpassed 200 million subscribers. [80] His YouTube Shorts video "Would You Fly to Paris for a Baguette?" is the most-watched video on his main YouTube channel, having more than 1.5 billion views and 56 million likes as of May 2025. [81]
On June 2, 2024, Donaldson surpassed India-based music label and film production company T-Series for the title of the most subscribed channel on YouTube, at 267 million. [15] On July 10, 2024, Donaldson became the first YouTuber to surpass 300 million subscribers. [82] On July 13, 2024, Donaldson uploaded his 300 million subscribers special, "50 YouTubers Fight for $1,000,000". The video featured guest appearances from Howie Mandel, Miranda Cosgrove, and Joey Chestnut. [83] This video reached 71 million views in the first 24 hours, becoming Donaldson's most-viewed video within its first 24 hours. [84] In his video "Beat Ronaldo, Win $1,000,000", Cristiano Ronaldo, Tom Brady, and Bryson DeChambeau made guest appearances. [85] On April 25, 2025, Donaldson and Uruguayan YouTuber Fede Vigevani hosted an influencer basketball game featuring a team of Spanish-speaking creators and a team of English-speaking creators. [86] Neymar, Stephen Curry, and Serena Williams, made guest appearances in the video "Beat Neymar, Win $500,000". [87] On June 1, 2025, Donaldson became the first YouTuber to surpass 400 million subscribers. [88] [89] [90]
In his early career, Donaldson primarily uploaded Let's Plays, "best and worst" roundups, and commentary about YouTube culture. [19] [40] His present-day videos usually fall into three formats: stunt challenges that demand difficult or risky tasks, so-called "junklord" experiments that rely on an unusually large quantity of a single product, and giveaway competitions that award substantial cash or prizes, often through games. [c] Giveaway videos remain a defining element of his channel. [19]
Donaldson designs each video to satisfy YouTube's recommendation algorithm by maximizing click-through rate and viewer retention. [19] He focuses on striking topics, titles, and thumbnails to encourage clicks, [91] aiming for concepts he considers "original, creative" and essential viewing. [92] He favors bold keywords such as "24-hours" and "challenge" in titles, [39] [91] pairs them with simple, brightly lit thumbnails, [93] and introduces the premise within the opening 30 seconds before promising a finale to hold attention through the usual 10–30 minute runtime. [39] [19]
Brand sponsorships and Google's AdSense program primarily fund Donaldson's productions. [94] By 2022 he was reportedly spending about $1 million on each flagship video, [33] supported by earnings from his lower-cost reaction and gaming channels. [33] The Verge described the resulting cycle as self-perpetuating, with each viral success attracting larger brand deals and higher AdSense income that fund even bigger giveaways. [94] Donaldson has said he prefers to reinvest the revenue so he can keep scaling his ideas. [33] [95] He also generates additional revenue through ventures that primarily focus on consumer goods, including MrBeast Burger, Lunchly, and Feastables. [19] [96]
As of 2023 [update] , Donaldson employs over 250 people, from writers to editors to producers. [97] [98] Many employees include people familiar with Donaldson, such as friends and family members. [98]
In September 2025, Donaldson uploaded the promotional video “I Bought the NFL” , which led to a misunderstanding after some viewers thought he had actually purchased the National Football League. The video was intended to promote YouTube's first-ever free livestream of an NFL game. [99]
In June 2020 Donaldson partnered with Brooklyn art collective MSCHF to launch Finger on the App, a one-off mobile endurance contest where players kept a finger on their phone screen until one person remained to claim $25,000. [100] The competition ran for more than 70 hours and ended with four winners who each received $20,000. [101] Its popularity prompted Finger on the App 2, originally slated for December 2020 but delayed until March 2021 after heavy downloads overwhelmed the servers. [102] The sequel offered a $100,000 grand prize, and the champion outlasted the field for roughly 51 hours while the runner-up earned $20,000. [103]
Producer Will Hyde told The Wake Weekly in November 2020 that Donaldson would debut MrBeast Burger the following month as a virtual restaurant brand. [104] His team partnered with Virtual Dining Concepts so existing kitchens could license the menu and fulfill delivery orders through third-party apps. [104] The concept expanded to more than 2,000 locations worldwide before opening its first physical restaurant at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on September 4, 2022. [105] [106] [107] Donaldson said in 2024 that he was moving on from the venture and sought to close it because of quality concerns that he believed were hurting his brand. [108]
Donaldson introduced Feastables in January 2022 with a line of MrBeast Bar chocolates in original, almond, and quinoa crunch flavors. [109] [110] The launch campaign included a sweepstakes worth more than $1,000,000, with $10,000 prizes and a challenge that mirrored Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by offering finalists a chance to compete for a chocolate factory. [111] [112] A June 2022 video documented the elimination-style competition, featured celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay as a judge, and culminated in a winner choosing between the factory and $500,000 in cash. [113] Feastables generated an estimated $10 million in sales within its first few months and refreshed its recipes and packaging in February 2024. [114] [115]
Donaldson unveiled the Lunchly snack-kit brand in September 2024 as a joint venture with fellow creators Olajide "KSI" Olatunji and Logan Paul. [116] Marketed as a healthier alternative to Lunchables, the kits paired Prime drinks and Feastables chocolate bars with options such as turkey and crackers, nachos with salsa and cheese, or pizza components. [117]
Donaldson invested in the gaming startup Backbone, supporting its Backbone One controller and companion content app for mobile players. [118] [119] In March 2021 he partnered with the Creative Juice financial network to launch Juice Funds, a $2 million pool that invests in emerging creators. [120] [98] The next month he became a long-term investor and partner in the financial technology company Current, which promoted the deal through giveaways, and he later faced criticism when fans lost money in a cryptocurrency venture he had endorsed. [121] [122] [98]
Donaldson expanded into education in November 2022 by partnering with East Carolina University on a YouTube content-creation course. [123] [124] He also appeared as a guest judge on Gordon Ramsay's Food Stars in May 2023. [125] In 2025 he announced a collaboration with James Patterson on a thriller novel slated for publication by HarperCollins in 2026. [126]
In 2023, a free ad-supported streaming television channel named Mr. Beast that shows only previously released MrBeast YouTube videos began airing on the Roku Channel service. [127]
In March 2024, Donaldson and Amazon MGM Studios announced their plans to create a new reality competition series Beast Games , set to air exclusively on Prime Video. On December 19, 2024, Donaldson released Beast Games on Amazon Prime Video. With 1,000 contestants competing for a $5 million cash prize—the biggest single prize in the history of television and streaming—the show broke numerous Guinness World Records. [128] [129] On May 12, 2025, the series was renewed for two additional seasons. [130] Donaldson stated that his $100 million deal with Amazon was a "poor financial decision" as he lost tens of millions of dollars from Beast Games. [131]
Beast Games, Amazon, and Donaldson faced criticism after contestants complained that they had been denied food, water, medication, and beds during production. Additionally, several contestants were hospitalized during the first filming sessions, with over a dozen contestants claiming that various injuries had occurred while participating in the challenges and that many had been seen being removed from the arena on stretchers. [132] [133] A spokesperson of Donaldson would blame external factors such as the global computer systems outage caused by CrowdStrike's update to its software, "extreme weather and other unexpected logistical and communications issues". [134]
On October 25, 2019 Donaldson and fellow YouTuber Mark Rober launched #TeamTrees on YouTube to raise $20 million for the Arbor Day Foundation by January 1, 2020, so the group could plant one tree per donated dollar by December 2022. [135] [136] Creators including Rhett & Link, Marshmello, iJustine, Marques Brownlee, The Slow Mo Guys, Ninja, Simone Giertz, Jacksepticeye, and Smarter Every Day amplified the effort, and the foundation began planting in U.S. national parks that same month. [135] [136]
By December 19 the fundraiser had already cleared its $20 million target. [137] High-profile donors such as Jack Dorsey, Susan Wojcicki, Elon Musk, and Tobias Lütke contributed, along with companies including Discovery, Verizon, and PopCap. [138] [139] [23] Shopify CEO Tobias Lütke made the single largest pledge at 1,000,001 trees. [140]
As of June 2025 [update] supporters have funded more than 24.8 million trees through the initiative. [140] A PBS Terra report noted that only six percent of the first 2,000 trees planted in one monitored location survived, highlighting the challenges of long-term reforestation. [141]
On October 29, 2021 Donaldson and Rober introduced #TeamSeas to raise $30 million by January 1, 2022, for the Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup, with the goal of removing 30 million pounds (14 million kilograms) of debris from oceans, rivers, and beaches. [142] Thousands of creators, among them AzzyLand, DanTDM, TommyInnit, LinusTechTips, TierZoo, LEMMiNO, The Infographics Show, Hannah Stocking, Dhar Mann, and Marques Brownlee, promoted the campaign, and BEN plus TubeBuddy's eight-million-creator initiative provided additional reach. [143] [144] As of June 2025 [update] , contributors have raised more than $34 million ($34,080,191) for the effort. [145]
On August 1, 2025 Donaldson and Rober launched #TeamWater to raise $40 million for WaterAid by the end of the month. [146] The campaign set out to deliver lasting clean-water access for two million people and enlisted more than 3,000 creators to help meet the goal. [147] As of September 22,2025 [update] , donations exceeded the target, totaling more than $41 million ($41,631,423). [148]
Donaldson launched the Beast Philanthropy YouTube channel on September 17, 2020, announcing a dedicated food bank and naming longtime collaborator Darren Margolias as executive director. [151] [152] [153] The channel states that it donates all advertising revenue, brand deals, and merchandise proceeds to charity. [19] [151]
Beast Philanthropy campaigns have included distributing 10,000 turkeys in Greenville, [149] [150] delivering 20,000 pairs of shoes to children in Africa, [154] building 100 wells for communities with limited access to clean water, [155] and donating $300,000 in technology to schools. [156] Donaldson has also produced videos that fund medical procedures, helping 1,000 blind people see again, 1,000 deaf people regain hearing, and 2,000 people walk again. [157]
Former employees have accused Donaldson of fostering a difficult workplace. Editor Matt Turner told The New York Times that while he worked for Donaldson between February 2018 and September 2019 he was berated almost daily, called a "retard", and often left uncredited for his edits. [98] Insider reported that Turner described the same allegations in a 2018 video and in an October 2019 Twitter thread. [158]
Another editor, Nate Anderson, said he left after one week in 2018 because of what he viewed as unreasonable expectations and later received death threats from fans after sharing his experience. [98] [158] Nine additional former employees similarly stated that Donaldson could be generous but that his demeanor shifted when the cameras were off. [98] [158] Donaldson rejected the accusations, saying that the company maintains high standards without being toxic, and he said he paid Turner $10,000 and recommended him for another job when his contract ended. [33]
On June 17, 2023 Donaldson said he wanted to close MrBeast Burger because of quality complaints, calling his agreement with Virtual Dining Concepts "a bad deal" and alleging that the company would not let him walk away even though the brand was "terrible" for his reputation. [159] [160] [161]
On July 31, 2023 he sued Virtual Dining Concepts in federal court, arguing that the company chased rapid expansion at the expense of food quality, damaged his brand, and failed to pay him. [162] [163] [164] Virtual Dining Concepts denied the accusations, claimed Donaldson benefited from the partnership, and said he tried to negotiate a new agreement before turning to public pressure. [165]
One week later Virtual Dining Concepts and its subsidiary Celebrity Virtual Dining, LLC countersued Donaldson and Beast Investments for more than $100 million, alleging breach of contract and tortious interference. [166] [167] Donaldson later withdrew his complaint so it could be refiled in state court. [164]
On July 24, 2024 Donaldson cut ties with Ava Kris Tyson, an original cast member, after accusations that she had engaged in sexual misconduct with minors and pressured a former employee. [168] Tyson said she voluntarily stepped away and described the split as mutual, adding that she had only made "bad edgy jokes". [169] [170] [45]
A victim known online as LavaGS initially defended Tyson, calling the allegations "massive lies", before retracting the defense and stating that the conversations had been inappropriate for a minor. [171] [172] [173] He later said investigators had contacted him and that he did not feel he had been groomed. [174] [45]
Donaldson announced that an independent investigation was underway. [175] On November 1, 2024 the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan said it reviewed interviews with 39 current and former employees and more than 4.5 million documents from mobile and chat platforms, concluding that the allegations were baseless. [174] The firm reported that alleged victims rejected the claims and said others had used their names without consent. [45] [176]
On July 24, 2024 former employee DogPack404 posted a YouTube video accusing Donaldson of staging contests, running illegal lotteries, falsifying signatures, and misleading viewers. [177] [178] [179] He followed with an interview of former staffer Jake Weddle, who described being denied sleep during productions, said the team employed Jake Franklin's brother-in-law despite his status as a registered sex offender, and alleged that a cameraman tried to intoxicate female participants with paint fumes. [179] Weddle identified the cameraman as "Delaware", claiming Donaldson knew about his conviction, which stemmed from an incident when Delaware was 16 and the victim was 11. [180]
In September 2024 five former contestants on Beast Games filed a class action lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against Donaldson, Amazon, and the show's production partners. [181] They alleged chronic mistreatment on set, including sexual harassment, unsafe conditions, and unpaid expenses. [182] [183] The plaintiffs also said they were pressured to sign illegal contracts and submit false paperwork in order to secure Nevada tax credits for the production. [184]
In May 2025 Mexican authorities accused Donaldson of exploiting the Chichén Itzá ruins after he released the video "I Explored 2,000 Year Old Ancient Temples". Officials said the footage showed him waiting until nightfall, climbing restricted structures, entering a temple, and promoting Feastables products in violation of guidelines for tourists and commercial shoots. [185] [186] Donaldson countered that his team held "full permits" and followed the rules, but President Claudia Sheinbaum requested a review of how the permits were granted. [187] [186]
In June 2025 Donaldson used his analytics venture ViewStats to unveil an AI-powered thumbnail generator that let users pull imagery from any YouTube channel, remix faces and styles, and receive suggestions for other creators to copy. [188] His demo video showed the tool ingesting his entire catalog. Critics said it encouraged plagiarism because creators could import thumbnails without permission simply by providing a URL. [188]
YouTubers and other artists swiftly reacted, arguing that the product enabled theft of their branding. Jacksepticeye objected after his logo and thumbnail style appeared in promotions for the tool, and PointCrow called the feature a pipeline for stealing artists' labor. [188] [189] [190] Within days Donaldson said on X that he had pulled the tool from ViewStats. [191]
On September 27, 2025 Donaldson released "Would You Risk Dying for $500,000?", a video in which contestant Eric navigated seven staged hazards, including explosions and a burning house set, to retrieve cash. [192] Critics called the spectacle dystopian and humiliating, while some viewers doubted that the contestant faced real danger. Donaldson responded that extensive safety measures were in place. [192]
Donaldson has described himself as an introvert, saying his focus on YouTube leaves little time for a social life. His mother, Sue, linked that temperament to the family's frequent moves and to his ongoing experience with Crohn's disease. [33]
He dated YouTuber Maddy Spidell from 2019 to 2022, and he began a relationship with gaming streamer Thea Booysen later that year. [193] [194] Donaldson announced his engagement to Booysen on January 1, 2025, noting that he proposed on December 25, 2024. [195] [196]
After the OceanGate submersible Titan imploded during a June 2023 expedition to the Titanic, Donaldson said he had been invited on the trip but declined. [197] [198]
Donaldson says he remains apolitical because taking sides could alienate viewers and undermine his philanthropic work. [33] During a September 2022 podcast appearance he joked that he might run for president "in like 20 years", arguing that the United States is "due for younger presidents". [199] [200] On July 6, 2024, amid the 2024 campaign, he tweeted, "If we lower the age to run for president I'll jump in the race," a remark that went viral before he clarified on X that he was simply restating his apolitical stance. [201] [202] [199]
In an April 2022 interview with Rolling Stone Donaldson said he had left evangelical Christianity, now identifies as an agnostic theist, and no longer shares the anti-LGBTQ positions he heard while growing up in the Bible Belt. He recalled being taught that "Gay people are the reason God's going to come and burn this Earth" and said he has since rejected that rhetoric. [33]
The Atlantic reported in May 2018 that Donaldson used homophobic slurs on Twitter as a teenager, often treating the word "gay" as an insult. [68] [203] [34] He later deleted those posts, and a spokesperson said in 2021 that he had "grown up and matured into someone that doesn't speak like that". [98]
Donaldson publicly supported childhood friend and collaborator Ava Kris (then Chris) Tyson in April 2023 after she revealed that she was receiving feminizing hormone replacement therapy, writing, "Yeah, this is getting absurd. Chris isn't my 'nightmare' he's [d] my fucken[ sic ] friend and things are fine. All this transphobia is starting to piss me off." [205] [204] Tyson later came out as a trans woman. [206] [207]
Donaldson's channel became the most subscribed on YouTube on June 2, 2024, when it overtook T-Series. [208] A February 2021 poll by Insider reported that 70% of respondents viewed him favorably and 12% unfavorably. [209] Coverage from Time, Yahoo Life, and CNN has noted his particular appeal to younger audiences, pointing to his direct-to-camera delivery and polished but enthusiastic on-screen persona, which could encourage a parasocial relationship. [33] [210] [211] [212]
Writers such as Charissa Cheong have linked Donaldson's success to a broader shift on YouTube toward high-budget, experimental productions. [213] [214] Other analysts have credited his format with influencing creators such as Fidias, Matthew Beem, and Airrack, who have adopted similar high-stakes challenge videos. [212] [98] [215]
Donaldson's approach has also drawn scrutiny. Commentators have accused Donaldson of turning philanthropy into spectacle, sometimes describing his videos as "charity porn." [157] [216] [155] Critics have argued that his giveaways do little to address structural inequality. [217] Donaldson has responded that he does not profit from Beast Philanthropy videos, that all revenue is donated, and that government action is needed to solve systemic problems. [218] [219]
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem | Times Square Bystander | Voice | [220] |
Under the Boardwalk | Hot Sauce Crab | [220] | ||
2024 | The Sidemen Story | Himself | Documentary | [221] |
Kung Fu Panda 4 | Panda Pig | Voice | [222] [220] | |
2025 | Love, Death & Robots | Master of Ceremonies | Voice; episode: "The Screaming of the Tyrannosaur" | [220] |
Year | Title | Artist | Director | Role | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2025 | "Type Dangerous" | Mariah Carey | Joseph Kahn | Himself | [223] |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | 9th Streamy Awards | Breakout Creator | Won | [224] |
Ensemble Cast | Nominated | |||
Creator of the Year | Nominated | |||
2020 | 12th Annual Shorty Awards | YouTuber of the Year | Won | [225] |
10th Streamy Awards | Creator of the Year | [226] [227] | ||
Live Special | ||||
Social Good: Creator | ||||
Social Good: Nonprofit or NGO | ||||
2021 | 2021 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male Social Star | Nominated | [228] |
11th Streamy Awards | Creator of the Year | Won | [229] | |
2022 | 2022 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male Creator | Won | [230] |
12th Streamy Awards | Creator of the Year | Won | [231] [232] | |
Collaboration | Nominated | |||
Social Good: Creator [e] | Won | |||
Creator Product | Nominated | |||
Editing | Nominated | |||
Brand Engagement [e] | Won | |||
Social Impact Campaign [e] | Nominated | |||
2023 | 2023 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male Creator | Won | [233] |
13th Streamy Awards | Creator of the Year | Won | [234] | |
Collaboration | Won | |||
Creator Product | Nominated | |||
Brand Engagement | Nominated | |||
2024 | 2024 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male Creator | Won | [235] |
2025 | 2025 Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Male Creator | Won | [236] |
Year | Publication | Category | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2021 | Forbes 30 Under 30 | Social Media | [237] |
2022 | Guinness World Records | Largest vegetarian burger | [238] |
2023 | First person to reach 1 million followers on Threads | [10] | |
Highest-earning YouTube contributor (current) | [239] | ||
Most YouTube subscribers gained in one week | [240] | ||
2024 | Most subscribers on YouTube | [241] |
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)