Background and career
James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson (born May 7, 1998), better known as MrBeast (formerly MrBeast6000), is an American YouTuber, media personality, businessman, philanthropist, and actor. He is the founder of Beast Industries, a conglomerate that holds various media channels, MrBeast Burger, Feastables, Lunchly, and more. He produces high-paced YouTube videos built around elaborate challenges and philanthropic efforts that are noted for their high production values. With more than 524 million subscribers, his main channel is the most subscribed on YouTube. He is also the third most followed account on TikTok.
Donaldson was born in Wichita, Kansas, and raised in Greenville, North Carolina. He began posting videos to YouTube in early 2012 under the original username MrBeast6000. His early uploads ranged from Let's Play videos to estimations of other YouTubers' wealth. In January 2017, after his video "I Counted to 100,000!" drew tens of thousands of views within days, his productions quickly became more extravagant. As the audience expanded, Donaldson brought longtime friends into the brand and launched companion channels including Beast Reacts (inactive as of 2026, formerly BeastHacks), MrBeast Gaming, MrBeast 2 (formerly MrBeast Shorts), and Beast Philanthropy.
He 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 meant to compete with Lunchables. He also co-founded Team Seas, a fundraiser for Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup that has raised over $30 million, and created the reality competition series Beast Games. In 2025, he co-founded Team Water, another fundraiser that raised over $40 million for WaterAid.
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, and the magazine included him in its 2025 Time 100 Creators list. Forbes ranked him first among the highest-paid YouTube creators in 2024. Fortune estimated his net worth at approximately $2.6 billion in 2026.
James Stephen Donaldson was born in Wichita, Kansas, on May 7, 1998, to Susan Parisher and Charles Donaldson. He was primarily raised in Greenville, North Carolina. He moved frequently and was often cared for by au pairs because his parents worked long hours and served in the military. His parents divorced in 2007. In 2016, Donaldson graduated from Greenville Christian Academy, a private evangelical Christian high school in the area. While at Greenville Christian, Donaldson played baseball as an outfielder for several years. He was diagnosed with Crohn's disease as a teenager, which led him to stop playing sports. He briefly attended Pitt Community College in Winterville, North Carolina, before dropping out.
How MrBeast makes money
He 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 meant to compete with Lunchables. He also co-founded Team Seas, a fundraiser for Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup that has raised over $30 million, and created the reality competition series Beast Games. In 2025, he co-founded Team Water, another fundraiser that raised over $40 million for WaterAid.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
