Who Is MrBeast and How Did He Make His Fortune?

Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, is a billionaire thanks largely to his wildly popular YouTube videos. His other business ventures include a food company, an online clothing store, and Beast Games, a game show on Amazon Prime Video.

Popularity on Social Media

Donaldson has more than 500 million followers on social media and more than 320 million subscribers on his main YouTube channel, where his videos have almost 9 billion views. He is known for his stunts, such as staying in a cave for a week and living in a bunker for 100 days to win $500,000. He has a net worth of $1 billion and makes $50 million monthly from YouTube videos and other businesses.

Early Days on YouTube

Donaldson started making YouTube videos in 2013 when he was just 12 years old. His original videos primarily showed live play and strategies for video games such as Minecraft and Project Zomboid. In the next few years, he began creating videos about top YouTubers at the time, including how much they made from their channels and how to get views and subscribers on YouTube videos.

By 2017, Donaldson regularly uploaded the challenges and stunt videos for which he eventually became famous. His first big YouTube breakout video showed him spending 44 hours counting to 100,000 in 2017. It was viewed 21 million times. He read the dictionary in other videos and took Ubers across the country.

In 2018, Donaldson started doing stunt philanthropy with his YouTube videos. In one video, he had people place their hands on a stack of $1 million. The last one to let go got the cash. He also made a YouTube video where he gave $1,000 to strangers. In another YouTube video, he adopted every dog in an animal shelter.

Ventures Beyond YouTube Videos

Beyond earning money from ad revenue and sponsorships for his YouTube channels, Donaldson sells clothes and other merchandise through his online shopping site. This is his second biggest source of income.

In 2020, Donaldson launched MrBeast Burger with Virtual Dining Concepts. According to Donaldson, MrBeast Burger made revenue of $100 million from December 2020 to July 2022. In 2022, he launched a food company, Feastables, that sells chocolate bars and gummy candy.

His game show, Beast Games, which was inspired by the Netflix hit “Squid Game” about a dystopian game show, premiered on Dec. 19, 2024, on Amazon Prime Video. In it, 1,000 contestants were competing for a $5 million prize. Beast Games had 50 million views in just 25 days. Despite the show’s success with viewers, Donaldson says he lost millions doing the game show.

Donaldson has donated millions to charitable organizations, including the Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He also donates money to homeless shelters and animal shelters.

MrBeast Business Controversies

In 2023, Donaldson filed a lawsuit against Virtual Dining Concepts for harm to his brand due to the low quality of the food offered by MrBeast Burgers and other quality control issues.

According to the lawsuit, Virtual Dining Concepts focused on expansion by pitching the same concept to other celebrities rather than managing the quality of MrBeast Burgers. As a result, the brand experienced quality control issues such as late orders, unmarked packaging, orders that didn’t contain the proper items, website troubles, and failure to give customers refunds. Donaldson is seeking the right to terminate the MrBeast Burger business.

Also in 2023, Virtual Dining Concepts filed a countersuit against Donaldson for $100 million, claiming Donaldson failed to honor his contract and interfered in the business between Virtual Dining Concepts and MrBeast Burger. The lawsuit also claimed that Donaldson used his social media fame to encourage followers to seek other products and to disparage the MrBeast Burger.

There is also controversy surrounding Beast Games. Competitors complained of unsafe working conditions on set, including a lack of food, being denied access to personal medications and hygiene products, and injuries caused by the game’s physical challenges. A lawsuit filed in September 2024 accused Donaldson of creating unsafe working conditions for competitors who were aiming for the $5 million prize. The lawsuit includes allegations of sexual harassment and misrepresenting the odds of winning to competitors.

The Bottom Line

MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has created a $1 billion empire largely off the huge popularity of his YouTube videos. In his videos, he does a variety of stunts; in some, he gives money to charity. Through his YouTube videos, he earns money from ad revenue and sponsorships. Other business ventures include a fast food business, a clothing line, and a snack food company. His Amazon Prime game show, Beast Games, had record viewership, but Donaldson says he lost millions on the show.