It’s quite surprising that his real name is Jimmy, isn’t it?
The name MrBeast is everywhere lately, yet many people don’t know much about his personal life or origins beyond YouTube. Everyone knows he earns substantial amounts by pulling off crazy stunts on his channel and generously giving away millions of dollars and jaw-dropping prizes to random people. But did you know he’s one of YouTube’s biggest creators, earning a hefty income from his social media career?
Even though MrBeast shares a lot online, he still remains somewhat of an enigma. Let’s dive into everything you’d ever want to know about him – from his love life and net worth to his rise to fame. And oh, by the way, his real name isn’t actually MrBeast:
MrBeast’s real name is Jimmy Donaldson
At just 23 years old, MrBeast, known off-screen as Jimmy Donaldson, is one of the most-watched creators on YouTube. He’s famous for his extraordinary videos with enormous budgets, including his recent recreation of Netflix’s Squid Game. Born on May 7, 1998, in Kansas, Jimmy spent his formative years in North Carolina, where he graduated from Greenville Christian Academy, a local private school. He briefly attended East Carolina University but dropped out after only two weeks.
His net worth is reportedly around $25 million
Many wonder how MrBeast makes his money and what his net worth is. According to Celebrity Net Worth, his net worth is approximately $25 million. In 2020 alone, MrBeast reportedly earned $24 million through his YouTube channel, merchandise sales, and sponsorships with brands like Microsoft.
MrBeast is dating an Instagram model
via @mrbeast on Instagram
MrBeast has been in a relationship with his 21-year-old girlfriend, Maddy Spidell, since June 2019 after meeting through Twitter. They announced their relationship publicly on MrBeast’s Instagram, though they prefer to keep most of their relationship details private. Maddy has over 329,000 Instagram followers and, visually, she seems to balance out MrBeast’s wild persona quite well.
He started YouTube when he was 13 years old
Jimmy Donaldson began his YouTube journey at just 13 years old in February 2012, posting videos under the name MrBeast6000. Initially, his videos didn’t gain much traction. However, he soon started tapping into popular trends, like playing Minecraft or Call of Duty, and commented on YouTube drama. He even made several videos attempting to calculate the earnings of prominent YouTubers like PewDiePie.
In 2015, Jimmy started gaining attention with a viral video mocking YouTuber introductions. By mid-2016, he had accumulated around 30,000 subscribers. Nonetheless, after enrolling at East Carolina University, he decided to drop out after a brief stint, telling his mom, “I’d rather be poor than do anything besides YouTube.”
MrBeast had his first big viral video back in January 2017
Jimmy’s big break came with a video of him counting to 100,000, which took him 44 hours to complete. This video went viral, and Jimmy quickly identified that the YouTube algorithm favored such stunts. He then created other popular videos, like spinning a fidget spinner for 24 hours and watching Jake Paul’s music video for “It’s Everyday Bro” for 10 hours straight. By November 2017, MrBeast had surpassed one million subscribers.
His video watching Jake Paul’s music video has amassed over 26 million views.
Now he pulls off wild stunts on his channel
MrBeast is known for investing significant time and resources into each of his stunts. He’s famous for his “last-person-to-leave” challenges which involve giving out large sums of money. One example involved offering a Lamborghini to the last person to remove their hand from the car among a group of people.
He once set up a car dealership to give away cars for free and frequently hands out thousands of dollars to small streamers on Twitch, YouTube, and even to waitresses and Uber drivers in person. His most popular video, showing him spending 50 hours in solitary confinement, has garnered over 152 million views since its release a year ago.
His childhood friends work for him on his channel
via @mrbeast on Instagram
MrBeast’s best childhood friends, Chris, Chandler, Garret, and Jake, all work alongside him on his channel. They often participate in some of his wildest last-person-to-leave challenges, even undertaking stunts like surviving 24 hours in the Bermuda Triangle.
MrBeast earned the title of YouTube’s biggest philanthropist in 2018
In 2018, MrBeast hit a major milestone by donating $1 million through his various videos. As a philanthropist, he consistently looks for ways to give back generously. In 2019, he initiated the #TeamTrees fundraising campaign aimed at planting 20 million trees by the year’s end. He received significant contributions from prominent figures like Elon Musk and Jeffree Star.
