American YouTuber, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Founder of Feastables and Beast Philanthropy, star and executive producer of Amazon Prime Video's Beast Games, and the most-subscribed individual creator in YouTube history.
A concise, encyclopedia-style overview of who MrBeast is, what he's built, and why the channel matters to YouTube's history.
Most-subscribed individual creator on YouTube, running since 2012.
Feastables, Lunchly, Beast Games and (historically) MrBeast Burger.
Beast Philanthropy, #TeamTrees and #TeamSeas — measurable, ongoing programmes.
A structured biography drawn from public interviews, verified news coverage and official brand statements.
James Stephen Donaldson was born on May 7, 1998 in Wichita, Kansas. His family relocated to Greenville, North Carolina, where he grew up and where his production company remains headquartered today.
Raised primarily by his mother alongside his older brother CJ, Donaldson has spoken publicly about being drawn to YouTube from a very young age — long before content creation was considered a viable career.
Donaldson attended Greenville Christian Academy and briefly enrolled at East Carolina University, but dropped out after two weeks to focus full-time on his YouTube channel — a decision he has repeatedly cited as pivotal to his career.
He uploaded his first video in February 2012 at age 13 under the alias "MrBeast6000". For the following five years he uploaded consistently while studying the platform's algorithm, watch-time trends, thumbnail design and click-through mechanics in obsessive detail.
His early content ranged from Minecraft videos and Call of Duty commentary to investigative videos analyzing YouTube itself — the topic that would eventually inspire his signature stunt-based format.
The 2017 video "Counting to 100,000" — a 40-hour livestream compressed into a single long-form upload — became his breakout hit. It defined a template he would refine for years: an absurd premise, a high production standard, and a genuinely surprising payoff.
By 2019 his channel was known worldwide for large-scale stunts and cash giveaways, from planting 20 million trees with #TeamTrees to constructing real-life recreations of Willy Wonka's chocolate factory and Squid Game.
Donaldson has built a portfolio of brands around his audience. MrBeast Burger launched as a virtual restaurant in 2020, Feastables (chocolate and snacks) launched in 2022, and the ready-to-eat lunch brand Lunchly launched in 2024 in partnership with Logan Paul and KSI.
In 2024 he became the star and executive producer of Beast Games, a reality competition on Prime Video with what Amazon MGM described as the largest cash prize in television history.
Beast Philanthropy — a dedicated YouTube channel that donates 100% of its ad revenue and brand partnerships to charitable causes — has funded food distribution, orphanage renovations and clean-water projects across multiple continents.
Donaldson has also driven two of the largest crowdfunded environmental campaigns on the internet: #TeamTrees (20 million+ trees planted with the Arbor Day Foundation) and #TeamSeas (34 million+ pounds of trash removed with Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup).
As of 2026, Donaldson continues to produce the flagship MrBeast channel — the most-subscribed individual creator on YouTube — while overseeing Beast Games, Feastables, Lunchly and Beast Philanthropy. His companies employ hundreds of people across production, product, and operations in Greenville, North Carolina.
Key milestones in Jimmy Donaldson's public career, drawn from official announcements and dated news coverage.
Uploads his first video at age 13 under the alias MrBeast6000.
Focuses entirely on YouTube after briefly attending East Carolina University.
"Counting to 100,000" attracts millions of viewers and establishes his signature format.
Channel crosses the 10M mark on the back of large cash-giveaway videos.
Co-launches a global campaign that plants 20M+ trees with the Arbor Day Foundation.
ReferenceLaunches the virtual restaurant brand across the United States.
34M+ pounds of ocean waste removed; real-life Squid Game becomes the year's most-viewed YouTube video.
Chocolate and snack brand debuts and expands rapidly through major U.S. retailers.
Becomes the most-subscribed individual channel on YouTube.
Prime Video reality competition premieres with the largest cash prize in TV history.
ReferenceSeason 2 of Beast Games goes into production; Beast Philanthropy surpasses 10M+ meals delivered.
A snapshot of the companies Jimmy Donaldson owns, co-founded or produces. Launch dates and status are drawn from public brand announcements.
Chocolate bars, gummies and cookies distributed through Walmart, Target and international retailers. Feastables funds recurring campaigns tied to MrBeast videos.
Official websiteReality competition series on Prime Video produced by Amazon MGM Studios and MrBeast, featuring 1,000 contestants competing for a record-breaking cash prize.
Official websiteA dedicated YouTube channel that donates 100% of ad revenue, brand partnerships and merchandise proceeds to food banks, disaster relief and long-term community projects.
Official websiteReady-to-eat lunch kits co-founded with Logan Paul and KSI, positioned as a higher-protein, better-labeled alternative to legacy lunch kits.
Official websiteLaunched as a nationwide virtual restaurant. The virtual model was later restructured; a small number of physical locations opened before the brand scaled back operations.
Programme-level detail on the charitable initiatives associated with Jimmy Donaldson. Metrics are drawn from official campaign trackers.
Weekly food-bank distribution across North Carolina plus long-term projects overseas. Fully funded by the channel's own revenue.
Visit Beast PhilanthropyGlobal tree-planting campaign co-launched with Mark Rober, executed with the Arbor Day Foundation.
Visit #TeamTreesOcean, river and beach cleanup campaign delivered with Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup.
Visit #TeamSeasWells built across sub-Saharan Africa to provide potable water to communities that previously lacked reliable access.
Homes gifted to families in need, plus large-scale vehicle giveaways for veterans and long-time viewers.
Rapid response contributions to earthquake, hurricane and wildfire victims across multiple continents.
A selection of publicly reported awards, industry recognition and YouTube milestones.
First major industry recognition for the MrBeast channel.
Won in the category's flagship spot; would win again in subsequent years.
Voted by audiences worldwide.
Received multiple custom play buttons for 100M+ subscribers.
Overtook the previous long-standing #1 individual creator.
Named to Time magazine's annual list of the world's most influential people.
Recognition for Beast Games' scale and cultural impact.
Live subscriber, view and video counts fetched from the official YouTube Data API v3 and refreshed automatically.
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A curated selection of publicly published videos that helped define the channel. Click any card to play the official embed.
Publicly available imagery from Jimmy Donaldson's studio, YouTube subscriber-milestone plaques and Beast Games press events.
Concise answers drawn from public information — useful for readers new to the MrBeast universe.
Verified public sources used to compile this profile. AI-generated summaries on this page are not primary sources.
This page is an unofficial fan-made profile. All trademarks, logos, images and embedded video content belong to their respective owners. Financial figures are labeled as estimates and are not endorsed by any brand or individual mentioned.
