James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson, better known online as Mr Beast, was born in the United States on May 7, 1998. He is recognised for having invented a subgenre of YouTube videos that mostly feature costly challenges and stunts together with cash giveaways. He is the most subscribed person on the platform and the second most subscribed channel overall, with over 210 million followers. He also made the Forbes list of the most paid YouTube creators for 2022.
Early life
He and his brother CJ were reared mostly in Greenville, North Carolina. He travelled around a lot and was looked after by au pairs because his parents were in the military and worked long hours. In 2007, his parents got divorced. Donaldson received his diploma from the local small, private, evangelical Christian high school, Greenville Christian Academy, in 2016. Before leaving East Carolina University, he attended for a short time.
North Carolina's Greenville is where Donaldson was raised. At the age of 13, he started uploading movies on YouTube in early 2012 under the username MrBeast6000. Let's Plays and "videos estimating the wealth of other YouTubers" were among his early content types. His "counting to 100,000" video became viral in 2017 and has gained tens of thousands of views in a matter of days. Since then, his popularity has grown, with most of his films receiving tens of millions of views. His films become more and more grandiose and lavish, usually with challenges and gifts.
In addition to being the developer of Mr. Beast Burger and Feastables, Donaldson is also credited with co-founding Team Trees, an Arbour Day Foundation fundraiser that has raised over $23 million, and Team Seas, an Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup campaign that has raised over $30 million. In addition to winning Favourite Male Creator twice at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in 2022 and 2023, Donaldson earned the Creator of the Year title four times at the Streamy Awards in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. He was listed as one of the 100 most important persons in the world by Time in 2023.
Personal life
According to Donaldson, he is an introvert. Donaldson acknowledges that his strong work ethic and passion with YouTube make it difficult for him to have a social life. Sue, Donaldson's mother, believes that his Crohn's illness issues and their repeated moves are to blame for his reclusive lifestyle.
