Most popular YouTuber 2023(Most subscribers)
James Stephen Donaldson, popularly known as MrBeast, is an American YouTuber and philanthropist. He gained fame for his unique YouTube videos focused on extravagant stunts and challenges. With an impressive subscriber count of over 166 million as of July 2023, he holds the record for the most subscribers among individual users on the platform and is the second-most-subscribed channel overall.
MrBeast grew up in a middle-class family in Greenville, North Carolina. At the age of 13, he started uploading videos to YouTube under the username MrBeast6000. Initially, his content varied from Let’s Play videos to estimating the wealth of other YouTubers. In 2017, he gained widespread attention when his “counting to 100,000” video went viral, accumulating tens of thousands of views within a few days. Since then, his popularity has soared, with most of his videos receiving tens of millions of views.
Over time, MrBeast expanded his content to include challenging and charitable videos, where he gives away thousands of dollars, engages in difficult tasks and survival challenges, and shares original vlogs. As his channel grew, he brought on board some of his childhood friends to help manage his brand. Currently, the MrBeast team consists of 30 members, including MrBeast himself.
In addition to his main channel, MrBeast also operates other YouTube channels such as Beast Reacts, MrBeast Gaming, MrBeast 2 (previously MrBeast Shorts), and the philanthropic channel Beast Philanthropy. He previously managed MrBeast 3, which is no longer active. In 2022, he ranked among the top 10 highest-paid YouTubers, with an estimated net worth of $500 million.
Outside of YouTube, MrBeast is known for his entrepreneurial ventures. He is the founder of MrBeast Burger and Feastables and played a key role in the creation of Team Trees, a successful fundraiser that raised over $23 million for the Arbor Day Foundation. He also co-created Team Seas, which raised over $30 million for Ocean Conservancy and The Ocean Cleanup.
MrBeast’s contributions to the online community have garnered recognition and accolades. He received the Creator of the Year award at the Streamy Awards in 2020, 2021, and 2022, as well as the Favorite Male Creator award at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in 2022 and 2023. Time magazine also named him one of the world’s 100 most influential people in the same year.