Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has become the first individual creator in YouTube history to reach 500 million subscribers.
The milestone builds on a run of records he has set on YouTube. Earlier, he became the most-subscribed individual creator on the platform in November 2022, then overtook every channel on YouTube to become the most-subscribed creator overall in June 2024.
His video “$456,000 Squid Game In Real Life!” played a major role in defining the channel’s scale, reaching 1 billion views. Large-scale creator events have also become a signature of his content, including “50 YouTubers Fight for $1,000,000” and its April 2026 live-streamed sequel “50 Streamers Fight for $1,000,000”.
Beyond entertainment, giving back has been central to his work. To mark hitting 20 million subscribers, Donaldson launched the #TeamTrees campaign, raising over $25 million to plant more than 25 million trees. He followed that with #TeamSeas, which raised more than $30 million to remove trash from beaches, rivers and the ocean.
In 2025, alongside Mark Rober, he launched #TeamWater, bringing together creators from 115 countries to raise $40 million for WaterAid.
His net worth in 2026 is estimated at $2.6 billion, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
