YouTube creator MrBeast—his real name is Jimmy Donaldson—has made millions of dollars from his career as a content creator. Known for stunts like spending 24 hours underwater or a week in a cave, Donaldson is the most-followed creator in the world, according to Forbes, with more than 500 million followers across his social media platforms.

Donaldson has an estimated net worth of $1 billion, according to an estimate by Celebrity Net Worth. Donaldson has his own production company, a streaming partnership with Amazon, a snack brand, a clothing line, and more.

Here’s how MrBeast built his wealth.

Content Creation

Donaldson earned an estimated $85 million between June 2023 and June 2024 from his content and businesses, according to Forbes. In a February 2024 interview with Time, Donaldson said each video makes “a couple million” each in ad revenue and brand deals. Brands pay between $2.5 million to $3 million just to get a shoutout from MrBeast, Marc Hustvedt, who manages Donaldson’s YouTube business, told Time.

Donaldson also told Time that everything he earns—about $600 million to $700 million a year—he reinvests back into his content. “I’ve reinvested everything to the point of—you could claim—stupidity, just believing that we wouldsucceed,” he said. “And it’s worked out.”

The 26-year-old creator has 371 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, “MrBeast.” Donaldson’s content earned nearly 9 billion views in 2024 and landed him the No. 1 spot on Forbes’ Top Creators 2024 list.

Donaldson has pulled off extreme stunts on YouTube like being buried alive for a week, spending a week in solitary confinement, surviving 24 hours in ice, and more. He also creates content where he pays other people to tackle challenges for money, such as spending 100 days in a circle to win $500,000 or spending 100 days in a nuclear bunker with a stranger for $500,000.

Donaldson has another channel, “Beast Philanthropy,” where 100% of the profit from ad revenue, sponsorships, and merchandise sales goes to charity. It features videos such as giving out $30 million worth of food, adopting 100 dogs, and giving away $1 million worth of toys.

Amazon Partnership and Reality Show

Donaldson also hosts a reality competition series called “Beast Games” for Amazon’s Prime Video. The deal with Amazon was valued at close to $100 million, according to Puck and Variety.

The series featured 1,000 contestants competing in challenges similar to Donaldson’s YouTube videos, for a chance at a $5 million cash prize. The show received 50 million views in just 25 days, and was Amazon’s second-largest series debut in 2024, according to Fast Company. The winner of the competition was a father of two who won $10 million—the largest prize for a reality competition ever, per People.

In September, five unidentified contestants on “Beast Games” filed a lawsuit against Donaldson and Amazon for mistreatment and neglect, sexual harassment, hostile working conditions, and more, according to Variety.

Businesses

Donaldson’s other businesses include a snack company, Feastables, and a line of MrBeast merchandise. He also had a virtual burger chain that partnered with restaurants around the country. However, Donaldson stepped away from the burger chainin 2023 amid legal struggles with the brand’s partner, Virtual Dining Concepts.

His snack brand, Feastables, was expected to bring in about $500 million in revenue in 2024, according to Donaldson’s interview with Time. The snacks are sold online by Amazon and at major retailers such as Target, Walmart, Safeway, and 7-Eleven.