MrBeast Jimmy Donaldson Age, Height, Net Worth, Bio

It’s almost impossible to be online today and not hear the name. You see it on YouTube thumbnails, on chocolate bars at Walmart, and splashed across headlines about planting millions of trees. But who is the man behind the brand? MrBeast – Jimmy Donaldson has, in just over a decade, rocketed from a teenager making videos in his room to the most-subscribed individual creator on Earth.

I’ll be honest, the first time I heard “MrBeast” was from my 10-year-old cousin. He was going on and on about some guy giving away a million dollars. I probably rolled my eyes, just dismissing it as more internet noise.

Then I actually watched a video.

The sheer scale, the infectious energy, and the (frankly, insane) logistics of it all… I was hooked. It’s not just “internet noise.” It’s a full-blown media empire.

So, let’s pull back the curtain. This isn’t just another YouTuber. This is the story of a 27-year-old media mogul, philanthropist, and business strategist who just happens to use YouTube as his main stage. We’re diving deep into the MrBeast – Jimmy Donaldson bio, from his age and height to the staggering net worth that powers his colossal projects.

Also Read: Leo Woodall and Jeremy Allen White

Key Takeaways

• Who is he? James “Jimmy” Stephen Donaldson, known worldwide as MrBeast.
• Age: 27 years old (as of late 2025). His birthday is May 7, 1998.
• Height: A commanding 6 feet 5 inches (1.96m).
• Net Worth: He is a confirmed billionaire. Estimates peg his net worth between $1 billion and $2.6 billion. This is all driven by a media and business empire that generates a reported $600-$700 million in annual revenue.
• The Turning Point: His 2017 video “Counting to 100,000” went viral. It marked his pivot to high-effort, large-scale challenge videos.
• Massive Business Ventures: He’s the founder of the virtual restaurant brand MrBeast Burger and the chocolate company Feastables.
• Global Philanthropy: He co-created the fundraisers Team Trees (planting 24M+ trees) and Team Seas (removing 34M+ pounds of ocean trash). He also runs the 100%-charity channel Beast Philanthropy.

Who Is Jimmy Donaldson, Really?

Before we get to the billions and the private islands, let’s cover the basics. Who is the actual person you see in those chaotic, fast-paced videos?

How Old Is MrBeast?

This is one of the most common questions people ask. It makes sense. He’s accomplished more than most people do in a lifetime.

Jimmy Donaldson was born on May 7, 1998.

That makes him 27 years old as of late 2025. He built this entire empire before he could even run for president. Wild. He grew up in Greenville, North Carolina, and from a young age, he was… obsessed. Not with sports, not with movies, but with YouTube.

Just How Tall Is MrBeast?

It’s something you notice right away in his videos—the guy is tall. MrBeast stands at a reported 6 feet 5 inches. His towering height definitely adds to his larger-than-life persona. When he’s standing next to “average” people in his challenges, he physically stands out. It just enhances the epic feel of his content. He’s not just a digital giant; he’s a physical one, too.

How Did a Kid from North Carolina Become YouTube’s Biggest Star?

His journey wasn’t an overnight success story. Not even close. It was a long, slow, obsessive grind that started way back in 2012 when he was just 13 years old.

What Were MrBeast’s First Videos Like?

His original channel handle was “MrBeast6000.” If you scrolled back far enough (most of these are now private), you wouldn’t see thousand-person challenges or private jets. You’d see a typical teenager. He posted “Let’s Play” videos of games like Minecraft and Call of Duty.

His first minor “hits” were a series of videos estimating the net worth of other YouTubers. Talk about irony, right? The kid who spent his time guessing other people’s wealth would soon become the wealthiest of them all. He was, in effect, studying the platform. He was reverse-engineering virality, figuring out what worked. He was a student of the algorithm before he became its master.

When Did Everything Change for Him?

For years, he was a small creator. Then, in 2017, everything shifted. He received a brand sponsorship and, instead of pocketing the money, he did something strange with it. He filmed himself giving $10,000 to a homeless man. The video did well.

A lightbulb went off.

He realized the “meta” that would define his career: giving money away was a great way to make money. He soon followed this with his true breakout viral hit: “Counting to 100,000.” The video is exactly what it sounds like. It took him over 40 hours to film. It was pointless. It was absurd. It was hypnotic.

And it worked. The video exploded. Jimmy had found his formula. He dropped out of college (much to his mother’s initial dismay) to pursue YouTube full-time. His strategy became brilliantly simple: make videos, make ad revenue, and roll 100% of that revenue back into the next video. Make it bigger. Make it crazier. Make it more expensive.

What Sickness Does MrBeast Have? (The Story of Crohn’s)

There’s a crucial piece of Jimmy’s bio that many people don’t know. It’s central to his story. MrBeast – Jimmy Donaldson has Crohn’s disease.

He was diagnosed at age 15. Crohn’s is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that can be debilitating. For Jimmy, it was. He was in constant pain, lost nearly 50 pounds, and had to use the bathroom 10 or more times a day.

This diagnosis was a devastating blow for a high school sophomore. It ended his dream of playing baseball. But it also forged his future. Stuck at home and unable to live a “normal” teenage life, he poured every single ounce of his energy into the one thing he could do from his bedroom: YouTube. He has stated that his illness was a major motivator. It gave him a “fire” to accomplish as much as possible, as he realized his health and time were not guaranteed.

Is MrBeast Really a Billionaire? Unpacking the Net Worth

Let’s get to the number everyone wants to know. Yes, MrBeast is a billionaire.

So, What Is MrBeast’s Net Worth in 2025?

As of 2025, conservative estimates place MrBeast’s net worth between $1 billion and $2.6 billion.

In 2025, Forbes named him the highest-earning creator, but his earnings (around $85 million) are just one part of the equation. His revenue is astronomical. Jimmy himself confirmed to Time magazine that his constellation of businesses pulls in $600 to $700 million per year.

But here’s the kicker: he famously “doesn’t have access” to his main bank accounts. His mom (who he eventually won over) and a CFO manage the finances. Jimmy’s focus remains laser-sharp on the product: the videos.

How Does He Make That Much Money?

He doesn’t. At least, not from YouTube ads. YouTube AdSense is a tiny fraction of his income. His empire is built on a “flywheel” concept.

1. The Videos: The main channel is the engine. It’s a massive, expensive marketing arm that generates hundreds of millions of views.
2. The Brands: These views are funneled to his real businesses: Feastables (his chocolate company) and, previously, MrBeast Burger (his virtual restaurant chain).
3. The Reinvestment: The profits from these companies don’t go into a mansion (he still lives modestly, by billionaire standards). They go back into the next video, making it even more spectacular.

He gave away $1 million. That video got 50 million views. Those views earned him $3 million in ad revenue and sponsor deals, which he then used to build a real-life Squid Game set for $3.5 million. It’s a perfect, self-sustaining loop.

What Does MrBeast Even Sell? (A Look at His Businesses)

For a long time, the product was just the video. Now, the videos sell the product.

Why Did He Start a Burger Chain?

In December 2020, MrBeast Burger launched. It wasn’t a restaurant; it was a “ghost kitchen” brand. He partnered with Virtual Dining Concepts to sell his burgers out of existing restaurant kitchens via delivery apps. It was a revolutionary way to launch a national food brand overnight.

When he finally opened the first physical MrBeast Burger location at the American Dream Mall in New Jersey, over 10,000 people showed up for the opening day. That’s not marketing. That’s a movement.

And What About Those Chocolate Bars?

Launched in 2022, Feastables is arguably his most ambitious project. He isn’t just selling merch; he is actively trying to compete with giants like Hershey’s. And he’s using his video-making genius to do it.

He built a “real-life Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory” and had fans compete in challenges to win it. The video was a 20-minute commercial that people chose to watch 200 million times. You simply cannot buy that kind of marketing.

• Feastables: His chocolate bar company, which uses his videos as its primary marketing.
• MrBeast Burger: The ghost-kitchen-turned-physical-brand that proved his audience would buy what he was selling.
• Lunchly: A new food venture he launched in 2024, aiming to create a healthier lunch kit for kids.
• Studio & Operations: He also operates a massive, state-of-the-art studio in North Carolina where he employs hundreds of people.

Is It All Just for Views, or Does He Genuinely Care?

This is the big question. Is the philanthropy just a “meta” for views? A cynical marketing ploy?

After watching his work for years, I’ve landed on an answer: it’s both. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing. He figured out how to commercialize generosity. He found a way to make doing good… profitable. And that profit is then funneled into doing more good.

What is Beast Philanthropy?

For anyone who thinks it’s “all for profit,” he created Beast Philanthropy. It’s a separate YouTube channel. 100% of the advertising revenue, brand deals, and merchandise sales are given straight to charity.

This channel is the source of some of his most impactful work. He funded cataract surgery for 1,000 blind people. He has built wells in Africa, adopted an entire orphanage, and runs a food bank in his hometown.

What Were Team Trees and Team Seas?

This is where MrBeast – Jimmy Donaldson truly went global. As a writer, I’m skeptical of online “activism,” but these campaigns were different.

• Team Trees (2019): He partnered with fellow YouTuber Mark Rober to raise $20 million to plant 20 million trees. The goal was smashed, ultimately raising over $23 million (and planting over 24 million trees). This was the first time I saw the entire internet community, from tiny creators to Elon Musk, rally behind a single cause. It was genuinely hopeful.
• Team Seas (2021): They did it again. This time, the goal was raising $30 million to remove 30 million pounds of trash from the ocean. They succeeded, raising their goal and pulling over 34 million pounds of trash from beaches, rivers, and oceans.

This wasn’t just “giving money.” This was mobilizing an entire generation.

• Team Trees: Raised over $23 million, planting more than 24 million trees.
• Team Seas: Raised over $30 million, removing over 34 million pounds of ocean trash.
• Cataract Surgeries: Funded life-changing surgery for 1,000 people, helping them see again.
• Hearing Aids: Provided 1,000 people with hearing aids.
• Food Security: Feeds thousands of families in his home state of North Carolina every month through his food bank.

What’s the “MrBeast” Business Model, and Why Does It Work?

This is what fascinates business leaders. He’s not just a content creator; he’s a case study in 21st-century business.

His operation runs like a high-velocity tech startup. His team films multiple videos at once. They A/B test thumbnails, titles, and even video concepts. If an idea doesn’t work, it’s cut immediately. There is no ego, only data.

He maintains 100% ownership. He’s not licensing his name out (a mistake many creators make). He builds the companies. He owns the studio, he employs the production team, and he owns the intellectual property. This vertical integration gives him complete control. The entire influencer-as-entrepreneur model is a fascinating shift in new media, something academic papers are only now beginning to dissect in-depth, as seen in this research from Vilnius University on influencer marketing dynamics.

So, who is MrBeast – Jimmy Donaldson?

He’s a 27-year-old, 6’5″ billionaire from North Carolina. He’s a philanthropist who has planted millions of trees and cured blindness for a thousand people. He’s a ruthless entrepreneur who has built a food empire out of his YouTube channel.

He is, for better or worse, the new face of media. He’s a new kind of celebrity, one who is part-CEO, part-ringmaster, and part-humanitarian. He cracked the code of the internet, and instead of just cashing out, he’s using it to build an empire that might, just might, be changing the world.

FAQ – MrBeast Jimmy Donaldson