3 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
YouTuber who gave $10 million to Bay Area man says he has to borrow money for upcoming wedding
Internet personality and reality game show host MrBeast has revealed he is short on cash months after giving away $10 million to a Bay Area resident on his Prime Video reality competition series.
The social media star, whose real name is James 'Jimmy' Stephen Donaldson, revealed on the social platform X that he is strapped for cash despite having an estimated net worth of around $1 billion and more than 400 million subscribers on YouTube.
'I personally have very little money because I reinvest everything,' he wrote in response to a post that described him as 'the only billionaire under 30 to have not inherited his wealth.'
'But sure, on paper the businesses I own are worth a lot.'
He added that his team plans to spend roughly a quarter of a billion dollars on content this year, and said that as a result, he is borrowing money from his mother to pay for his upcoming wedding to fellow content creator Thea Booysen.
MrBeast first rose to prominence online in 2017, and has since become known for hosting challenge videos during which he donates large sums of money to his viewers.
In December 2024, he launched his reality television show, 'Beast Games,' on Prime Video, which challenges competitors in a series of mental and physical challenges over the course of 10 episodes.
In February, he gave away $10 million to San Mateo resident Jeffrey Randall Allen, who beat out 1,000 contestants. Allen's win made history as the largest prize ever awarded on a game show.
Prime Video has since renewed the show for a second and third season.
During the NBA All-Star Game at San Francisco's Chase Center, just a few days after the Season 1 finale of 'Beast Games' aired, MrBeast gave away $100,000 to East Bay college student Jaren Barajas. He beat Milwaukee Bucks guard and Oakland native Damian Lillard in a shooting contest to secure the money.
MrBeast's next venture is a bid to build up his nonprofit, Beast Philanthropy.
The YouTuber is offering an exclusive weekend on the set of 'Beast Games' to the first 40 people who make $100,000 donations to the organization, which focuses on food insecurity and disaster relief. The lucky donors will be able to bring two guests for a tour of MrBeast's North Carolina studio, a private Q&A with his production team and a visit to Beast Philanthropy's food pantry on June 27-29.
