World's richest influencer is a billionaire; donates all earnings, still richer than Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Shah Rukh

The richest content creator in the world is only 27, but has more money than some of the biggest movie stars in the world.

Updated on: May 26, 2025, 10:42:59 IST

By Abhimanyu Mathur

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The term billionaire was first used for John D Rockefeller, the American oil tycoon who revolutionised the American economy during World War I. Since then, countless businessmen have attained the status. Of late, even celebrities have begun to breach the $1-billion mark. In the 90s, Steven Spielberg became Hollywood's first billionaire. And three decades later, a 27-year-old has upped the ante by becoming the first content creator to enter the exclusive club.

The world's richest influencer

James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson, better known by his internet alias MrBeast, has become the youngest self-made billionaire in history. Celebrity Net Worth recently reported that the 27-year-old is now worth a billion dollars. In 2022, Forbes estimated MrBeast's net worth at $500 million. However, since then, Jimmy has seen a massive upswing in his work and fortunes, including several new projects, chiefly a reality show called Beast Games. According to reports, MrBeast is the only person in the billionaire list under the age of 30 who has built his fortune independently.

MrBeast is the richest influencer in the world.

Just how rich is MrBeast

MrBeast's $1-billion wealth dwarfs not only other rival content creators like PewDiePie ($40 million), but also some of the richest actors in the world. Tom Cruise ($900 million), Shah Rukh Khan ($877 million) and Johnny Depp ($100 million) are all below him in terms of wealth.

How MrBeast became a billionaire

MrBeast began his journey as a creator on YouTube in 2012, uploading videos under the username MrBeast6000. His initial videos were about gaming and streaming. His breakthrough came with a viral video in 2017 that got him millions of views. Following this, he dropped out of college to focus on his YouTube career. He adopted a strategy of reinvesting his earnings into the channel, leading to exponential growth. In 2024, his channel became the most subscribed in the world.

Jimmy also diversified by investing in fast food chains, cryptocurrency, and a chocolate brand. He also began his own game show called Beast Games. It streams on Amazon Prime Video. Court filings in 2024 revealed he earned over $220 million in 2023, with projections of $700-million earnings for 2024.

MrBeast's philanthropy

The content creator is also known for his charitable actions. In 2024, he committed himself to donating all of his YouTube revenues after subtracting operational costs. So far, he has raised over $60 million for various causes and given away over a hundred cars. He has also sponsored over 1,000 cataract surgeries for the underprivileged.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Abhimanyu Mathur
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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