MrBeast has surpassed T-Series to become the largest YouTube channel in an ongoing competition for the most subscribers. The Indian music label T-Series, known for uploading trailers and music videos, held the top spot for five years before being overtaken on Sunday. MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, was already the individual with the most followers. Now, at 26 years old, he has made history on the platform with an impressive 269 million subscribers, dethroning T-Series and setting himself apart from other channels. Over nearly 800 videos, MrBeast has gained fame for his large-scale stunts, such as giving away private islands, being buried alive, and creating a real-life version of the Netflix hit Squid Game.
T-Series initially set the record in 2019 by surpassing PewDiePie
In a post on X, MrBeast stated he had finally “avenged” YouTube star Felix Kjellberg, known as PewDiePie, by surpassing T-Series’ 266 million subscribers. In a subsequent post, MrBeast mentioned that his channel achieved the record with its largest-ever daily increase in subscribers, gaining more than 2 million on Saturday.
T-Series initially set the record in 2019 by surpassing PewDiePie, who commented that “all it took was a massive corporate entity with every song in Bollywood” in a music video explaining his defeat. MrBeast becoming the most subscribed-to individual and channel on YouTube means he has further extended his influence and wealth on the platform.
He has multiple other channels focused on gaming, philanthropy, and reacting to other content, each with tens of millions of subscribers. “Do not email me asking for money, I give away money because it makes me happy,” his channel’s description tells viewers, highlighting the substantial amounts of cash—measured in millions—he has given away during his YouTube career. A video he posted in April featured one person winning $250,000. In 2022, Forbes estimated his net worth to be around $500 million and ranked him first on its list of the 50 top creators in 2023.
Elon Musk, who has encouraged MrBeast and other video creators to post on his platform X (formerly Twitter), was among those congratulating him. Making X more attractive to creators is a key part of Musk’s strategy for making the platform profitable, and the YouTuber revealed in January that he earned $250,000 from his first video posted on X. MrBeast’s achievement also benefits Amazon, which has signed him to a TV deal reportedly worth as much as $100 million.
