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MrBeast is opening up about his personal finances.
The YouTube and internet creator — real name Jimmy Donaldson — earned an estimated $85 million in the year to June 2025, according to Forbes, while Fortune reports that his company, Beast Industries, is worth $5 billion.
Despite his business success, however, Donaldson, 27, recently told the Wall Street Journal that he isn’t personally as rich as people think.
“It’s funny talking about my personal finances because no one ever believes anything I say, because they’re like, ‘You’re a billionaire,’” Donaldson told the outlet in a video interview. “I’m like, that’s net worth.”
He continued, “I actually… I have negative money right now. I’m borrowing money. That’s how little money I have. Technically, everyone watching this video has more money than me in their bank account if you subtract the equity value of my company, which doesn’t buy me McDonald’s in the morning, or whatever.”
Donaldson has previously said that he keeps less than $1 million in his personal bank account, and is therefore a billionaire “on paper” only.
“I just don’t really think of it. I wake up, I just work. I’m just so busy working. I don’t really think about my personal bank account, if that makes sense,” he told the WSJ. “I’m just laser-focused on making the greatest videos possible and building the business as big as possible.”
In the interview, Donaldson also revealed his biggest personal splurge so he could see his now-fiancée Thea Booysen, 28, while she was studying in the U.K.
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“I don’t live near a major airport. I have to drive two hours to an airport to then take a layover to take a layover to get to places,” he explained. “One time, I was like, screw it, I’m just gonna rent a private jet and fly to her. Because I really want to see her, but if I don’t rent a PJ, I literally just can’t make it work.”
The eight-hour flight cost the YouTuber $150,000.
“I felt so bad, but I just really wanted to see my fiancée,” he said.
Donaldson previously opened up about his personal wealth in a June 2025 X post, revealing that he was borrowing money from his mom to pay for his wedding.
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“I personally have very little money because I reinvest everything (I think this year we’ll spend around a quarter of a billion on content),” the Beast Games creator and host wrote. “Ironically I’m actually borrowing $ from my mom to pay for my upcoming wedding lol.”
He added, “But sure, on paper the businesses I own are worth a lot.”
In February 2024, Donaldson told Time that he earns between $600 million to $700 million a year, but he reinvests much of his earnings in new content.
“Each video does a couple million in ad revenue, a couple million in brand deals,” he said. “I’ve reinvested everything to the point of — you could claim — stupidity, just believing that we would succeed. And it’s worked out.”
