MrBeast has broken yet another record. Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, hit 500 million subscribers on YouTube Friday, becoming the first creator ever to reach that milestone.
Naturally, Donaldson livestreamed the moment on his channel. Over 600,000 people watched the stream, which ran for about an hour and a half. Donaldson previously livestreamed his channel when he was on the verge of hitting 100 million subscribers. Just like when he crossed that threshold in 2022, Donaldson’s fans messed with him a bit, unsubscribing from his channel when he was close to hitting this accomplishment before resubscribing a few minutes later.
When the MrBeast channel surpassed half a billion subscribers, Donaldson released confetti and celebrated before getting a bit more serious with his followers.
“I shouldn’t have half a billion subscribers, like statistically I shouldn’t. I didn’t grow up with much,” Donaldson said. “Both my parents were in the military, and we ended up going bankrupt back in 2008 in the financial crisis. When I started this channel, I couldn’t afford equipment. I would have to save up money from my AdSense to buy a microphone or computer. I really shouldn’t be where I am today.”
Donaldson went on to emphasize that he didn’t grow up in New York or Los Angeles but instead grew up in a very small town.
“I found what I loved at a really young age. I found YouTube at the age 11, and I gave it my all. I woke up every day, and I asked myself, ‘How can I make the best videos possible?’” Donaldson continued. “I just want to take this moment to inspire some of you, because if you don’t like the position you’re in, hopefully this could give you the fire to try something out. It was a lot of work to get to this point. They say it takes 10,000 hours to master something. I think 10,000 hours is too little. I think it takes 100,000 hours to master something, and I’m like, probably 60 to 70,000 hours deep on making YouTube videos … Go chase your dreams, and you can do it. I’m grateful for every single one of you that is subscribed to this channel.”
Donaldson also teased that he will be releasing a 500 million subscriber special at noon ET on Saturday. After thanking his team, he then reflected a bit on what sees for the future of his channel. Looking ahead, Donaldson has plans for the cinematography of his videos to become more sophisticated and “beautiful” and he wants to continue to help people, both through his content and through his chocolate company, Feastables.
“This is where a lot of people would get complacent, and they would start getting lazy, but I’m more motivated than ever. I’m more driven than ever. I’m more determined than ever. Literally all I want in life is just to tell great stories,” Donaldson said. “I feel like the best YouTube videos are still coming, like my greatest works, my top stuff, it hasn’t come out yet. I feel like I’ve got at least another 20 to 30 years in the tank of making YouTube videos, making content. I’m so all in on YouTube, you don’t even understand. I really believe YouTube’s gonna keep growing. I don’t think it’s growth is going to slow down.”
