I Numbers Of The Beast

No YouTuber has ever banked more in a year than MrBeast, a former Boy Scout from Kansas who specializes in elaborate stunts.

With a nom de web like MrBeast, maybe it was inevitable that Jimmy Donaldson would get this big: Just 23, MrBeast earned $54 million in 2021. His YouTube videos accumulated 10 billion views, double the tally from the previous year—which explains why his income more than doubled from $24 million in 2020. The online masses can’t get enough of his supersized stunts. Over the past year, MrBeast spent 50 hours buried alive, offered $10,000 to a costar willing to sit in a bathtub filled with snakes and hosted his own version of Netflix’s dystopian hit Squid Game. He can be generous: In one clip, the former Boy Scout gave $10,000 to the viewer who had earned the most Scout badges in real life. In addition to sponsorships from Coinbase and coupon app Honey, MrBeast also pulls in money from licensed merchandise (T-shirts, hats, hoodies). Then there’s his MrBeast Burger app, which debuted last year. He pushes the fast-food mainstays to his nearly 90 million subscribers; local eateries around the country fulfill the orders. So far, he says, he has partnered with 1,700 restaurants and sold 5 million burgers.

The five highest-paid stars on YouTube and TikTok last year scored millions from ads and merch—and a few landed mainstream TV and movie deals, too.

YOUTUBE

$54 million #

Subscribers: 88.8 million (See story, left.)

$45 million Q

Subscribers: 20.4 million Look who’s back: Paul returns to this list—he last made it in 2018, with $21.5 million—thanks to boxing matches. His three fights in 2021 accounted for 90% of his earnings.

$38 million #

Subscribers: 31.7 million Few social media stars move merch like Markiplier, who saw strong sales from T-shirts, hoodies and other items tied to his Unus Annus label. He also filmed a TV adaptation of his postapocalyptic thriller podcast, the edge of sleep, which he hopes to sell to Netflix or another streamer.

$30 million #

Subscribers: 17.4 million What started as the duo hosting a nerdy daily talk show, Good Mythical Morning, has grown into an empire of spinoff s and brand extensions, which in turn has boosted their YouTube views. One of their most successful efforts: Mythical Kitchen, a cooking series.

Subscribers: 12.9 million Unspeakable can’t shut up about Minecraft, recording YouTube videos in which he explains and plays the ubiquitous pixelated video game. Last year he sold the rights to his YouTube videos to Los Angeles startup spotter, betting he can use the cash to build his business more quickly. TIKTOK

$17.5 million #

Followers: 134.4 million Along with sponsorships from Dunkin’ and others, she and older sister Dixie (No. 2) Have a joint venture, social tourist, with clothing company Hollister and a Hulu series, The D’Amelio Show, that was renewed in November.

$10 million #

Followers: 56.9 million Aside from deals she shares with sis Charli (No. 1), Dixie is carving out her own career as a pop singer. She released two singles last year and toured as part of the Jingle Ball concert series alongside Ed Sheeran and the Jonas Brothers.

3. Addison Rae $8.5 million #

Followers: 86.3 million Her Netflix film, He’s All That, premiered in august and did well enough for her to land a multimovie deal with the streamer. Hollister rival American Eagle sponsors her.

Followers: 87.7 million She got her start in August 2020, posting a silly lip-sync video of “M to the B” by British rapper Millie B. It became the most-viewed TikTok that year. In the past year she’s done ads for Google, Prada and Tinder.

$5 million #

Followers: 25.6 million The Canadian starred in the Netflix movie Under the Stadium Lights while launching his energy-drink line, Ani, and cofounding VC firm Animal Capital, which has raised $15 million.