It is impossible to exist on the internet without hearing about Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast. The YouTube sensation is making constant headlines with his attention-grabbing stunts and charity work. The creator reached new heights last year when he announced he would be hosting a real-life recreation of the popular show Squid Game. And now fans are wondering if MrBeast may top another legendary YouTuber.
Recently, MrBeast crossed the 100 million subscriber mark on YouTube. This milestone makes him the fifth most subscribed channel on YouTube, and puts him one place behind Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, who for a while was the most subscribed creator on the platform and one of YouTube’s early figureheads, becoming almost synonymous with the term YouTuber in the early 2010s. In fact, Mr. Beast is not that far behind PewDiePie, as PewDiePie has 111 million subscribers at the time of writing.
This has led to many people wondering if MrBeast will eventually surpass PewDiePie. In a Q&A video, PewDiePie responded to this question. As covered by We Got This Covered’s sister site Dot Esports, PewDiePie’s video, titled “QnA in a Typhoon..” sees the YouTube star answering fan’s questions while wandering around. One of the questions asked was: “Now that MrBeast has 100M subscribers, do you think he will ever pass you? What would you think if he did?”
PewDiePie quickly responds with a firm “yeah, he definitely will.” PewDiePie further explains: “I’ve been retired for like 2 years now. I can’t wait for it to be over. His fans are infiltrating my comments. I guess I’m getting a taste of my own medicine,” before ending the answer with “that’s alright, he definitely deserves it, I hope he does it.”
This tone certainly marks a change from PewDiePie’s dramas of yore, particularly his intense rivalry with T-Series. And it seems likely that MrBeast will surpass him, as his channel continues to grow at an astounding pace, something only helped by the star getting more attention from the mainstream media, further boosting his profile. So it only feels like a matter of time before it happens. And for many people, this will feel like the end of an era and an event that sees the torch passed to a new generation of internet stars.