MrBeast says he’s broke. The internet isn’t buying it.
In a recent interview with The Wall Street Journal, YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, claimed:
“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.”
Despite earning an estimated $85 million in the year leading up to June 2025 and owning Beast Industries, valued at $5 billion according to Fortune, Donaldson says he keeps less than $1 million in his personal bank account and lives with almost no liquid cash.
“No one ever believes anything I say,” he told WSJ, “because they’re like, ‘You’re a billionaire.’ I’m like, that’s net worth.”
According to Donaldson, the explanation is simple: he reinvests almost everything into his videos and business.
In a June 2025 post on X, he said, “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).”
He even added, “Ironically I’m actually borrowing $ from my mom to pay for my upcoming wedding lol.”
The Internet Had Thoughts
Reactions across social media ranged from skepticism to mockery to financial breakdowns.
Some fans accepted his explanation, noting he’s long said he pours nearly all his revenue back into new projects.
One person summarized: “Made 10 mil on a campaign/video? Well, 9.99 mil goes into the next few projects. I heard him saying this years ago.”
Others weren’t convinced. “This isn’t being broke, this is tax evasion,” one person wrote
Another person joked, “Mr Beast, he’s just waiting for the Amazon transfer to arrive,” while another posted, “Bro is living paycheck to paycheck.”
Some saw it as a strategic move: “His money is invested, that’s how the rich stay rich. They just live on debt.”
Critics pointed out that borrowing against business assets is a well-known tax strategy among the ultra-wealthy.
“You are seeing the difference between equity and cash flow played out at the highest possible level,” one person explained.
“MrBeast is technically a billionaire because if he sold his company, he’d get a massive check. But until he sells, he is essentially an employee of a very expensive machine.”
Not the First Time He’s Said It
This isn’t the first time MrBeast has pointed out how little cash he personally holds.
In a TIME interview from early 2024, he said he earns between $600 million and $700 million a year, but “I’ve reinvested everything to the point of — you could claim — stupidity, just believing that we would succeed. And it’s worked out.”
And while he claims to avoid splurging, he did admit to one major expense: a $150,000 private jet flight to visit his fiancée in the U.K.
“I felt so bad, but I just really wanted to see my fiancée,” he told WSJ.
“If I don’t rent a PJ, I literally just can’t make it work.”
Public Wealth, Private Debt
Some people thought MrBeast sounded out of touch, while others saw it as a chance to explain how wealth really works for billionaires.
One person wrote, “Asset rich, cash poor is very common. Asset poor, cash poor is more common.”
A number of people expressed frustration that the rich can live off debt and still control massive resources, while everyday people face strict limits and higher taxes.
Whether people see MrBeast’s claim as humble truth or billionaire cosplay, one thing is clear: he’s sparked a conversation about how modern wealth works, and who actually gets to say they’re broke.