MrBeast surpasses PewDiePie as the most-followed individual YouTuber

Jimmy Donaldson, better known online as MrBeast, has surpassed Felix Kjellberg, also known as PewDiePie, to become the most-followed individual YouTuber in the world.

Donaldson, who is known for doing expensive stunts and viral charity projects, officially reached 112 million subscribers as of Wednesday, according to his YouTube page.

Donaldson did not immediately respond to a request for comment and has not issued a public statement about the achievement as of Wednesday. A spokesperson for Kjellberg declined to comment. A spokesperson for YouTube also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Kjellberg had been the most-subscribed creator on the platform since August 2013. The creator, who has previously been widely criticized for using a racial slur and boosting antisemitic rhetoric, rose to fame for posting gaming content.

There are currently five non-influencer YouTube channels — including a kid’s media channel and production companies — with more subscribers than Donaldson and Kjellberg, according to social media statistics tracker Social Blade.

Over the weekend, Donaldson tweeted that he reached over 111 million on Nov. 11, putting his subscriber count about equal to Kjellberg’s. Donaldson shared that he bought 1,111 lottery tickets to celebrate the milestone.

Fans have been anticipating Donaldson’s ascension to the No. 1 spot since he tied with Kjellberg.

“Can’t believe I’m looking at this but it’s finally here. @MrBeast is about to become the biggest YouTuber in the world, I remember subbing because he counted to 100,000. I’m so proud to see the YouTuber he’s become, an insane journey!” gaming creator Reversal tweeted Friday.

Despite YouTube getting rid of exact subscriber counts in 2019, some online have been closely tracking the changes in each creator’s subscriber count for weeks.

One YouTube livestream has been monitoring Donaldson’s and Kjellberg’s counts since Oct. 30.

After Donaldson hit 100 million subscribers in August, fans asked Kjellberg if he thought the creator would pass his subscriber count. In a video responding to the question, Kjellberg said Donaldson “definitely will.”

“Come on, I’ve been retired for like two 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. That’s all right, he definitely deserves it. I hope he does it,” Kjellberg said in the video.

Kjellberg announced that he “retired” in a November 2020 video, but clarified that he would continue to upload content at a “low pace.”