On a Wednesday in November 2022, the subscriber count of Jimmy Donaldson, the creator known as MrBeast, reached 112 million, edging one million past Felix Kjellberg, PewDiePie, who had long held the crown. It is a small numerical margin carrying a larger story: the quiet handing-over of the title of most-followed individual on the internet's great stage, from a figure who built his fame on playing games aloud to one who built his on spectacle and generosity. Yet the rankings still belong largely to institutions, with T-Series and other organizations above both men, so the moment marks who lead
MrBeast Overtakes PewDiePie as YouTube's Most-Subscribed Individual Creator
The king is dead, long live the king.
Mark
So what actually changed on Wednesday?
Mimi
MrBeast hit 112 million subscribers, passing PewDiePie's 111 million. That makes him the most-subscribed individual on YouTube.
Mark
PewDiePie had been there a while, hadn't he?
Mimi
He was the first individual to pass 100 million, back in 2019, when his videos pulled in more than 4 billion views that year.
Luke
Worth saying the lead is one million. That's a thin margin, and the report doesn't tell us how fast either channel is growing.
Mark
And MrBeast isn't number one overall?
Mimi
No. T-Series, an Indian music label, is first. Cocomelon is second, Sony Entertainment India third. MrBeast is fourth, PewDiePie fifth.
Mark
What set MrBeast apart?
Mimi
Big stunts and philanthropy. A Squid Game recreation that cost about $2 million with $1.5 million in prizes, and an island for his 100 millionth subscriber.
Luke
Those cost and prize figures come from the article itself, with no further sourcing given. And it's unclear whether the stunts are what drove the growth. The piece implies it but doesn't show it.
Mark
So what do we watch?
Mimi
Whether MrBeast keeps widening the gap.
Le Pouls
- MrBeast's counter ticked to 112 million, one million ahead of PewDiePie's 111 million, and the lead is razor-thin.
- PewDiePie, who first crossed 100 million subscribers in 2019, has held the individual crown for years and now watches it slip away.
- MrBeast's budget-heavy stunts and giveaways, including a $2 million Squid Game recreation and an island prize, keep his audience surging.
- Above both creators sit corporate channels like T-Series, Cocomelon, and Sony Entertainment India, so the race is only among individuals.
- With creator-led channels growing fast, the question now is whether MrBeast pulls further ahead or the gap closes again.
On a Wednesday in November 2022, the subscriber count of Jimmy Donaldson, the creator known as MrBeast, reached 112 million, edging one million past Felix Kjellberg, PewDiePie, who had long held the crown. It is a small numerical margin carrying a larger story: the quiet handing-over of the title of most-followed individual on the internet's great stage, from a figure who built his fame on playing games aloud to one who built his on spectacle and generosity. Yet the rankings still belong largely to institutions, with T-Series and other organizations above both men, so the moment marks who leads among people speaking under their own names.
On Wednesday, the counter on Jimmy Donaldson's channel, known to millions as MrBeast, reached 112 million subscribers. That single million put him ahead of Felix Kjellberg, PewDiePie, who sat at 111 million, and made Donaldson the most-subscribed individual creator on YouTube.
PewDiePie held that place for a long time. He became famous for playing video games and talking over them, and in 2019 he became the first individual to pass 100 million subscribers, in a year when his videos drew more than 4 billion views. Now the title has changed hands.
Donaldson built his audience differently, with expensive stunts and philanthropy. A real-life Squid Game recreation cost about $2 million and offered $1.5 million in prize money. Three months before this milestone, he marked his own 100 million subscribers by giving an island to his 100 millionth subscriber.
The distinction is narrow, and it matters. MrBeast is the top individual, not the top channel. T-Series, an Indian music label, remains first overall, followed by Cocomelon and Sony Entertainment India. Donaldson sits fourth among all channels and Kjellberg fifth, both behind organizations.
The real question is what comes next. Rankings are moving quickly, and it remains to be seen whether MrBeast keeps pulling ahead as creator-led channels keep growing.
On Wednesday, a counter on YouTube ticked to 112 million subscribers for a channel run by Jimmy Donaldson, known to viewers as MrBeast. That put him one million ahead of Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, the Swede known as PewDiePie, who sat at 111 million. With that, Donaldson became the most-subscribed individual creator on the platform.
Kjellberg had held that position for a long time. He is best known for videos in which he plays video games and talks over them, and in 2019 he became the first individual on YouTube to pass 100 million subscribers. That was also a year in which his videos drew more than 4 billion views. Only a few years later, the title has changed hands.
Donaldson built his audience on a different kind of video: expensive stunts and philanthropy. One of his better-known productions was a real-life recreation of Squid Game, which cost about $2 million to make and offered $1.5 million in prize money. His own milestone of 100 million subscribers arrived about three months before the overtaking. To mark it, he gave an island to the person who became his 100 millionth subscriber.
The distinction here is a narrow one, and the source is careful about it. MrBeast is the top individual creator, not the top channel. Overall, the most-subscribed channel on YouTube is T-Series, an Indian music label. Second is Cocomelon - Nursery Rhymes, and third is Sony Entertainment India.
That leaves the two creators in fourth and fifth place among all channels: MrBeast fourth, PewDiePie fifth. Both sit behind organizations rather than individuals in the overall ranking, so the milestone is a measure of who leads among people working under their own names.
The gap between the two is a single million subscribers, with Donaldson at 112 million and Kjellberg at 111 million. Subscriber rankings have been moving quickly, and the thing to watch is whether MrBeast keeps pulling ahead as creator-led channels continue to grow.
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