The Cost of Fame

MrBeast made YouTube history.

Disclaimer: this post was written prior to the allegations against MrBeast and members of his crew, and is subject to updates.

If you’ve been on YouTube at any point in the last couple of years, you’ve probably seen a MrBeast video atop the trending. Through sheer drive and dedication, combined with amazing concepts, scale, production, crew, and marketing, MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) has risen to the top of the YouTube world.

MrBeast became #1.

On June 1, 2024, MrBeast became the most subscribed to channel on all of YouTube, becoming the first channel to reach a mind-boggling 270 million subscribers. To put that astronomical number into perspective, if Jimmy’s subscribers consisted solely of US citizens, 4 out of every 5 would be subscribed. In order to equal MrBeast’s subscriber count, every Canadian citizen would need to subscribe on seven devices. It truly blows my mind.

First off, I’d like to say congratulations to Jimmy. There are a lot of things he’s done and traits he possesses that I have to commend. These are virtues that everyone on earth – not just Christians – should strive towards having.

MrBeast has many strengths.

For one, his dedication and work ethic. He spent a decade obsessing over how to be the best – even though he didn’t see any payoff. Day in and day out he set his mind on being the best YouTuber he could be. And his willingness to keep going day in and day out is the reason he’s now at the top.

This is a lesson everyone should take to heart: Those who succeed are often those who fail the longest.

Jimmy’s relationship with money is also an interesting one. MrBeast sees money as a tool, not an asset. This is why he’s willing to pour every last dollar he gets into his videos, and loves giving away millions to those in need (he even has a philanthropy channel). Jimmy has done so many incredible things that improve our world. I think if more people saw money the way he sees it, the world would be better in some ways.

On top of this, Jimmy is selfless, humble, generous, civil, and even-tempered. From what I’ve read and from what he has professed, he doesn’t do drugs, drink, or sleep around (something today’s society should take note of). So for those things, I can’t help but applaud this 26-year-old. He is arguably one of the kindest people on the internet, and truly one of the most renowned figures of the 21st century.

MrBeast had to make sacrifices.

Naturally, there’s a cost that comes with being the best. Jimmy dropped out of college, moved out of his home, and gave up tons of his own time and money to be the greatest.

From breaking down thousands of YouTube videos frame by frame to spending 18 hours on Skype calls with other creators, it’s undeniable that his road wasn’t a “walk in the park”. But Jimmy was dedicated, and he kept pushing and making sacrifices until he succeeded.

However, there was a bigger price to pay.

You may not know this, but MrBeast attended High School at Greenville Christian Academy in North Carolina. In fact, during his early days of YouTube, he would often have Bible verses as his channel banners. He even promised that he would always share his Christian faith in some way on his channel.

Sadly, you probably know this hasn’t happened. In fact, Jimmy now identifies as agnostic. Over the years, while Jimmy’s mentality about YouTube hasn’t changed, one big thing has.

MrBeast sacrificed his faith.

To become the best, Jimmy had to make sacrifices. Unfortunately, it appears one of those was his faith in Jesus. My guess is that spending time with Jesus wasn’t a top priority, especially when he wanted to pour all his time into YouTube.

In the quest to be the best, I wonder if MrBeast replaced his passion for Jesus with his passion for YouTube. And if so, from a worldly perspective, it seems to have paid off. But as it says in Matthew 16:26 (NIV), “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

To many, it does seem like Jimmy has gained the world. But at what cost? What was the price of fame?

His relationship with Jesus.

We can do so many good things, but if they’re not for Jesus, they have no eternal value.

What’s the takeaway?

First off, by no means was this meant to blast MrBeast. He’s awesome, and I enjoy what he does as much as anyone. I wholeheartedly believe the world needs more people like him, and that he’s making the world a better place. I wrote this post solely because I think there are several powerful lessons that Jimmy’s story can teach us.

For starters, I want you to know that if you give your all to something, success is entirely possible. If you have a dream, and it aligns with God’s will, go for it. But don’t let it be your end-all-be-all, the thing you define your entire life by. That honour should be reserved for God alone.

In October 2020, MrBeast released a video titled Hi Me In 5 Years. In the video (which he had recorded five years prior), he talked about where he hoped to be at that point in the future. I found it extremely sad to hear him say that if he didn’t have a million subscribers, he would consider his entire life a failure.

We cannot serve two masters.

In the end, we have to serve somebody. We cannot serve both God and the world. Please don’t hear me wrong: I’m not saying you have to throw aside your dreams. Please don’t! But Proverbs 3:6 says, “In everything you do, put God first, and He will direct you and crown you with success.”

What I am saying is that you should first make sure Jesus is a part of that dream, before pursuing it wholeheartedly. Because if Jesus gives you a passion for something, then you should let nothing stand in your way. But if you don’t feel Jesus’ call, maybe it’s a sign that you should instead strive towards a different goal.

God gives us many great hobbies and passions, which He tells us to explore. He also says we should use the gifts we’ve been given to glorify Him. The pitfall comes when we try to compartmentalize Jesus and our hobbies and attempt to give our best to both.

We must choose who we’ll serve.

Ultimately, one passion will rule the other. As Matthew 6:24 (NIV) says, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” It doesn’t matter how much good we do on earth – if it’s not done in Jesus’ name, from an eternal perspective, it’s meaningless.

If there’s one thing you take away today, I ask you to remember to always keep Jesus at the center of what you do. Don’t let your passions rule you, but let Jesus guide you as you go. He knows what’s truly best, and has a beautiful plan for your life.

Will you invest your all in Jesus, or the things of earth?