Content creator Jimmy Donaldson, known on the Internet as MrBeast, has made it clear he is interested in buying TikTok. Donaldson has the most subscribers of any user on YouTube— over 340 million—and boasts over 113 million TikTok followers.
The new MrBeast video featured a wholesome ending as one of the final contestants let the other win $431,000. On January 25, MrBeast released a new YouTube video called “Every Minute One Person Is Eliminated”.
With this mandate handed down, panic set in as U.S. TikTok fans wondered if someone would step forth to buy the platform to keep it open to them. Popular influencer Jimmy Donaldson, known throughout social media as MrBeast,
The social media star's Beast Games is airing Amazon Prime Video. The reality show, inspired by the Netflix hit Squid Game, sees contestants battling it out for a grand prize of $5 million. Last week, Variety reported that the show had surpassed 50 million unique viewers in 25 days.
MrBeast himself hasn’t publicly commented on which side he’ll choose yet. “The leading groups who are all credible [sic] bidding on Tik Tok have reached out for us to help them, I’m excited to partner/make this a reality,” he posted on Wednesday.
It’s not clear if TikTok’s owner ByteDance has seriously considered the offer, Bloomberg reported. Others floated as potential buyers include Elon Musk, Amazon, Oracle, and a syndicate headed by billionaire Frank McCourt.
Jimmy Donaldson — better known online as MrBeast — isn’t in the TikTok bidding race just yet, according to a representative for the YouTube star.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that China was considering a TikTok sale to Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a close ally of President Trump, who already owns the social media platform X.
Social media influencer MrBeast says he'd buy TikTok to keep it from being banned. Elon Musk reportedly is interested in buying the app as well.
The platform is in need of saving in the United States, where approximately 170 million people have TikTok accounts. On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal law that will ban the platform on Jan. 19 unless TikTok’s China-based owner ByteDance divests its U.S. operations.
MrBeast denies meme coin rumors, stating he has no plans to launch one despite recent speculation and tons of social media buzz.
Will TikTok find a U.S. buyer to remain legal? After Trump vowed to make a deal to save the app, MrBeast has emerged as part of a joint bid.