Is YouTuber MrBeast Dead?

Claim:

YouTuber MrBeast died in March 2023.

Rating:

False

About this rating

On March 15, 2023, Twitter user @ExtremeBlitz__ tweeted a photo of prolific YouTuber MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, with the caption, "I can't believe mrbeast died... gone too soon man.. you'll never be forgotten you legend." The tweet had been viewed over 13 million times as of this reporting: 

On March 16, 2023, the official Twitter account for Donaldson — who the tweet claimed was dead at this point — replied, asking, "Why does this have 100,000 likes?"

Because MrBeast publicly disputed the claim that he had died, and because he remained active on social media at the time of this reporting, the claim was "False."

March 2023 was not the first time social media users targeted MrBeast for a death hoax. For example, in November 2021, someone falsely reported on Twitter: "MrBeast has sadly passed away." That tweet had more than 12,600 "likes."

Here's why celebrity death hoaxes are so popular online, and what often drives people's participation in them.

[Related: Is YouTuber MrBeast Renting Out Disney World for a Video?]