MrBeast might be one of the wealthiest creators in the world, but his personal bank balance paints a strikingly different image. In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, the YouTuber explained why he kept less than $1 million for his personal expenses despite being “a paper billionaire.”
MrBeast talks about having ‘negative money’
In “The Job Interview,” a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) video published on YouTube on January 3, MrBeast discussed a range of topics. Around the six-minute mark of the video, the interviewer asked him why he chose to keep his expenses below $1 million. He replied, “It’s funny talking about my personal finances because no one ever believes anything I say. Because they’re like, ‘You’re a billionaire!’ I’m like, ‘That’s net worth.'”
In 2025, Forbes claimed that the 27-year-old was the highest-paid content creator, earning $85 million annually. Despite this, he told WSJ that he has been borrowing money. “I have negative money right now, I’m borrowing money. That’s how little money I have. Technically, everyone watching this video has more money than me, and their bank account if you subtract the equity value of my company, which doesn’t buy me McDonald’s in the morning or whatever.”
The “Beast Games” creator explained that he does not really think about his personal bank account and is always busy working. He said, “I’m just laser focused on making the greatest deals possible and building the business as big as possible.” He began making YouTube videos in 2012 and has a following of over 600 million who stream his challenge-style and stunt attempt videos.
In June 2025, MrBeast responded to an X post that named him “the only billionaire under 30 to have not inherited his wealth.” He explained that he had “very little money” because he reinvested all his earnings into the content he created. He even wrote, “Ironically i’m actually borrowing $ from my mom to pay for my upcoming wedding lol.”
