Did MrBeast buy the NFL? Everything we know about the rumours

MrBeast had everyone talking on social media after he declared he bought the National Football League (NFL) ahead of the new football season - but did he really?

The most subscribed YouTuber and businessman - real name Jimmy Donaldson - caused speculation when he shared a video on YouTube, and X in which he simply wrote, "I bought the NFL and put a YouTuber on each team!"

Anyone reading this sentence would assume he's purchased the NFL (a franchise now worth an eye-watering $7.65 billion, according to CNBC's Official NFL Team Valuations 2025).

Right?

Did MrBeast buy the NFL?

Short answer - no, he didn't.

Not all meets the eye in this instance, as this video is actually a collaboration between the NFL and YouTube to promote the new season, which began on September 4.

The collaboration comes as the popular video platform gained global rights to broadcast the recent game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs, which took place in Brazil on Friday (01:00 BST, Saturday).

In terms of ownership, each of the 32 teams in the league finances the NFL, so there isn't a singular person or team that owns it.

Therefore, anyone seeking ownership of the league would have to purchase every single team, which comes in at a whopping $228bn (£170bn), and far exceeds Donaldson's estimated net worth of $1bn (£745m).

Did MrBeast buy TikTok?

Before the NFL ownership rumours circulated, Donaldson previously expressed interest in purchasing TikTok’s US operations.

Taking to social media back in January, he wrote, "Okay fine, I’ll buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned."

This humorous post was then followed by a more serious move announced by US law firm Paul Hastings in the same month as Donaldson teamed up with the tech entrepreneur Jesse Tinsley as part of a "syndicate of investors" to make an all-cash offer for the video-sharing app.

Although after this was reported, MrBeast's spokesperson Matthew Hiltzik said Donaldson hasn’t officially joined any bids, as per Associated Press.

Elsewhere from indy100, MrBeast's new game show idea has people pointing out the 'irony' again, and MrBeast urges creators to join what he's teasing to be the 'biggest collab ever'.

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