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Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, has pushed back against viral claims suggesting his YouTube viewership has plummeted by 50 per cent.
The debate began after a clip from the PBD Podcast spread across social media, featuring host Patrick Bet-David discussing changes to YouTube’s algorithm.
During the conversation, Bet-David referenced a report claiming MrBeast’s numbers had dramatically fallen — from around "400 million to 900 million views" down to "60 million to 120 million" — allegedly due to shifts in YouTube’s recommendation system.
Bet-David suggested the platform is prioritising smaller creators over already established channels with massive audiences.
The clip quickly sparked debate online, with one user writing: "They’re not recommending the smaller ones either boss. YouTube randomly pulled the plug on my impressions the last 3 weeks."
Another countered: "I had 18 subscribers on April 18th and I have over 1,930+ now less than a month later. They're for sure showing love to the smaller creators. Just gotta stay consistent or you'll fall back between the cracks."
Meanwhile, a third added: "I don't understand why anyone cares what viewership MrBeast has. The guy has been Youtube's poster boy for years and he should not be compared to anyone else."
MrBeast has now weighed in on the speculation himself, saying he has no idea where the figures originated.
"I keep seeing this “down 50%” number and I’m not sure who did the math," he responded.
The YouTube star went on to explain that many of the clips generating hundreds of millions of views are older uploads that continue attracting audiences long after publication.
"Our videos are evergreen, they usually get 5 to 10M views a month for years. Hence why newer videos have less views," he explained.
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