Jimmy Donaldson, better known to the world as his online persona MrBeast, has officially tied the knot with his fiancee Thea Booysen, in an intimate ceremony held on billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson’s private Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, multiple US media outlets have confirmed. The 28-year-old content creator, who holds the title of the world’s most-subscribed YouTuber with over 500 million followers across his channel, shared the joyful news with his global fanbase via a joint Instagram post alongside Booysen, revealing he had finally “found MrsBeast”.
The couple’s wedding followed a proposal that took place on Christmas Day 2024, when Donaldson popped the question while the pair wore matching branded MrBeast Christmas jumpers. Long before the ceremony, the creator opened up to People magazine, explaining that despite his reputation for over-the-top, high-budget public stunts, he wanted a deeply personal, low-key proposal and small wedding, far from the spotlight of his massive online audience. Shared wedding photos from the big day show the newlyweds dressed in matching white formal attire: Booysen wore a stunning full-length lace wedding dress detailed with a delicate floral pattern, while Donaldson opted for a crisp white tuxedo. Booysen changed outfits multiple times throughout the celebration, swapping the wedding gown for a white mini dress with a sparkly bodice and feathered hem to cut the couple’s wedding cake, before changing into an elegant off-the-shoulder satin gown for evening reception activities. In his Instagram announcement, Donaldson called the occasion “the best day of my life”.
Booysen, a 28-year-old content creator originally from South Africa, has built her own following in the digital creator space: she runs her own YouTube channel, TheaBeasty, which boasts close to 140,000 subscribers, streams gaming content regularly on Twitch, and has also worked as a published author.
Donaldson’s rise to become the biggest name in YouTube content creation came from his viral, high-stakes videos, where he pulls elaborate stunts and gives away hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and prizes to random participants and strangers. His success has expanded beyond YouTube: he co-created the Prime Video reality competition series *Beast Games*, which drew inspiration from Netflix’s global hit drama *Squid Game*, offering contestants a chance to compete for a massive $5 million grand prize.
While his professional success has made him a household name across the globe, Donaldson has not been immune to controversy in recent months. In April of this year, his media holding company Beast Industries was hit with a lawsuit from a former employee, who brought forward formal claims of sexual harassment and systemic gender bias in the workplace. He has also faced separate legal action from *Beast Games* contestants over allegations of mistreatment during filming, as well as persistent public claims that many of his viral giveaways and high-profile competitions are secretly staged and pre-arranged rather than the spontaneous events he presents them as.