By now, you will have probably heard that YouTube’s king of virality MrBeast has once again topped Forbes' rankings of the highest-earning influencers. All of whom they've very generously framed as "creators" because let's be honest: that's a certainly stretch for some of the names below.
This past year, the Ohio native (real name: Jimmy Donaldson) managed to pocket more than double his closest competition this past year at US$82 million (AU$128.5 million). Which, as we've pointed out on multiple occasions, essentially goes straight back into his content.
“I only want money so I can make better videos, so I can grow my channel… I don’t care about making money, I don’t care about time, I just want to make the best videos on the planet,” Donaldson once explained.
“Once you know how to make a video go viral, it’s just about how to get as many out as possible. You can practically make unlimited money.”
MrBeast is followed not-so-closely by the likes of Rhett & Link of Good Mythical Morning fame, playthrough veteran Preston Arsement and literal 11-year-old child Ryan Kaji at US$35 million (AU$55 million); and vlogger-cum-"professional boxer" Jake Paul at US$34 million (AU$53.3 million).
Markiplier (US$30 million/AU$47 million), FuckJerry's Elliot Tebele (US$30 million/AU$47 million), and Jacksepticeye's Sean McLoughlin (US$27 million/AU$42.3 million) round out the Top 5 spots.
Check out the staggering numbers below.
The Highest-Earning Influencers of 2023 (According To Forbes)
NOTE: All $$$ = USD
1. MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson): $82 million
=2. Rhett & Link / Good Mythical Morning: $35 million
=2. PrestonPlayz (Preston Arsement): $35 million
=2. Ryan’s World (Ryan Kaji): $35 million
3. Jake Paul: $34 million
=4. Markiplier (Mark Edward Fischbach): $30 million
=4. FuckJerry (Elliot Tebele): $30 million
5. Jacksepticeye (Sean McLoughlin): $27 million
6. Matt Rife: $25 million
7. KSI (Olajide Olatunji): $24 million
8. Charli D’Amelio: $23 million
9. Logan Paul: $21 million
=10. Emma Chamberlain: $20 million
=10. Alex Cooper: $20 million
11. Brent Rivera: $17.5 million
12. Khaby Lame: $16.5 million
13. Amouranth (Kaitlyn Siragusa): $15 million
=14. Huda Kattan: $13 million
=14. Zach King: $13 million
=14. Bailey Sarian: $13 million
Hit the link below to check out the complete list of Top 50 "creators" in 2023, according to Forbes.