MrBeast, a social media star known for his high-stakes competitions, married in an affair that wouldn’t sound out of place in one of his games.
Seventy people gathered on a private island for a week in mid-July and participated in activities including kite-surfing and feeding lemurs, before watching MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, marry Thea Booysen, who is also a content creator.
Donaldson, 28, and Booysen, also 28, married on Necker Island, a private island in the British Virgin Islands owned by the English billionaire Richard Branson, according to People magazine. A family friend officiated the wedding. The groom wore a tuxedo with a white shawl-collar jacket by Ralph Lauren. The couple spun around to “Die With a Smile,” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, for their first dance.
“It sounds silly, but this is really just a formality,” Booysen told People. “Ever since we started dating, we’ve been doing it with the goal of marriage. The difference is now the world knows we’re married, but we’ll still come home to our house and dogs and cats, and then we’re off to our next adventure!”
(Through a representative, Booysen and Donaldson declined to be interviewed.)
The two met in 2022 after being introduced by mutual friends while Donaldson was visiting South Africa, where Booysen is from. Booysen was surprised to find Donaldson was “actually a nice guy,” she told People. Donaldson later slid into Booysen’s DMs on X.
The couple got engaged two years later on Christmas in 2024.
Donaldson rose to fame on YouTube for his stunts and provocative philanthropy, giving away lavish prizes, including a private island, and cash to competitors in exchange for performing bizarre stunts and challenges. Booysen is also a YouTuber who goes by TheaBeasty online.
In Donaldson’s most popular video, “$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!,” 456 people competed in a game show that paid homage to the dark Netflix drama “Squid Game.” He faced criticism in 2024 after participants in “Beast Games,” a reality competition show in the mold of his popular videos, claimed they were mistreated.
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