MrBeast is not exactly thrilled with Rolling Stone — and Caleb Hearon is now caught in the crossfire.
If you’re at all familiar with the world of online influencers, you’ve definitely heard of MrBeast. The YouTube sensation, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, boasts over 425 million subscribers, making his channel the most-subscribed-to on the platform. He’s known for his elaborate stunts and over-the-top challenge videos, which have earned him both massive fame and occasional controversy.
Over the past few years, MrBeast has faced scrutiny for videos like 1,000 Blind People See For The First Time, which some critics called “exploitative.” He was also the target of a class-action lawsuit last year. But love him or hate him, it’s undeniable that he’s one of the most recognizable names in influencer culture today.
It’s no surprise, then, that MrBeast was recently featured on Rolling Stone’s list of the “25 Most Influential Creators of 2025,” ranking at number seven. The top three spots went to kids’ entertainer Ms Rachel at number three, comedian Druski at number two, and streamer IShowSpeed at number one.
While earning a spot on the list is impressive in itself, MrBeast didn’t seem too pleased with his placement. On Aug. 26, he shared a screenshot of Caleb — a comedian who ranked sixth — on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “According to this list a guy with 1 million followers is more influential than me. What did I do to piss off The Rolling Stones 😭.” The tweet was later deleted.
Fans and fellow creators were quick to respond, including YouTuber Rosanna Pansino. She tweeted a screenshot of his post and wrote, “Mrbeast’s mask slipping this much in less than a year has been fascinating to watch. Sorry Jimmy, Caleb has something you’ll never have: A personalty.”
After the tweet deletion, Rosanna added: “Imagine being a Billionaire and caring about some random magazine list. Loser s**t. MrEgo takes another L.”
And Caleb? He handled the situation with perfect comedic timing. He reposted Jimmy’s now-deleted tweet on Instagram, captioning it, “thank you @rollingstone it’s an honor.” He also posted an Instagram Story holding onto a phone, writing “i am in peace talks with Mr. Beast.”
Later, MrBeast seemed to reflect, saying, “Ngl after this I watched some of [Hearon]’s stuff and it’s actually good. I deleted the tweet I don’t want the smoke from the shooters, spare me plz.”
