News

Can MrBeast Kick it? Yes he can.

There’s a notable new streamer coming to Kick. The upstart rival of established hubs like Twitch will host streams from MrBeast as part of the YouTube star’s effort to promote his latest philanthropic campaign.

MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has his first Kick stream slated for August 14. On a fresh account (which, at the time of this point, already has 36,000 followers), Donaldson will go live to support #TeamWater, a $40 million mission to bring clean drinking water to underdeveloped communities. Kick has pledged $2 million to support that effort, and Donaldson plans to use his inaugural Kick stream to add another $5 million to the fundraising tally.

“Me, Adin [Ross], and xQc are going live on August 14th for my first Kick stream,” Donaldson wrote on X. “We can’t end the stream until we raise $5 million for #TeamWater. Hopefully it doesn’t take days.”

Subscribe to get the latest creator news

Subscribe

Donaldson, who is best known for his YouTube videos, has treated streaming content like a curiosity up to this point. He went live on Twitch during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he donated thousands to streamers with no followers

. But that account has been dormant for months, and based on Donaldson’s criticisms of Twitch, he doesn’t seem to be a likely candidate to return to the platform anytime soon.

Even if he’s done on Twitch, Donaldson has seen firsthand the power of a blockbuster streaming session. His 2024 Twitch collab with Kai Cenat generated millions of views, and streaming standouts like Cenat and iShowSpeed have translated their success to YouTube, where they are putting up numbers that rival MrBeast himself.

And that brings us to Kick. The Stake.com-affiliated hub has endured its fair share of controversy, especially related to badly behaved streamers, but it has also incubated a homegrown creator community. Donaldson’s collab with noted pot-stirrer Adin Ross will raise further questions about the overall tenor of Kick culture, but the man known as MrBeast can counter those claims with some of his usual deflections. Donaldson often uses his charitable missions as shields against criticism — his time on Kick may require him to keep his guard up.

Share
Published by
Sam Gutelle

Recent Posts

Have you heard? It’s science time, college football on YouTube, and “copium” for the dictionary.

Each week, we handpick a selection of stories to give you a snapshot of trends,…

2 days ago

Oh Canada! YouTube’s nine-project creator programming slate takes it north of the border.

YouTube didn't just use the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) to premiere new projects helmed by creators. It…

2 days ago

What if livestreamers could do product placement without real products?

Live content drives sales. From street hawkers of ancient times to QVC hosts to lightning-fast,…

2 days ago

After working with Congressional reps, the Creators Caucus heads to the Senate

What can creators accomplish when they lobby the U.S. Senate? We're about to find out.…

2 days ago

Whatnot says its new terms include “the lowest commission rates in the industry”

Whatnot just made a compelling offer to its community: The more they sell, the bigger their…

3 days ago