MrBeast has joined the list of people who are open to buying TikTok, and the YouTuber says he’s working with billionaires to make it happen.
Despite being one of the most popular social media platforms in the world, TikTok has been under threat of a ban in America for quite some time.
Individual states like Montana have attempted to ban the use of the app within its state limits, but this was pushed to a national level in April 2024. President Joe Biden signed a bill that would require ByteDance to sell its shares of their platform or be banned.
As we’ve now turned the calendar over to 2025, that ban is getting closer, with the app set to be removed from app stores on January 19. As of writing, that date will also see the TikTok website shut down.
MrBeast says he’ll buy TikTok to save it
A number of high-profile figures have been linked with buying TikTok in order to prevent that from happening, including Elon Musk and Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary.
Now, YouTube megastar Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson has also thrown his hat into the ring. “Okay fine, I’ll buy TikTok so it doesn’t get banned,” he jokingly posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
He was immediately flooded with support, including from KICK. “50/50? Kick Tok has a nice ring to it,” the livestreaming platform replied.
“You should buy it,” another said. “I would have laughed at this two years ago. Now I’m like… maybe,” commented another.
MrBeast claims he’s working with billionaires to save TikTok
While the post may have seemed like a joke at first, MrBeast followed up a few hours later by revealing that a number of billionaires reached out to him about making the purchase a reality.
“Unironically I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this,” he said. “Let’s see if we can pull this off.”
Unironically I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can pull this off 🙌🏻
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) January 14, 2025
So far, MrBeast hasn’t revealed which billionaires have expressed an interest in working with him, but the YouTuber is the clear favorite out of possible new owners.
Donaldson is currently leading polls from fans who asked who’d be the best owner out of himself, Musk, and O’Leary. And he’s got a comfortable lead in a few of them, as well.