Jimmy “MrBeast” Sparks Social Media Firestorm Over Rolling Stone Ranking

August 27, 2025 - NEW YORK CITY YouTube superstar Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson ignited heated debate today after publicly criticizing Rolling Stone’s recently released “25 Most Influential Creators of 2025” list and subsequently deleting his post.

MrBeast took to X (formerly Twitter) late yesterday to express frustration over his placement at No. 7-behind comedian and podcaster Caleb Hearon, who holds roughly one-million followers. “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?” he posted, tagging the magazine’s official account. His message drew immediate backlash from fans and fellow creators alike, prompting the star to remove the tweet early this morning and issue a follow-up: “I watched some of his stuff and it’s actually good. I deleted the tweet, I don’t want the smoke from the shooters, spare me plz.”

Rolling Stone declined to comment directly but reshared the exchange without further elaboration.

Reaction across social platforms has been swift and varied:

• Rosanna Pansino praised Caleb Hearon’s originality, quipping that he “has something you’ll never have: a personality.”
• Twitch commentator Hasan “HasanAbi” argued that MrBeast “sounded so bitter” in his original post.
• Reddit threads dedicated to the controversy have garnered thousands of responses, with opinions split on whether MrBeast’s influence was fairly assessed.

The “25 Most Influential Creators” list debuted August 25, highlighting a diverse group from TikTok advice columnist Tefi Pessoa to children’s entertainer Ms. Rachel. MrBeast’s surprise at his ranking has now overshadowed the list itself, turning the magazine’s annual feature into today’s hottest online story.