Thea Booysen: Who is Mr Beast’s new YouTuber fiancee?
Mr Beast, the most-watched YouTuber in the world, has announced his engagement to girlfriend Thea Booysen.
The 26-year-old YouTuber, real name James Donaldson, is best known for his philanthropy projects and expensive stunts he shares on his YouTube channel, which has the highest number of subscribers in the world at 340 million.
He proposed to gaming streamer Booysen, 27, on Christmas day in front of both of their families.
Donaldson, who is from Wichita, Kansas, told People: “My family flew out from South Africa for Christmas and we were going to do Christmas in our house so both families were here.”
Donaldson said he asked Booysen to close her eyes as he gave her a present as he tried to keep it as a surprise until the last moment.
“I intentionally dropped a large box to make noise before presenting the real gift, with the ring inside, to her. And then I went down on a knee and proposed,” he said.
“I was trying to think of the best way to catch her off guard so it would be a surprise,” he explained. “Thea is really close to her family, so I wanted to make sure that they were included in this momentous occasion. Christmas worked out great because they were in town from the other side of the world.”
In a picture shared online, Donaldson is down on one knee in a living room surrounded by presents with Booysen standing before him gazing at the ring. In the background, their family members are smiling at them.
Although Donaldson said the bride-to-be “would have been happy with a plastic ring,” he proposed with a diamond on a rose gold band with additional diamonds on each side.
The pair first met when Donaldson visited Booysen’s home country, South Africa, where they were introduced by a mutual friend at a dinner.
Booysen is a gaming YouTuber with the username @TheaBeasty, and is also a published author. She has degree in Degree in Law, in addition to an MA in Human Cognitive Neuropsychology from the University of Edinburgh.
“When we were first introduced, it came through right away how brilliant Thea is,” Donaldson told the publication. “She has such a range of knowledge and can go deep on lots of topics. She told me about her work as an author and how passionate she is about her hobbies — we vibed instantly. I kept thinking she is really smart and beautiful. I knew within the first few minutes of meeting that I wanted the chance to date her. Thankfully, she also felt a strong connection.”
The pair are planning on a tropical wedding after travelling to Richard Branson’s Necker Island, which is where they have taken inspiration.
Donaldson said: “We’re thinking of doing it somewhere on an island where we’re far away from just about everybody. We’re not going to try and have a big, extravagant wedding.”
When the pair announced their relationship in 2022, Booysen admitted she was nervous about the world finding out.
“Going out as Mr Beast’s [girlfriend] was super anxiety provoking. You get common sayings like, ‘Oh, she’s gonna break his heart,’ or, ‘She’s gonna be a gold digger,’” she said.
Donaldson announced their relationship when he shared a picture of them together online, writing in the caption “Mr Beast and Beasty”.
The YouTuber was previously in a relationship with influencer Maddy Spidell, who he dated for three years before they split in early 2022.
Donaldson’s is considered one of the highest-paid content creators in the world, with an estimated net worth of $500 million, according to Forbes.
The engagement announcement comes as Donaldson makes his debut as a TV host as part of recently-launched controversial Amazon Prime show Beast Games, which has been dubbed the world’s largest game show in history and is comparable to the real-life version of the fictional game show Squid Game.
The show has been met with dogged with numerous allegations from people involved in making it, detailed in a lawsuit. The allegations include failure to pay minimum wages and overtime, subjecting contestants to “infliction of emotional distress”, did not provide meal breaks, rest breaks or access to basic hygiene and that contestants were exposed to “dangerous circumstances and conditions as a condition of their employment”.
Donaldson has not formally commented on the allegations but a statement from a spokesperson said that a formal review had been launched. The Independent has contacted Donaldson for comment.
