MrBeast has married South African content creator Thea Booysen in an intimate 70-guest ceremony on Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, in news that broke on Wednesday, 22 July 2026.
The world’s most-subscribed YouTuber, real name Jimmy Donaldson, wed the 28-year-old streamer and author in front of family and friends, as reported by IOL.
The couple met in South Africa in 2022 and got engaged on Christmas Day 2024.
How MrBeast met and married Thea Booysen
The two met at a dinner in South Africa in 2022 through a mutual friend, started dating about a month later, and made their first public appearance at the Kids’ Choice Awards that April.
Booysen recalled being caught off guard by who she found.
Thea Booysen said:
“When I met him, I was quite surprised how down-to-earth he was and also how intelligent he was. I thought YouTubers were just sort of a persona, but when I met him, I was quite surprised to see that he’s actually a nice guy.”
The proposal came on Christmas Day 2024, and Donaldson pulled a classic misdirection to catch his bride-to-be off guard. He set up a deliberate fake-out with a decoy gift before getting down on one knee to pop the question.
Jimmy Donaldson said:
“I intentionally dropped a large box to make the noise before presenting the real gift, with the ring inside, to her. And then I went down on a knee and proposed.”
Inside the MrBeast and Thea Booysen wedding day
For the big day, the bride wore an ivory and nude bridal gown with delicate floral lace detailing. The groom kept it sharp in a white tuxedo shirt, a blazer, black pants and a black bow tie, the pair matching classic glamour with a relaxed island mood.
Guests dined on sushi and Wagyu beef at the reception before the celebration rolled into an after-party built around card and board games, a fittingly low-key touch for a couple whose romance started over dinner and a shared sense of humour.
Who is Thea Booysen
Booysen is no plus-one to fame in her own right. Known online as TheaBeasty, she has streamed on Twitch and YouTube since 2016 and moved into sports commentary, and she co-owns South African esports organisation Nixuh.
Her CV reads like a small library. The Stellenbosch University graduate holds a bachelor’s degree in law and honours in psychology, plus a master’s in human cognitive neuropsychology from the University of Edinburgh, and she published a 2022 fantasy novel titled The Marked Children.
Donaldson marked the day with a gushing note to his millions of followers, and the newlyweds now step into married life while juggling two of the internet’s busiest careers between South Africa and the United States.
Jimmy Donaldson wrote:
“I found MrsBeast and it was the best day of my life.”
