The creator economy just crossed $1 billion for the first time — here are the 10 people who made it happen
MrBeast leads with $300 million as the creator economy surpasses $1 billion in annual earnings. Here's a look at the top creators, their businesses, audiences and how digital fame became a global industry.
- Jul 1, 2026,
- Updated Jul 1, 2026 3:57 PM IST
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For the first time, Forbes' annual Top Creators list saw its top 50 collectively earn over $1.02 billion — a 20% jump from 2025 and an 80% rise since the list launched in 2022. The announcement was made at the Cannes Lions Festival in France on June 23, 2026.
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Jimmy Donaldson — MrBeast — tops the list for the fifth consecutive year with an estimated $300 million in earnings. His empire spans 640 million+ YouTube subscribers, Feastables, Lunchly, Viewstats, and Beast Games Season 2 on Amazon Prime.
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Dhar Mann ranks second with $65 million — his studio produces viral short films generating nearly 300 million views a week, and he has signed a deal with Fox Entertainment for 40 vertical dramas. Steven Bartlett (The Diary of a CEO podcast) is third at $52 million.
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Markiplier — one of gaming YouTube's biggest names — earned $38 million, extending beyond videos into films and podcasts. Comedy duo Rhett & Link of Good Mythical Morning earned $37 million. Both have built multi-platform entertainment businesses around their creator identities.
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Charli D'Amelio earned $18 million expanding into fashion and entertainment. Druski earned $20 million through viral comedy sketches. IShowSpeed — currently covering the FIFA World Cup 2026 live — earned $30 million through gaming, football content, and 184 million followers.
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Mark Rober — former NASA engineer — earned $30 million with science-based videos and experiments, bringing educational content to Netflix. Codie Sanchez earned $31 million through financial education and business ownership content, making the top 10 one of its most diverse lineups.
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The Forbes list is no longer about going viral — it's about building businesses. The top 50 collectively have 3.6 billion followers and $1.02 billion in earnings. In 2022, the same list totalled $570 million. Four years later, the creator economy has nearly doubled in size.