MrBeast joins bid to buy TikTok to save it being banned in America claiming he’s had offers from billionaires to make it happen

MrBeast has joined the bid to buy TikTok in a bid to prevent the popular platform from being banned in the United States, it has emerged.

Ee YouTube star, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, joked about purchasing the platform in tweet late Sunday night.

“Okay, I’m buying TikTok so it doesn’t get banned,” he posted on X, in a message that seemed like nothing more than online chatter.

But hours later the internet star, who has more than 300 million subscribers on YouTube, repeated the claim, claiming he had been in contact with potential billionaire investors.

“It’s ironic that so many billionaires have contacted me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can make this happen,” Donaldson tweeted on Monday.

Donaldson did not specify who had been in contact, but sources close to him told TMZ that his team is in discussions with “multiple parties” who have “expressed interest in purchasing TikTok.”

The future of TikTok’s U.S. operations hangs in the balance, with the Chinese platform planning to shut down its app to U.S. users on Sunday, when a federal ban on the social media app could come into effect.

Donaldson’s alleged bid for partial ownership of the company comes amid reports that China is in “secret talks” to sell TikTok to Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, who took over his social media company X, formerly Twitter, in 2022.

Donaldson apparently joked about purchasing the platform in a tweet late Sunday night

But hours later the internet star, who has more than 300 million subscribers on YouTube, doubled down on the claim, claiming he had been in touch with potential billionaire investors.

According to TMZ, no official deal has yet been reached between Donaldson and potential investors.

But insiders familiar with the “ongoing discussions” claim that the wealthy investor groups believe Donaldson would be an ideal partner to maintain operations and expand the company because of his “unique success” on social media.

The sources also claim that Donaldson, who has an estimated net worth of $700 million, would hypothetically secure shares in TikTok and become a minority owner on the platform.

However, they note that it is too “premature” to speculate exactly how many shares the influencer would actually own in the company.

With a possible TikTok ban within days, Beijing officials have begun exploring alternative options, including the involvement of Musk, who may be uniquely positioned to bridge the gap between the world’s two largest economies.

‘Senior Chinese officials had already started discussing contingency plans for TikTok’ sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

One intriguing proposal means that Musk’s company X will take control of TikTok’s US operations.

Donaldson’s alleged bid for partial ownership of the company comes amid reports that China is in ‘secret talks’ to sell TikTok to Tesla billionaire Elon Musk (pictured in 2023). Musk acquired his social media platform X, formerly Twitter, in 2022

President Joe Biden (left, pictured in July 2024) had signed a law in April last year requiring Bytedance to sell its assets by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban. President-elect Donald Trump (right, pictured in December 2024), whose inauguration takes place the day after the law takes effect, has said he should have time after taking office to pursue a “political solution” to the issue strive

With more than 170 million users, TikTok would provide Musk’s platform with a huge user base and a wealth of data – and the perfect complement to his fast-growing AI venture, xAI.

Such a move could help X attract advertisers while strengthening Musk’s influence over social media, artificial intelligence and global trade.

Musk’s ties to the new Trump administration add another layer of intrigue to the potential deal. Musk has donated more than $250 million to Trump’s re-election campaign and is seen as a trusted ally by the new administration.

It is not clear how much TikTok parent company ByteDance knows about the Chinese government talks and whether TikTok and Musk have been involved.

It is also unclear whether Musk, TikTok and ByteDance have had discussions about the terms of a potential deal. Bloomberg reports.

President Joe Biden had signed a law in April last year requiring Bytedance to sell its assets by January 19, 2025, or face a nationwide ban.

TikTok and Bytedance have at least sought a delay in implementing the law.

TikTok’s legal team has argued that banning the app violates the U.S. First Amendment’s free speech protections. However, national security concerns, underscored by the Supreme Court justices, may outweigh these arguments.

TikTok said in a court filing last month that it estimates that a third of the 170 million Americans who use the app would stop accessing the platform if the ban lasts a month.

TikTok is facing a threatened shutdown in the United States after Congress passed a law last year forcing Chinese owner ByteDance to sell the platform or shut it down on Sunday. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule this week on TikTok’s challenge to the law

But last week the Supreme Court appeared inclined to uphold the law, despite calls from newly elected President Donald Trump and lawmakers to extend the Jan. 19 deadline.

Trump, whose inauguration takes place the day after the law takes effect, has said he should have time after taking office to pursue a “political solution” to the issue. The president-elect has 14.7 million followers on TikTok.

Trump’s plan to delay the ban on TikTok until he takes office on January 20 suggests that Musk’s potential takeover could be a strategic negotiating point between Washington and Beijing.

All geopolitical and economic implications aside, a deal between TikTok and Musk could go so far as to reshape the relationship between China and the United States, experts suggest.