MrBeast is heading to the Shark Tank.
The YouTube phenomenon, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has been confirmed as a guest shark on season 18 of ABC’s long-running business reality series, which will debut in the autumn.
He will appear alongside Beast Industries CEO Jeffrey Housenbold, and joins a notably starry lineup of guest sharks for the new season.
Also joining as guests are actress and writer Mindy Kaling, former NFL star J.J. Watt, Diary of a CEO podcast host Steven Bartlett, and Sara and Erin Foster, the co-founders of fashion brand Favorite Daughter and the real-life inspiration behind the Netflix series Nobody Wants This.
The guest sharks will appear alongside the show’s permanent panel, which includes Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Daniel Lubetzky, Kevin O’Leary, Kendra Scott and Rashaun Williams.
The selection marks a notable shift in the type of figures ABC is bringing to the tank.
Previous guest sharks have tended to skew towards traditional business executives, but this season leans heavily into the world of content creators and podcasters, a move that echoes ABC’s strategy with Dancing with the Stars, where leaning into social media personalities has helped drive audience engagement.
Shark Tank has remained one of the most enduring reality formats on American broadcast television since its debut in 2009, giving entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their businesses to investors for real money.
MrBeast, one of the most-subscribed creators on YouTube, brings a different kind of fame to the tank, and a very different kind of audience.
