PewDiePie Reveals What He Thinks About MrBeast Passing Him In Subscribers

PewDiePie and MrBeast are two content creators who need very little introduction. Over the years, the pair have managed to cultivate passionate followers on YouTube through very different means. PewDiePie tends to favor reactionary content, including video game playthroughs and clips in which he goes through memes and videos sent to him by fans. MrBeast, on the other hand, often creates elaborate challenges and scenarios through which he can give away money to viewers and fellow collaborators. Both creators have been lauded for their consistency in uploading new content, but there's another way in which they've become notable among YouTubers: Both of them have over 100 million subscribers on the platform.

There has been a great amount of chatter among YouTube viewers ever since MrBeast surpassed 100 million subscribers — and not just because MrBeast celebrated the occasion by literally gifting a whole island to one lucky fan in a secret video. As MrBeast seems to close in on PewDiePie's impressive 111 million subscriber count, fans have begun wondering how PewDiePie will respond. Will this be the next great YouTuber rivalry?

This exact question was brought to PewDiePie during a recent video, in which he walked around during some unfriendly weather and answered fan comments. And although PewDiePie has typically been super-protective of his place in YouTube stardom — to the point where friends like Markiplier have stepped up to ask viewers to keep subscribing to Pewds — his response to MrBeast's success may surprise even longtime fans.

During his walk outside, PewDiePie read a message from a viewer asking what he thought of MrBeast's latest subscriber milestone. The viewer also asked, "Do you think [MrBeast] will ever pass you?" PewDiePie took a quick moment to congratulate MrBeast on hitting 100 million subscribers and answered in a surprising affirmative. "Yeah, he definitely will," PewDiePie responded. "Come on, I've been retired for like two years now. I can't wait for it to be over. His fans are infiltrating my comments ... He definitely deserves it. I hope he does it."

While some fans may be scratching their heads at PewDiePie's assertion that he's been retired for a couple of years, this is actually a joke that he's kept going for quite a while. Over the last few years, he's commented that he's felt "retired" for a while now, because he only makes his videos for fun at this point. PewDiePie is comfortable with the size of his audience and enjoys making content when it suits him, rather than feeling like he has to hustle to maintain a regular schedule.

Of course, this isn't the first time MrBeast's encroaching subscriber numbers have been brought up to PewDiePie, and the YouTuber has not held back when discussing how much he thinks MrBeast deserves this level of success. Back in February, when MrBeast had recently crossed the 85 million subscriber threshold, PewDiePie quipped that this would be his next great war against a fellow YouTube channel. Indirectly referencing his previous feuds with the T-Series and "Cocomelon" channels, both of which eventually overtook his subscriber count, he jokingly threatened to record a diss track aimed at MrBeast. It seems like the semi-retired PewDiePie is more than happy to let MrBeast take the crown on YouTube — but does MrBeast even want it?

For his own part, MrBeast has been a bit cagey when it comes to his desire to be the top dog on YouTube. During an appearance on Logan Paul's "Impaulsive" podcast, MrBeast acknowledged that he had one of the top-viewed videos on YouTube, but he said he wasn't sure if he ever wanted to surpass PewDiePie's subscriber count. Though Paul expressed disbelief towards the YouTuber's attitude, MrBeast explained that it could take him another decade to even get anywhere near PewDiePie's numbers, joking that he might even disable the like button on his videos so that he didn't tread on PewDiePie's territory.

Of course, it didn't take anywhere near ten years for MrBeast to hit 100 million subscribers, and he shows no signs of slowing down. The only questions that remain are: How long will it be before MrBeast reaches 111 million subscribers, and how will the two streamers react? Although he still has a ways to go, MrBeast may want to start planning what kind of video he wants to make to celebrate matching PewDiePie's subscriber count. After all, PewDiePie seems more than happy to pass the torch.