Jimmy Donaldson, better known to his millions of followers as MrBeast, has announced his engagement to Thea Booysen, revealing a Christmas Day proposal.

Despite being famous for elaborate productions and spectacular stunts, Donaldson chose a private setting for the momentous occasion. “My friends thought I would want to propose in a very public way, like some sort of spectacle at the Super Bowl or somewhere else really big like that, but I knew that I wanted it to be the opposite, to be really private and intimate,” Donaldson told People magazine. The proposal took place at their home, surrounded by family members in holiday attire.

Meet Thea Booysen: Scholar, author, and gaming professional

Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, Thea Booysen is not only a gamer and content creator but also an academic achiever. She holds degrees in law, psychology, and neuroscience. She’s also a published author of The Marked Children, a novel she began in high school, which played a key role in sparking her relationship with MrBeast. The book played a significant role in the couple’s early relationship, serving as a point of connection during their courtship.

A serendipitous meeting

The couple’s love story began in 2022 during Donaldson’s visit to South Africa. A mutual friend’s dinner invitation brought them together, where they discovered shared passions for learning and content creation. Their relationship became public at the Kids’ Choice Awards in April 2022, which Booysen described as “an amazing night.”

Future plans

The couple is planning an intimate island wedding, eschewing the extravagance often associated with Donaldson’s content. “We’re thinking of doing it somewhere on an island where we’re far away from just about everybody. We’re not going to try and have a big, extravagant wedding. It’s going to be nice, but it’s certainly going to be intimate [with] close family and friends,” Booysen shared.

The engagement timing was thoughtfully planned, with Donaldson respecting Booysen’s wish to wait until after her postgraduate studies in the UK before proposing.