‘Scary I Could Have Been On It’

The YouTube star, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, said early Sunday that he was actually invited to go down and see the Titanic earlier this month.

The creator jumped on Twitter to share a screenshot from a text conversation that appeared to confirm his story. “I was invited earlier this month to ride the titanic submarine, I said no,” he tweeted. “Kind of scary that I could have been on it.”

The attached screengrab shows a message apparently received by MrBeast that read, “Also, I’m going to the Titanic in a submarine late this month. The team would be stoked to have you along.”

The most-followed YouTube creator, MrBeast has 151 million followers on his main channel, and an additional 24 million on his Spanish-language channel. It’s not clear if the intent was for him to create content to help promote OceanGate Expedition’s TItan tours of the sunken ship.

On Thursday, the Coast Guard and OceanGate Expeditions confirmed the worst: the company’s CEO and sub pilot Stockton Rush, as well as passengers Shahzada Dawood, his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, adventurer and billionaire Hamish Harding, Titanic enthusiast and diver Paul-Henri Nargeolet all died aboard the vessel, which went missing shortly after its dive on Sunday.

In a heartbreaking statement to Glasgow Live, the Dawood family said they were in mourning following the loss of the father-son duo.

“In this unfathomable tragedy, we try to find solace in the enduring legacy of humility and humanity that they have left behind and find comfort in the belief that they passed on to the next leg of their spiritual journey hand-in-hand, father and son,” they wrote.

Harding’s family and company Action Aviation released a statement to People regarding his death, saying they were “united in grief with the other families who have also lost their loved ones” on the Titan.

“Hamish Harding was a loving husband to his wife and a dedicated father to his two sons, whom he loved deeply,” the statement continued. “To his team in Action Aviation, he was a guide, an inspiration, a support, and a Living Legend.”

Remembered by his family as “one of the greatest deep-sea explorers in modern history,” a statement from Nargeolet’s loved ones said, “When you think of the Titanic and all we know about the ship today, you will think of Paul-Henri Nargeolet and his legendary work.”

“But what we will remember him most for is his big heart, his incredible sense of humor and how much he loved his family,” they added. “We will miss him today and every day for the rest of our lives.”

While Stockton Rush’s family hasn’t released a statement, his company OceanGate did on Thursday, announcing the loss of their CEO and the other passengers. Rush’s wife, Wendy, currently serves as Director of Communications and Expedition Team Member for the company.

“These men were true explorers who shared a distinct spirit of adventure, and a deep passion for exploring and protecting the world’s oceans. Our hearts are with these five souls and every member of their families during this tragic time. We grieve the loss of life and joy they brought to everyone they knew,” the statement read.