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A worldwide business empire, a personal fortune worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and half a billion fans.
It would take a lot to unseat Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, the biggest influencer on YouTube.
But he may yet have to undergo the biggest test of his life—a 54-page court document.
Five female contestants on Prime Video’s upcoming show Beast Games have taken legal action in Los Angeles against Amazon and their production firm, Mr. B2024.
Billed as the biggest reality competition series ever, 1,000 contestants are set to compete for a $5 million (£3.7 million) prize when the show airs—or if it does. The lawsuit has put the show under threat. In addition to multiple redacted pages, the legal document includes allegations that they “specifically and collectively” suffered in an environment that “systematically fostered a culture of misogyny and sexism.”. It damages MrBeast’s image as one of the nicest guys on the internet.
I flipped through the document, which includes suggestions that participants were “underfed and overtired.”.
Claims are made that food was served “irregularly and in small quantities,” which “endangered” the health and well-being of participants. In a section where almost all of the claims have been removed from public view, it says that the defendants “created, permitted to exist, and fostered a culture, pattern, and practice of sexual harassment, including a hostile work environment.”.
In August, The New York Times (as yet unpublished) spoke to more than a dozen participants from the show and reported that “several people were hospitalised” on set, with one person telling the paper they had not been fed for more than 20 hours. Contestants also alleged they did not receive medication in time. The BBC has contacted MrBeast and Amazon; they have yet to comment publicly. So will these latest allegations harm the king of YouTube popularity?
Growing fame and generosity
This year, Mr. Beast has faced controversy before, but he has always emerged unscathed.
The 26-year-old American claimed in July that he had engaged detectives in response to charges that his former co-host Ava Kris Tyson had been grooming a minor.
Ava apologized for “past behaviour” that was “not acceptable,” but she refuted the accusations
Mr. Beast said he was “disgusted” by these “serious allegations.”
Subsequently, claims made by a former employee about business practices resurfaced on an anonymous YouTube channel. The BBC has not been able to independently verify the identity of this person or the claims.
Some of his charitable efforts, such as digging wells in Africa and funding operations for people with visual or hearing impairments, have been criticised for potential exploitation.
“Deaf people like me deserve better than MrBeast’s latest piece of inspirational porn.”
As reported by the Independent in the previous year.
But his empire continues to grow. A day before the lawsuit was revealed on Wednesday, he teamed up with fellow famous faces KSI and Logan Paul to launch a new food line designed to challenge Lunchables.
And as I wrote in an article about his meteoric rise last year, he has made his millions through hard work. His videos are big-budget experiences, with his most popular—viewed 652 million times—being a real-life re-creation of the Netflix hit Squid Game, for which he won a $456,000 (£342,000) prize.
Much of his philanthropy is less controversial—including giving away houses, cash, and cars—which has helped him build an image as one of the internet’s good guys. According to his website, he has distributed more than 25 million meals to those in need around the world.
People continue to flock to his social channels. In June, he gained enough subscribers to make his YouTube channel the biggest in the world.
The stats-checking website Socialblade reports that in only the last 30 days, MrBeast added five million new users.
That is only one metric; for instance, we are unable to determine the number of people who have unsubscribed from his channel.
There’s no denying that the number of people who have consciously chosen to subscribe to his videos has surpassed the number of those who have opted to quit viewing his films.
The apology on YouTube
He wouldn’t be the only YouTuber whose popularity has remained despite controversy – others have faced far more criticism than MrBeast, with some facing no consequences other than a public apology.
Logan Paul faced massive criticism in 2018 when he uploaded a video to his 15 million subscribers showing the body of a man who had apparently taken his own life.
After deleting the original video, he shared a less than two-minute apology captioned, “So sorry.”
Now, he has 23 million subscribers, he owns an incredibly popular sports drink, and until August, he was the WWE United States Champion. He’s also competed in multiple pay-per-view boxing bouts.
Other high-profile YouTubers, including PewDiePie, James Charles, and Jeffree Star, have had their own controversies and moved on with their careers after uploading apology videos.
A more modern example is Herschel “Guy” Beahm, known online as Dr. Disrespect, who admitted he had sent messages to “an underage person” in 2017. He insisted “nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed” and stayed offline for two months after posting the statement.
His comeback livestream earlier this month garnered over three million views, despite criticism from other high-profile streamers.
Dr. Disrespect remains the second most-watched streamer in the US this year, according to Stream Charts.
The thing is, YouTubers are quick to forgive.
Next for Mr. Beast, what?
While Mr. Beast’s fan base continues to grow, controversy is swirling once again, and his next move could determine his long-term success.
James Lunn, chief strategy officer at Savvy Marketing, says the star is in an “incredibly unique position” with a “multifaceted” brand spanning multiple industries.
“We’re really in uncharted territory,” he says, and “a proactive approach, addressing issues in a transparent way and ensuring accountability, could protect his brand.”.
Brand expert Katherine Shuttleworth says the “huge scale” of MrBeast’s fame could act as a buffer against backlash, but the latest lawsuit could be tricky.
“When it comes to his business ventures, particularly those targeting families and children—such as Feastables chocolate bars or Lunchables—it’s a different story,” she says.
“Parents, who often have greater purchasing power, are less tolerant of disputes over safety, fairness, and ethics.”
I wrote about MrBeast back in August 2023, and even though he only had half as many subscribers at the time, I said he will soon become the most popular person on YouTube.
As his notoriety grows, he is now up against more obstacles, and a large portion of the internet is anxiously anticipating his response to what is, thus far, only one side of a complicated tale.
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