MrBeast: The YouTube King Scandal

Half a billion fans, a multi-million dollar personal fortune and a global business empire.

It would take a lot to dethrone Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, as YouTube’s biggest influencer.

But a 54-page court document may be his toughest test yet.

Five contestants on Prime Video’s upcoming show Beast Games are filing a lawsuit against its production company MrB2024 and Amazon in Los Angeles.

Billed as the biggest reality TV series ever made, it will pit 1,000 contestants against each other for a $5m (£3.7m) prize when it airs – or if it does. The lawsuit has plunged the show into crisis.

Among the many redacted pages, the legal document contains allegations that they “particularly and collectively suffered” in an environment that “systematically fostered a culture of misogyny and sexism.”

The allegations cast doubt on MrBeast’s image as one of the most likeable men on the internet.

I looked through the document, which suggests, among other things, that participants were “poorly nourished and overly tired.” Meals were provided “sporadically and in small quantities,” which “endangered the health and well-being” of participants.

In a section where nearly all of the complaints are redacted, it says the defendants “created, permitted and fostered a culture and practices of sexual harassment, including in the form of a hostile work environment.”

Last August, The New York Times spoke to more than a dozen participants in the show (which has yet to air) and reported that there had been “multiple hospitalizations” on the set, with one person telling the newspaper she went more than 20 hours without being fed.

Competitors also claimed they did not receive their medication on time.

The BBC has contacted MrBeast and Amazon, who have yet to comment publicly.

Will these latest allegations harm the popularity of the YouTube king?

MrBeast is no stranger to controversy this year – and has managed to escape unscathed every time.

In July, the 26-year-old American said he had hired investigators after his former co-host Ava Kris Tyson was accused of grooming a teenage girl.

Ava denied the allegations, but apologized for her “past behavior” which was “not acceptable.”

MrBeast said he was “disgusted” by the “serious allegations”.

Later, further allegations about business practices surfaced on an anonymous YouTube channel, claiming to be a former employee. The BBC has not been able to independently verify the allegations or the identity of this person.

Some of his philanthropic efforts, such as building wells in Africa and funding surgeries for the visually and hearing impaired, have drawn criticism as exploitation.

“Deaf people like me deserve better than the latest MrBeast-inspired porn,” one person told the Independent last year.

But his empire continues to grow. The day before the lawsuit was announced on Wednesday, he revealed he was teaming up with fellow celebrities KSI and Logan Paul to create a new food line to compete with Lunchables.

And as I wrote in an article about his meteoric rise last year, he earned his millions through hard work.

His videos are big-budget experiments, the most popular – viewed 652 million times – recreating Netflix’s Squid Game in real life, with a prize of $456,000 (£342,000).

Most of his philanthropic activities are less controversial – he has given away houses, money and cars – which has helped create an image of him as one of the internet’s good guys.

According to its website, it has delivered more than 25 million meals to the needy around the world.

People continue to flock to his social media. In June, he gained enough subscribers to make his YouTube channel the largest in the world.

According to statistics expert Socialblade, MrBeast has gained an additional five million subscribers in the last 30 days alone.

This is just an indicator – we can’t say how many people unsubscribed from his channel, for example.

What is certain is that the number of people who actively decided to stop watching his videos was eclipsed by the number of people who decided to subscribe.

He wouldn’t be the only YouTuber whose popularity has been sustained through controversy – others have faced much bigger storms than MrBeast, with little consequence beyond public apologies.

Logan Paul faced massive backlash in 2018 after uploading a video to his 15 million followers that showed the body of a person who had apparently committed suicide.

After removing the original video, he shared a less than two-minute apology simply titled: “So sorry.”

Today, he has 23 million subscribers, owns an incredibly popular sports drink, and until August was the WWE United States Champion. He has also competed in several pay-per-view boxing matches.

Other high-profile YouTubers, like Pewdiepie, James Charles, and Jeffree Star, have all faced their own controversies and resumed their careers after posting apology videos.

A more modern example is Herschel “Guy” Beahm, known online as Dr Disrespect, who admitted to sending messages to “an individual minor” in 2017.

He stressed that “nothing illegal happened, no photos were shared, no crime was committed” and went offline for two months after posting his statement.

His return livestream earlier this month attracted over three million views, despite criticism from other high-profile streamers.

Dr Disrespect remains the second most-watched streamer in the United States this year, according to Streams Charts.

The fact is: YouTubers tend to be forgiven quickly.

As MrBeast’s fan base continues to grow, the controversy swells once again – and his next move could determine his long-term success.

James Lunn, chief strategy officer at Savvy Marketing, believes the star is in “an incredibly unique position” with a “multi-faceted” brand spanning many industries.

“We are indeed in uncharted territory,” he says, and “a proactive approach, addressing issues transparently and ensuring accountability, could protect its brand.”

Trademark expert Catherine Shuttleworth said MrBeast’s fame could act as a buffer against backlash, but the latest lawsuit could prove difficult.

“When it comes to her businesses, especially those that are geared toward families and children, like Feastables candy bars or Lunchly, it’s a different story,” she says.

“Parents, who often hold the purchasing power, tend to be less tolerant of controversies about safety, fairness and ethics.

In August 2023, when I wrote about MrBeast, I predicted that he would soon take the YouTube crown, despite only having half the number of subscribers at the time.

He now faces additional challenges as his fame grows, and much of the internet is eagerly awaiting his response to what is, for now, only one side of a complex story.