The Shady Side Of MrBeast

Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson is one of the most recognizable people on the internet. He's one of the most successful YouTubers in the world, and his videos on the platform have generated billions of views. He's built a reputation for pulling off crazy stunts and for being YouTube's biggest philanthropist. Many of MrBeast's biggest videos have involved the YouTuber giving away tens of thousands of dollars to his fans and total strangers, while others have been built around elaborate challenges and set pieces. Every MrBeast video is an event.

Although still in his early 20s, MrBeast already has a wealth of experience and a career that even older content creators would envy. MrBeast's life has seen its share of tragic moments, but his determination and commitment to his craft has earned him plenty of success. That said, MrBeast isn't always giving money away and spreading joy. There have been multiple moments when the YouTuber has made poor decisions that have led him straight into controversy. 

MrBeast was still a teenager when he became a YouTube star, and like most teenagers on the internet, he had a habit of saying things that he'd later regret. In 2018, The Atlantic took a look at MrBeast's history of using homophobic slurs online. There was a time when MrBeast repeatedly used homophobic slurs on X (known as Twitter at the time) when interacting with fans and haters. In some of his videos, especially his early content, homosexuality was regularly referenced as a joke, and MrBeast seemed oblivious to how hurtful his comments could be.

The facts of the article were bad enough, but MrBeast's response to getting called out only made matters worse. When The Atlantic approached him for a comment, he said, "I'm not offensive to anyone." He went on to remark, "I'm just going to ignore it. I don't think anyone cares about this stuff." 

Despite MrBeast's nonchalance, people do care about this kind of thing, and he may have cared much more than he let on when he gave his comment. In the wake of the article, MrBeast did seem to tone down his language on X, and these days his videos no longer make jokes at the expense of any one group of people. It looks like he's genuinely learned his lesson in this instance.

If MrBeast had stuck to just making YouTube videos, he might have limited his potential for scandal. But some of his offline ventures have caused quite a bit of controversy, and few were as publicized as MrBeast Burger. In theory, MrBeast had come up with a brilliant business idea: His branded burgers would be cooked at "ghost kitchens" and delivered to fans who ordered them online. The model kept his own overhead costs low and allowed restaurants that were struggling during the pandemic to have a new stream of business. In practice, this hands-off approach to running a food brand caused more problems than it solved. 

Initially, MrBeast Burger had problems when the ordering app repeatedly crashed on launch, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. According to critics and customers, MrBeast Burger had serious quality control issues. With no central location and no real way for MrBeast or his team to oversee the actual cooking process, it didn't take long for complaints about the food to start rolling in (per Eat This, Not That!). Some customers were getting burgers so blackened they were inedible, while others were getting boxes of raw chicken tenders and soggy fries. 

The food brand was always a side project for MrBeast, so aside from some online outrage from fans, he saw few consequences from the messy rollout of the service. And to be fair, plenty of customers were perfectly happy with their burgers. Still, MrBeast probably isn't going to become a full-time restaurateur anytime soon. 

Part of being a YouTuber is capitalizing on the latest cultural sensations, and MrBeast has a knack for tapping into what people really want to see. Unfortunately, in his pursuit of view counts, he sometimes jumps into a new project without thinking through how people who don't share his perspective might react. That appears to be what happened when MrBeast recreated scenes from "Squid Game" for a video. The concept was simple: participants would play through the games featured in the show and — in classic MrBeast tradition — winners would walk away with huge cash prizes. MrBeast probably just wanted to have a fun time with Netflix's latest hit while also giving away some money, but the video received some major backlash online.

The National was one of many outlets that reported on the frustration sparked by MrBeast's "Squid Game." While he poured millions of dollars into recreating all the events from the TV show, many felt he didn't seem to consider what the original show was actually trying to say. Some online were disappointed that MrBeast was "flaunting wealth disparity" by going to such lengths to recreate the show, which itself had tried to criticize those exact divides, particularly in South Korea. 

Some critics felt MrBeast's video was made in poor taste, but it still raked in millions of views, and MrBeast quickly moved on to other ventures.

MrBeast caused a stir during an event hosted on the audio app Clubhouse in early 2021. According to Insider, MrBeast was hosting an event with 1,400 listeners, and he was in charge of giving different audience members the chance to speak. Things were running smoothly until Clubhouse host Farokh Sarmad wanted an opportunity to talk. Sarmad says that MrBeast then removed him from the meeting, while saying, "I can't spell your name, so I'm going to yote you out."

Sarmad called MrBeast out not long after the incident, but some of the YouTuber's fans were quick to pile on his defense on X, insisting that Sarmad had misunderstood his comments. They insisted that MrBeast hadn't acted in a racist manner, but Farokh Sarmad sees it differently. 

When Insider brought up a recording of the infamous meeting that included a more innocuous response from MrBeast, Farokh told the publication that this was only part of a much longer interaction. Farokh explained, "From an outsider's perspective if you see the video, you see my tweets, you think I'm crazy. I did this because I've suffered from this before, given that my name is Farokh." MrBeast might not have intended to cause harm in this case, but that doesn't mean his words and actions in this instance aren't worth discussing. The YouTuber never officially responded to the controversy.

MrBeast doesn't create his videos alone anymore; nowadays, he has an entire team of people helping him to create, film, and edit all of his videos. He may only be 24 years old, but MrBeast is a real business owner and boss — and according to some of his past employees, his management skills leave a lot to be desired. The New York Times interviewed a handful of MrBeast's ex-employees and uncovered some allegedly unsavory behavior.

Matt Turner used to edit videos for MrBeast, but claims that he was never credited for his work. "I'd ask for credit, he'd credit someone else," he explained. That would be bad enough, but Turner also says that MrBeast would insult and berate him daily, frequently using "a phrase used to insult people with mental disabilities" to drag Turner down. He's not the only one to allegedly have a bad experience working for MrBeast. Nate Anderson quit his editing job after just a week and posted a video titled "My Experience Editing for Mr. Beast (Worst Week of My Life)" on YouTube. The video was later removed after Anderson says he received death threats from enraged MrBeast fans.

In total, The New York Times spoke to nearly a dozen ex-employees of MrBeast who had negative things to say about the YouTuber. These former employees voiced complaints ranging from lack of credit, to unrealistic expectations, to frequent verbal abuse. If MrBeast wants to keep his positive reputation, he might need to make some changes at his workplace.

It's not just ex-employees who are upset with MrBeast — some of his biggest fans are, as well. Cryptocurrency is all the rage right now, and MrBeast has gotten in on the trend, but his recent foray into the blockchain ended in disaster. MrBeast's fans began taking an interest in Refinable when the YouTuber followed the coin on X. Shortly after that, Refinable began using MrBeast's image in its marketing. Gfinity Esports has speculated that this marketing campaign was a big part of why the coin launched with a value of $8.35 per coin, more than 25 times its expected launch price.

But the bigger they are, the harder they fall. As of mid-2022, Refinable's price is less than $0.05 per coin, meaning that many who got in on the ground floor lost big. Some fans who bought Refinable after seeing MrBeast in ads felt they'd been scammed out of their money. It wasn't long before Refinable was being reported on as potentially participating in a "pump and dump" scheme, during which a coin's price is artificially inflated so a select few can sell it off and make a profit before the price tanks (per Bitcoin Insider). 

Some Redditors questioned whether or not MrBeast had intended to mislead fans by allowing Refinable to use him in marketing, and fans continued to call for a statement from MrBeast after Refinable made its own public comments on the situation.

When you're a high profile internet personality, you have to be conscious of the company you keep. In early 2022, some of MrBeast's fans attacked him for going on Joe Rogan's podcast (as reported by Sportskeeda). 

Rogan has repeatedly stirred controversy in recent years. He made headlines by platforming vaccine misinformation during the Covid-19 pandemic (via Yahoo News). His podcast's migration to Spotify brought it greater scrutiny, and many didn't like what they found. Complaints ranged from Rogan's frequent use of homophobic and misogynistic language to more than two dozen instances of Rogan using racial slurs on his show (via Vox).

Despite all the controversy surrounding Rogan, it's not all that surprising that he and MrBeast would want to meet up. They are two of the biggest content creators online, and in that respect they had plenty to discuss. Some fans were still disappointed that MrBeast went on the podcast, with some arguing the decision "Says a lot about who [MrBeast] actually is as a person." Others viewed MrBeast's appearance as basically an approval of Rogan's hurtful language. In this case, it's likely that MrBeast was just trying to open himself up to a bigger audience, as he has in other situations that have led him into controversy.

In June 2023, the implosion of SeaGate's Titan submersible dominated news cycles and claimed the lives of 5 people. Shortly afterwards, MrBeast went on X to tell the world that he had nearly been on board the sub during its disastrous expedition down to the wreck of the Titanic. This claim was met with skepticism, to put it mildly.

I was invited earlier this month to ride the titanic submarine, I said no. Kind of scary that I could have been on it pic.twitter.com/bQUnaRiczA

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) June 25, 2023

For starters, his proof for this claim was a cropped screenshot of an iMessage text that was colored blue. Skeptics pointed out that this would mean that he had sent the text himself, rather than received it, which you'd expect from an invite. On top of that, the cropping of the image cut off time stamps that might have proven that the message had been sent before the submersible imploded. 

MrBeast claimed in another tweet that he had posted a screenshot of the original conversation, which was apparently sent to him by the friend who'd originally invited him on the expedition. This explanation did little to quell the accusations that MrBeast was faking his closeness to the Titan disaster. Unless further information about this supposed invitation comes to light, either from MrBeast or another source, the veracity of his claim will remain up for debate.

The entire saga of MrBeast Burger has been an ongoing disaster for the popular YouTuber for some time now, with complaints about the quality of the food becoming widespread and long-running. This includes claims that food has been served dangerously undercooked or poorly seasoned, which date back to at least 2021. MrBeast has since sought to blame Virtual Dining Concepts, his business partner in the project, for the problems. 

MrBeast sued the company, citing issues with quality control and attempting to end his partnership with the brand. Virtual Dining Concepts responded to his suit in a statement provided to Daily Mail, claiming that MrBeast employed "bullying tactics to give up more of the company to him." In the same statement, Virtual Dining Concepts also said that MrBeast's claims were "riddled with false statements and inaccuracies,” and that the company believed that the lawsuit was a "thinly-veiled attempt to distract from Mr. Donaldson's and Beast Investments' breaches of the agreements between the parties." For now, MrBeast Burger remains available on delivery apps throughout the world. The ugly back-and-forth seems likely to drag on until the lawsuit is resolved.

YouTube has stringent copyright rules in place, but things can sometimes slip through the cracks and lead to squabbles over protected materials. MrBeast, as YouTube's most prominent content creator, is of course no stranger to copyright controversies himself. In August 2023, MrBeast uploaded a video titled "7 Days Stranded at Sea," which quickly generated millions of views and went viral across the internet. Two weeks later, the video was gone. 

The cause of the disappearance was reportedly a copyright claim from a company called Tsuriel Designs, stemming from a seemingly innocuous two-second piece of animation used in the video. When the video first started gaining traction, X user @TsurialLA called MrBeast's editing team out for allegedly failing to ask for permission to use the aforementioned animation. For this, the entire video was taken down. 

Hey! Looks like someone on the editing team took my animation for this video without compensation or permission 🤔🤔

— Tsuriel (@TsurielA) August 6, 2023

Fans have continued to debate whether or not something like this should have resulted in a takedown, but YouTube (or at least its automated systems) deemed it enough to remove the video. The claim has apparently been resolved, as the video is now back online and has over 150 million views at the time of writing. 

Even some of MrBeast's supporters got annoyed when he made a post on X calling for his fans to clean up disorderly presentations of his snack brand, Feastables, at grocery stores. A number of commenters argued that this effectively amounted to asking his fans to do unpaid labor for him, especially given that merchandizing and reorganizing shelves is something grocery store workers are paid to do. 

I need your help! Next time you see Feastables in Walmart (and soon to be new retailers) if you could clean up the presentation and make it look better that’d make me very happy 🥺

I’m building a team to do this routinely, just need help in the short term ❤️ pic.twitter.com/CzYqOqQvta

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) March 3, 2023

In addition, MrBeast specifically called out Hershey's chocolate bars as a product that was getting in the way of Feastables displays. As pointed out by YouTube channel The Serfs, this came at a time when Hershey's was subject to widespread conservative backlash for featuring a transgender woman in its advertising.

It's very possible that MrBeast didn't fully appreciate what he was asking fans to do, and that he was unaware of the controversy around Hershey's at the time. After all, he has since been outspoken in his support for his close friend, Kris Tyson, as she transitioned. Either way, the optics of his requests weren't the best, making his critics view him as ignorant in this situation. When you're as popular as MrBeast, some people will always interpret whatever you say and do in the least generous light possible. This is a lesson he may still be learning, even after years of online success.

Another controversy that has dogged MrBeast stems from questions regarding the ethics of some of his videos. After making a video about paying for a blindness-curing surgery for 1,000 people, some internet users pushed back against the idea that this was an altruistic gesture. In a post that quickly went viral, X user @LolOverruled said, "There is something so demonic about this." @DeliciousBoogs concurred, posting that MrBeast had, "been making exploitative content for a while now." 

The debate stems from two points: Firstly, some have argued that MrBeast's primary motivation is actually to increase his own wealth and fame by exploiting marginalized people to create videos that get millions of views, rather than just trying to help them. The second is the idea that if he really wanted to do good, there are far more effective ways to spend money and raise awareness outside of making videos out of these surgeries. Some fans jumped to his defense, however. Fellow YouTuber and "Gamer Update" host Jake Lucky posted, "Mr Beast could cure cancer and people would still find a way to complain." 

MrBeast himself appeared to not take the criticism all that seriously. Responding to the controversy on X, he offered his view on the debate:

Twitter – Rich people should help others with their money

Me – Okay, I’ll use my money to help people and I promise to give away all my money before I die. Every single penny.

Twitter – MrBeast bad

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) January 30, 2023

Some people see MrBeast's content as wasting huge sums of money for no good reason. To a contingent of critics, in a time when economic inequality is more central to our cultural discourse than ever, MrBeast seems to have no problem using his wealth in frivolous, absurd, or completely useless ways. 

One primary example people have pointed to is MrBeast's December 2022 video "Hydraulic Press vs Lamborghini." In this clip, MrBeast does exactly what the title says and destroys a Lamborghini, one of the most expensive luxury cars in the world, with a hydraulic press. In the same video, he fills a pool with 1 billion Orbeez before dropping a different car into it. He also smashes a custom-painted train through a giant brick wall and several tractor trailers, among other things. 

Though many subscribers had a blast with the video, this wanton destruction caused Redditor joshintheuk to make a post on the r/anticonsumption subreddit: "MrBeast [is] destroying expensive items and buying a billion tiny pieces of plastic for nothing more than a YouTube video. Insanely wasteful for very little reason other than to 'entertain.'" One highly upvoted comment posits, "He may be generous but he is absolutely the antithesis of [anti-consumption]. He could be making genuine impact on society with the money he's got."

In light of the allegations against former MrBeast crew member Ava Kris Tyson, MrBeast's whole operation has been under more serious scrutiny than ever before. In July 2024, Tyson was accused of sending inappropriate messages to minors, grooming underage fans, and sexual assault. Around the same time, other sources alleged that MrBeast was present in a Discord server where many inappropriate messages from Ava Kris Tyson were exchanged. Among the many leaked messages (over 500,000) that have made their way onto the internet, onlookers were disturbed to see a risqué joke seemingly from MrBeast himself, in which he commented on the size of Tyson's genitals in a channel full of young fans.

Although some MrBeast fans remain skeptical that this message really came from him, others have pointed out that the user ID seen in the screenshots from the Discord leaks seem to match up to official accounts held by the YouTuber. No specific accusations were made against MrBeast after these messages came to light (other than poor judgement), but some fans still feel uneasy knowing he was a member of this controversial Discord server. Others have argued that he was clearly not as active on the server as Ava Kris Tyson. Meanwhile, Tyson's alleged grooming victim said that he hoped the leaked messages could be used in the ongoing investigation into Tyson and her behavior.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

It was only a matter of time before MrBeast received a TV show on a popular streaming platform. Given his high production value and viewership numbers, bringing MrBeast's challenge videos to a wider audience seems like a recipe for success. In March 2024, it was announced that MrBeast had partnered with Amazon to make the biggest game show that television has ever seen: "Beast Games." This show is set to be released on Amazon Prime and features 1,000 contestants competing for a chance to win five million dollars. Sadly, the production of "Beast Games" has been plagued with issues behind the scenes.

During filming, some eliminated contestants reported to various news outlets that "Beast Games" encountered many problems handling the sheer number of contestants on set. One participant shared that their meals were less than satisfactory: "I had gotten a hard-boiled egg, two slices of cucumber, and basically one-third of a stick of celery ... two carrot sticks, and a quarter cup of plain oatmeal." On top of this, contestants claim that over a dozen participants were injured during the game's events, some did not receive necessary medications in a timely manner, and promised prize money was never paid out in some cases. Due to these reports, it has been theorized that the sheer scope of "Beast Games" was just too much for MrBeast to handle.

Even for a content creator as big as MrBeast, harmful words from the past can still come back to haunt you. This was proven especially true when a video resurfaced of MrBeast making racially insensitive jokes and using slurs against the gay community. Although MrBeast was young and just getting started in his career when the clip was filmed, many viewers have expressed concern over the fact that the video was both still posted on his channel and seemingly fully monetized, despite featuring inflammatory content. Unlike his previous response, which downplayed the issue, his more recent replies make it seem like MrBeast has indeed learned a lesson.

In 2024, MrBeast's team released statements regarding this particular controversy. Responding to a TIME article covering the many controversies surrounding MrBeast's brand, a representative for the YouTuber explained that MrBeast had "acted like many kids and used inappropriate language while trying to be funny." Additionally, the representative said that MrBeast learned the true weight of his words as he grew in fame, and that he had learned the error of his ways. Members of his online audience are still split on the issue. Some believe that MrBeast shouldn't be let off the hook, while others are happy to see that he's tried to mature with age.

In one of the influencer's larger controversies of recent memory, it has been reported that one of MrBeast's former crew members, Delaware, is actually a registered sex offender. This became public knowledge thanks to a video from DogPack404 and another former crew member, Jake Weddle. According to Weddle, "[MrBeast's team] covered up the fact that not only did [Delaware] work there... but he was the [MrBeast team] manager when it all started." Delaware, who notably appeared in such MrBeast videos as "I Spent 24 Hours Straight In Prison – Challenge," (and many others while wearing a mask to conceal his identity from the public) shared that he was on the RSO list with MrBeast and other crew members before being hired. This information has been corroborated by Jake the Viking, Delaware's brother-in-law and another former MrBeast crew member, who maintains Delaware's innocence.

Here's the Truth.

Yes Delaware is my Brother-In-Law. Yes he is a RSO. When he was 21, a 16 year old girl accused him and others of SA when she was 11. Delaware took a Plea Deal. That's why there was no jail time, but he still had to register.

His nickname isn't Delaware...

— Jake Franklin (@jake_theviking) August 8, 2024

The outcry from fans was almost immediate, but MrBeast has not publicly responded to the accusations of having knowingly hired a registered sex offender. Even so, viewers were quick to uncover more information regarding MrBeast's knowledge of Delaware's past. Over on Reddit, one user shared a moment from an earlier video in which MrBeast openly acknowledged Delaware as a team member. In response, another Redditor said, "We need a master cut of all the registered SO appearances." Many agree that this controversy is one of the shadier things that the world has ever seen from MrBeast.

Jake Weddle, a former crew member of the MrBeast team, has also come forward with some disturbing stories regarding some of the conditions that he had to face while working on MrBeast's challenge videos. Weddle appeared on MrBeast's channel on a number of occasions, but one challenge in particular allegedly left him with lasting physical and psychological damage. In an interview with DogPack404, Weddle claimed that this experience was so horrible that the video was never actually released. 

In the video, Weddle had to face a 100-day solitary confinement challenge. Weddle would have to remain in solitary confinement for 100 days to complete the challenge, without access to the outside world. However, due to the constant lighting for the video, Weddle was unable to sleep, which severely impacted his physical and mental health. "The lights [were] on me all the time! I wasn't sleeping, I could not sleep," Jake explained. "I have insomnia problems now, but they might have started there."  Weddle also alleged that another video — one that forced him to run an entire marathon on a treadmill — left him with severe joint pain. As of this writing, MrBeast has not publicly responded to any allegations from Jake Weddle regarding these incidents, though Weddle claims he reached out in private to settle the issue.

Besides interviewing Jake Weddle, former MrBeast employee DogPack404 has leveled some accusations of his own against the content creator. In an hour-long video that quickly went viral, DogPack404 alleged that MrBeast faked some of his videos. DogPack404 has claimed that some of the videos use CGI and clever editing tricks to fool the audience into believing that they are real. The former MrBeast crew member pointed to videos such as "7 Days Stranded At Sea" and "100 Boys vs 100 Girls" as two that had been heavily edited in post, resulting in jarring inconsistencies. Additionally, he claimed "100 Boys vs 100 Girls" was rigged in favor of the Girls' team.

While many of MrBeast's fans are okay with a bit of scripted or edited content (after all, the fast-paced editing is a hallmark of MrBeast's channel), others are frustrated by the idea that manipulated footage might be advertised as 100% genuine. Some members of the general audience haven't been phased by the allegations, and many commenters on DogPack's video have taken to pointing out other inconsistencies they noticed. It should be noted, however, that despite the compelling nature of DogPack404's video, some of MrBeast's current employees have been quick to dispute the fake video claims.

On top of the fake video allegations, DogPack404 has suggested that many of MrBeast's giveaways and contests are faked, with many of the prizes going to the creator's family and friends. For example, during the "Last to Leave the Circle" video, DogPack404 finds it very suspicious that Mack, one of MrBeast's friends, is randomly given a car after being the first contestant eliminated from the challenge. DogPack404 has argued that many of MrBeast's giveaways and sweepstakes could more accurately be defined as lotteries, as they require a purchase in order to enter. DogPack404 also claims that some of the giveaway prizes themselves are fake, specifically pointing to a now-deleted stream in which MrBeast seemingly gave away signed t-shirts with a signature forged by one of his employees.

Worst of all, DogPack404 alleged that MrBeast's giveaways are specifically designed to manipulate younger audiences into subscribing or buying merchandise. DogPack404 argues that MrBeast's use of limited time giveaways can instill younger viewers with a feeling that they will be missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity if they don't participate. It's worth noting that DogPack404's videos have led MrBeast to hire a lawyer, as well as alleged threats of a cease-and-desist order. However, until MrBeast publicly responds to these allegations and explains his side, a huge subsection of fans simply have DogPack404's claims to go on.