MrBeast goes into bunker mode as scandals surround the MrBeast empire

Jimmy "MrBeast' Donaldson began his YouTube career in 2012. Twelve years and more than 800 videos later, he is undisputed YouTube king. In its early years, the channel was a mix of Minecraft videos and reaction videos. But Donaldson discovered something that worked: counting.

These videos, like the one where he tallied 100,000 in less than 24 hours, attracted tens of million views and marked the beginning of what would become an empire. MrBeast started 2024 more popular than he had ever been. A scandal broke out almost at the exact moment he became the most popular YouTuber in the entire world. Allegations of sexualised messaging between a longtime colleague and a minor led accusations of grooming. This was the beginning of a series of exposes on all aspects of the MrBeast Empire: from former employees crying in front of cameras at their treatment to contestants of his latest big show complaining of mistreatment.

Numbers game

Let's first look at how we got to this point. Donaldson's 2017 countdown videos may have been a breakthrough moment for him, but many creators struggle to replicate their success. Donaldson would prove to be different. MrBeast is known for his ability to dig deep and find the core elements that make YouTube content successful.

You'll notice that the counting videos are always focused on a single person doing something extraordinary. The stunt-like nature, the sense of an impossible challenge, and the great reward are all present. These principles can be summarized as an unusual premise paired with a reward, and later videos began to incorporate twists like MrBeast being burried alive. The formula worked not just once, but exponentially.

MrBeast's biggest content is stunts, such as recreating Squid Game. The bigger the channel gets, the bigger the stunts. MrBeast, who began on YouTube, is now a global celebrity. His empire has grown to include philanthropy and snacks, as well as countless spinoffs. Some ventures like MrBeast Burger have been deemed unwise (or, as MrBeast said in a suit, "revolting") Some ventures, like MrBeast Burger, have proven unwise (or as MrBeast himself said in a lawsuit, "revolting").

MrBeast, up until now, has been able to cultivate and maintain an incredibly banal personality. Jimmy Donaldson is a constant presence on screen, but he is more like a talk-show host than an influencer who puts personality first. The previous controversies were minor and the most damning incident was when the young Donaldson used sexist and racism in videos and chats in the early years of the channel.

This year, however, has seen a major change. The MrBeast empire has been plagued by a series of allegations that all occurred in the same time frame.

Eruption

Donaldson's June 2024 started out well, as MrBeast became Mr Has The MOST YouTube Subscribers. (current count: 311.1 million). Things began to fall apart after a YouTube video exposed inappropriate messages between Ava Kris Tyson - an individual who had been a part MrBeast's YouTube channel since the beginning - and a MrBeast Fan who went by the name Lava. The interactions occurred when Tyson was 20, and Lava was 14.

One week later, the alleged victim denied that they had been groomed and said that Ava Tyson, "did nothing wrong." Tyson apologized publicly on July 23 and said, "We've decided that it's best for me to permanently step away from everything MrBeast and Social Media in order to focus on my mental health and family."

The next day, MrBeast found a keyboard and issued a statement stating that he was "disgusted" and "opposed to such unacceptable acts", and promising a third-party investigation.

In the days that followed, Tyson's behavior was criticized on Twitter / X as well as through the release of Discord logs on GitHub. Lava re-evaluated their previous stance after the release of the Discord chat logs on GitHub.

This is the most explosive accusation leveled against the MrBeast brand. Tyson no longer works with MrBeast and his companies. We must wait for the results of the "robust" probe that was promised.

Then the focus shifted elsewhere. On August 2, a New York Times report detailed the poor treatment of contestants at the set of Beast Games. This IRL Squid Game is a collaboration between MrBeast, Amazon Prime and MrBeast. Contestants claimed they slept in a stadium open to the air, that necessary medications were withheld from them (due to incompetence and not malice), and that male contestants actively tried to keep women out of their team during a strength event.

A new YouTube channel called DogPack404 appeared around the same time, claiming to be run by a former MrBeast worker. The first video, "I worked for MrBeast, and he is a fraud", has currently 15 million views and claims that MrBeast videos contain fake or even rigged elements such as undeclared friend or paid actors posing randomly as subscribers during giveaways.

The second video posted on this channel is entitled "I worked for MrBeast. He's a Sociopath", and the main event is an interview with Jake Weddle. Jake Weddle is a comedian and a former writer for MrBeast. Weddle recalls two specific experiences: he participated in a challenge (never released), where he was given $10,000 for each day he stayed in a brightly-lit room by himself.

Weddle's experience was harrowing. He felt "trapped" every other day as MrBeast would come in, shoot for an hour and then leave. (He would also occasionally call the director to give instructions on how Weddle was to behave.) Weddle claims that MrBeast told him to hold up the prize money in front of the camera, and express his gratitude for being able to pay off his student loans. Weddle says some people might look at this and say, "well, you agreed go in the cage," but that is the insidious aspect of the power dynamic. "I don’t want student loans and I don’t want to be locked in a cage. But Jimmy is the one with the money, and if you follow his orders or do what he asks then... [imitating MrBeast] "oh you want to pay off your student loans? Get in a cage.

Weddle goes on to describe his time working with MrBeast. He describes how he was forced to run a full marathon on a treadmill, without any training or preparation, and how he injured his leg and foot. The person behind DogPack 404, who goes by the name Dawson, is willing to appear on camera and has also shown a cease-and desist letter from MrBeast’s lawyers. The channel is still live.

Survival challenge

In less than two months, the world's biggest YouTuber has been accused of grooming a child, mistreating contestants in his videos, mistreating employees, and even faking stunts.

It's at a fever pitch where nothing is possible. It was rumored that MrBeast had also let go of Chandler, the long-time cameraman, who appeared in MrBeast's most recent video in which he spent seven days in a cavern. MrBeast has not addressed this issue, but it is true that not all crew members appear in every video. There have been accusations that the channel "censors" comments made by fans about recent controversies in mass, that a violent person with a history of violence was allowed to compete in Beast Games and that Donaldson was involved in covering-up questionable behavior from employees.

Thea Booysen, MrBeast's girlfriend, addressed the controversy in a vague manner on YouTube. She wrote: "There are so many things that are not being said. I wish I could speak more about the situation." I wouldn't have been with him if half of the things said were true. This comment was deleted, but the internet never forgets.

MrBeast's strategy at the moment is radio silence. Except for one thing. As these allegations swirled about the MrBeast empire a confidential memo addressed to the "Team Beast" was 'leaked to the Associated Press', which a spokesperson confirmed as legitimate.

Donaldson writes in the communication: "As your manager, I accept responsibility and I am committed, to continue to evolve and improve my leadership style." "I also recognize that I need to create a workplace culture that allows all of our employees to feel safe and do their best work," Donaldson writes in the communication.

The message to staff also reveals that Donaldson has hired Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, a law firm, to investigate Ava Tyson for the inappropriate messages she sent to minors. This is in addition to a full assessment and investigation of the internal culture.

Then, a few fairly standard promises follow. MrBeast plans to hire an HR chief, mandate company-wide training in sensitivity, offer a "anonymous reporting system" for complaints and "foster better internal culture as our business continues to grow."

It's not that anything has happened is particularly shocking, but what could come out of it may be. MrBeast, unlike most, has not responded with a mea-culpa. He has allowed the allegations to grow without commenting on them. (Except in the case of Ava Tyson, where he had no choice but a public condemnation). This has created a vacuum in which more claims are being made. Random people on the internet are claiming to have insider information. It's getting harder to distinguish between serious allegations and potential wrongdoing and exaggerated internet gossip.

Donaldson is in a bind because MrBeast is more than just a name. He is the face and personality of his entire company. Donaldson's public image and the success or failure of MrBeast rests solely on his shoulders. If any of these accusations end up going further, they could bring the entire MrBeast empire crashing down.

Consumer backlash is already visible on his latest video, which is all about surviving in a cave for a week and does not make any reference to this stuff. The comments section of the website is currently dominated with variations on "Ronaldo Is Coming," a reference referring to the phenomenal popularity of Cristiano Ronaldo’s new YouTube channel.

It's not a big deal if one or two of them are removed (although fans complain that many have been removed). There is a distinct smell of scandal, and Donaldson's refusal to address the criticisms directly makes you wonder what else could be coming.

Who knows? This may all blow out. As investigators begin to pick up the stones around these accusations and see what lies underneath, the biggest concern is what, if anything, they will find about the man who paid them to investigate. MrBeast is the largest YouTuber on Earth. He may have nothing to account for. Even if he had, he might appear untouchable. At this scale, the worst thing is never what you need. The crowd is losing all trust.