MrBeast, one of the most popular content creators in the world, is seen by many as a family-friendly and mostly good dude who does a lot of charity work. But recent controversies, including one over his use of slurs in the past, have put a dark cloud over the famous YouTuber’s massive empire.
Jimmy Donaldson, better known online as MrBeast, has become one of the most famous online personalities thanks in large part to his massively popular videos which often feature large sums of money being given away for charity or as a prize in a large competition. The YouTuber is also known for being politically neutral and family-friendly, often avoiding swearing and violence in his content. This has helped him rack up over 300 million subscribers on YouTube, sell a ton of candy bars and merch, and led to him reportedly getting paid $100 million to host and develop a reality game show for Amazon. But his nice guy empire seems to be facing some pushback.
On July 24, a 2017 clip of a then 18 to 19-year-old MrBeast resurfaced online. In the clip, posted by YouTube influencer Rosanna Pansino, MrBeast jokes about buying black people and “n-words” for $300. Later in the video clip, MrBeast says a homophobic slur and jokingly asks his chat to stop posting the “n-word.” At one point someone suggests they are selling black people for $69, to which MrBeast replies with a smile and laugh, “That’s a steep price.”
In a separate clip reportedly from 2017, MrBeast and others are talking on a podcast and joking about having sex with 14-year-old rapper Bhad Barbie.
“When Jimmy was a teenager he acted like many kids and used inappropriate language while trying to be funny,” a MrBeast spokesperson told The Associated Press.
“Over the years he has repeatedly apologized and has learned that increasing influence comes with increased responsibility to be more aware and more sensitive to the power of language. After making some bad jokes and other mistakes when he was younger, as an adult he has focused on engaging with the MrBeast community to work together on making a positive impact around the world.”
Kotaku contacted MrBeast for comment but didn’t hear back before publication.
There’s even more MrBeast controversy
It’s not just old clips of MrBeast that are hounding the internet star. A video created by someone who claims to have worked for MrBeast in the past suggests that some of the competitions he puts on are staged and feature actors or friends winning prizes.
And in late July, MrBeast cut ties with Ava Kris Tyson following allegations that his one-time co-host groomed a minor years ago. MrBeast later said in a statement that what Tyson did was “unacceptable.” The creator has since hired a third-party investigator in the hopes that they’ll “ensure” he has clarity on all the facts.
But wait, that’s not all that’s chipping away at MrBeast’s good guy empire. There have been multiple reports and rumors that his Amazon reality show, which has a $5 million prize, is a dangerous trainwreck. A new report from the New York Times claims that people aren’t being properly fed, have been injured repeatedly, and aren’t receiving proper or adequate medical care.
Some women claim they were denied clean underwear when they started menstruating and others reported they weren’t given access to their medications when needed.
A rep for MrBeast told the paper that the shoot has been “complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather, and other unexpected logistical and communications issues.” The spokesperson claimed that MrBeast had started a formal review and had “taken steps to ensure that we learn from this experience.”
For the famous content creator, it seems his days of being known as the good guy online might be coming to an end as he tries to grow his empire more and more.
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