Jimmy Donaldson, known to his over 300 million subscribers as MrBeast, has reached an unmatched level of online notoriety. The creator became a household name by publishing high-production value videos destroying Lamborghinis, giving away houses, and surviving on desert islands.
Donaldson’s line of Feastables chocolate bars line the shelves of Walmarts all across the country. He also recently launched a new toy line with a massive slime-filled activation at San Diego Comic-Con.
A few weeks back, while watching MrBeast’s recent video “50 YouTubers Fight For $1,000,000,” where top creators compete for a chance to give money to their fans, my partner turned to me and asked a question: “When do you think MrBeast will get canceled?”
It wasn’t a threat or a wish, but rather an honest query into a creator that has zoomed into the stratosphere faster than a Musk rocketship. Having that many pieces to your puzzle, people on your team, and content to create is bound to let in a few cracks into 26-year-old Donaldson’s carefully cultivated branded image.
Over the past week, it feels like those cracks might be starting to show.
Ava Kris Tyson, Donaldson’s long-time collaborator and friend, announced on July 23 on X that she would “permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media” after accusations came out that she had spoken inappropriately with a minor.
The next day, Donaldson announced on the same platform that he had “taken immediate action to remove Ava from the company, my channel, and any association with MrBeast.”
OId clips of Donaldson resurfaced in this new wave of internet scrutiny. In one podcast appearance, the creator, in what appeared to be an attempt at an edgy joke, made inappropriate comments about then-14-year-old Bhad Barbie.
On top of that, Donaldson’s Amazon game show “Beast Games” started filming in Las Vegas in July. Things didn’t go as planned.
According to sources who spoke with Vital Vegas, some contestants allegedly did not get their medications on time from staff, received injuries, and had to sleep on the floor of the stadium in sleeping bags.
A Beast Games spokesperson told the outlet that the information was “inaccurate,” and said there were “three medical issues out of 2,000 participants.”
One of any of the aforementioned scandals could end a smaller creator’s career. However, it’s unclear if any of them have even impacted Donaldson’s image.
Donaldson has dealt with criticism before, like when he asked fans to clean up Feastable shelf aisles or sued his former business partners at Beast Burger. Former employees of MrBeast also spoke out in 2021, alleging a work culture of “favoritism and bullying.” But those stories quickly left the news cycle, leaving the MrBeast brand mostly untarnished.
Though some traditional media outlets, like Forbes and Rolling Stone, covered the more recent headlines, most of the conversations remain in the trenches of social media. The average parent who lets their child watch a MrBeast video on their iPad is unlikely to be aware of these controversies or scandals.
But if the news breaks free of containment and that mom learns the human toll that those around Donaldson have dealt with, then it could have a serious impact on his career. If Amazon and Walmart think there’s a serious PR disaster on their hands, they could cut ties and topple an empire.
Further reading:
- 50 Top Creators Will Compete for $1 Million in a Glass Cube for New MrBeast Video
- MrBeast Sparks Debate After Asking Fans To Clean Up Feastables Displays at Walmart
- Why Do We Love to Watch MrBeast Suffer?
- MrBeast Wants to Shut Down His Cloud Kitchens
- MrBeast Calls His Employees Friends — And That’s a Problem
