MrBeast’s top 10 most controversial moments

MrBeast has been the center of various controversies in 2024, as former employees have come to speak out against the YouTube giant. But this is not the first time he’s been criticized. We’ve taken a look back at his most controversial moments throughout his career.

With over 311 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, there’s no doubt that MrBeast is one of the most popular people on the internet.

Over his time on the platform, he’s created a reputation for his philanthropic content mixed with insane stunts, which often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce.

But with such popularity also comes inevitable criticism. From accusations of stealing or faking videos to hiring known sex offenders, MrBeast has faced his share of controversies over the years.

MrBeast’s most controversial moments

On YouTube for over 12 years, we’ve looked back to round up MrBeast’s 10 most controversial moments.

10. MrBeast Burger flop

Instagram: MrBeast

In November 2020, MrBeast revealed he was opening his newest business adventure, MrBeast Burgers, across the country.

In August 2022, Donaldson announced that he would bring a MrBeast Burger shop which allowed established restaurants to buy franchise rights to serve the burgers to restaurants across the U.S., and customers could order the burgers via online delivery services.

However, despite its popularity, fans couldn’t help but notice that the food just wasn’t that great.

On June 17, 2023, Donaldson expressed wishes to shut down MrBeast Burger due to fears that quality cannot be guaranteed, saying he regrets signing “a bad deal” with Virtual Dining Concepts, LLC, but said the company “won’t let me stop even though it’s terrible for my brand.”

He went on to sue the company for its quality control problems. In return, Virtual Dining Concepts hit back at the suit claiming the complaint is “riddled with false statements and inaccuracies” — and has now filed a countersuit for “failing to honor his contractual obligations.”

9. Glorifying Squid Game

When “Squid Game” debuted on Netflix in 2021, it quickly became the service’s most-watched original show, ever. MrBeast’s YouTube remake had similar success, accruing over half a billion views. However, it didn’t come without criticism.

A lot of viewers claimed that milking the show’s concept completely missed the point of “Squid Game” money-conscious themes, especially considering MrBeast’s video was posted with ads on YouTube.

However, the controversy didn’t seem to be an issue for everyone else. After just one year, the remake has become MrBeast’s most-watched long-form video of all time.

8. Animation theft

Team Seas

In August 2023, a video was released showing MrBeast and his friends spending seven days stranded at sea.

Shortly after it went live, the challenge was hit with a copyright claim by someone alleging it used a stolen piece of animation, which led to it being made private.

However, the original animator later stepped forward, admitting that his short, two-second gif was created for free, non-commercial use.

The video is now back online and this controversy doesn’t seem to have slowed down the video’s success, either. As of August 2024, the video has well over 299 million views, and counting.

7. Destroying expensive things for views

YouTube: MrBeast

The name of MrBeast’s game is doing the most insane, crazy thing before you can even think of it yourself. Most of the time, that means blowing stuff up.

While there is some novelty in seeing a Lamborghini dropped into a shredder, many have argued that he could donate those materials instead of destroying them for clicks.

However, other fans debate whether that’s a fair criticism considering MrBeast already devotes a significant amount of his time to philanthropic acts – specifically, through the side-channel, “Beast Philanthropy”.

6. Allegations of faking videos

YouTube: MrBeast / Instagram: rosannapansino

On multiple occasions, influencer Rosanna Pansino came forward with accusations that MrBeast was faking his videos.

In late 2023, she found herself embroiled in a feud with the YouTube star after claiming that he’d edited a challenge video she was in to make it seem like other high-profile male creators performed better than she had.

Later in July 2024, Rosanna responded to tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, who wrote: “One thing I can tell you right now… this man does not fake his videos.”

Rosanna went on to quote-retweet Brownlee and said: “It’s a nope from me. Airrack was caught faking most of the videos for this ‘challenge’ with MrBeast. Jimmy promised to delete Airrack’s channel if he failed. I’m wondering why he didn’t delete Airrack’s channel. Could it be because… It’s fake?”

Pansino is referencing a previous collaboration between prank YouTuber Airrack and MrBeast, who threatened to ‘delete’ Airrack’s channel if he failed to upload a video every single day for 30 days earlier this year.

However, despite failing the challenge, Airrack’s channel is still up — something Pansino is taking issue with. 

5. MrBeast named “The Anti-Christ” after gifting vision

In January 2023, MrBeast posted a video titled “1,000 People See For The First Time”, and as the title suggested involved another one of Jimmy’s philanthropic endeavors.

While some had genuine concerns about MrBeast’s venture into healthcare, especially some of the misleading claims being made in the video, as well as thinking it was wrong of him to make money off people with physical disabilities, others thought it made him the actual ‘antichrist.’

However, the doctor from the video who performed over 40 surgeries in less than 11 hours in the video said that what Jimmy was doing was something that could benefit humanity.

He said: “If MrBeast can light a fire, and if we can get governmental and private support behind it, we can end half of all the blindness in the world. Without all that much cost, and with incredible gains in human productivity and human potential.”

4. Clubhouse troubles

Instagram: mrbeast

MrBeast was also the center of controversy in February 2022 after a voice recording of him went viral. The recording in question was from the audio seminar app, Clubhouse, where he’d invited any and all fans to join and ask questions.

The YouTuber was then heard saying he was going to clear the group to make room for others, during which MrBeast allegedly booted Sarmad because he couldn’t pronounce his name.

He was heard saying: “I’m going to yote you Colin, thank you for coming up. Uh, I’m sorry. I’m really bad with names. I’m going to yote you as well.”

Sarmad quickly took to social media to voice his displeasure at the comment. MrBeast fans quickly countered that the internet star’s words had been misinterpreted, and Sarmad wasn’t actually kicked out over his name. 

3. Hiring a known sex offender

YouTube: Colin & Samir

In August 2024, a former MrBeast employee uploaded a video onto his YouTube, alleging that his former boss knowingly hired a “registered sex offender.”

In the video, Jake Weddle, who briefly worked on MrBeast’s team, was asked if he had heard about any other instances of sexual misconduct at the company.

“He’s very careful about his image. You know, the tangible proof that he knew but covered it up – how do you prove that? Well, there was a known sex offender, a registered sex offender, convicted sex offender on the registry and everything, who worked there,” Weddle said.

According to what Weddle had heard, the man had done “not-great stuff to some underage people,” and claimed that Jimmy was aware of that when he’d hired him.

Weddle added that this employee was internally referred to as ‘Delaware,’ and evidence surfaced pointing to the brother-in-law of former MrBeast employee Jake The Viking.

2.  Allegations of workplace toxicity

MrBeast is known for his charitable work in the online space, but if these rumors are to be believed, he’s a very different person when the cameras aren’t rolling.

Beginning in 2021, eleven former employees accused the creator of fostering an unhealthy work environment. Their testimonies claimed they were frequently overworked, not credited for their assignments, and demeaned with ableist slurs.

He’s never directly commented on the scandal, but it’s safe to say it’s not the kind of press he would’ve liked.

1. Racist and homophobic accusations

YouTube: Curiosity Stream

In 2018, The Atlantic published an investigative article exploring MrBeast and accusations against him for using homophobic slurs, as he was often seen using the f-slur on X/formerly Twitter, and often used the word “gay” as a punchline for his jokes as a teen.

YouTube influencer Rosanna Pansino posted a clip on X on 24 July which showed the content creator responding to a viewer’s comment about “selling Black people for money”. Donaldson replied: “the most I would pay is probably 300”.

In the same clip, he also used a homophobic slur several times and when his audience responded with a racial insult repeatedly, he finally had to tell them to stop using the slur in the comments.

“When Jimmy was a teenager he acted like many kids and used inappropriate language while trying to be funny,” a spokesperson for the YouTuber said in a statement to 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.”

Despite the long list of controversies, MrBeast has always had people standing up for him. Recently, his girlfriend Thea Booysen took to a YouTube comment section to defend her boyfriend amidst the backlash he’s receiving about him and his company.