Jimmy Donaldson is better known as MrBeast to the 476 million followers across all channels he amassed in his career as YouTube’s undisputed king.
But MrBeast has also survived so many scandals and misfires in recent months that he could try out a number of new nicknames - Teflon Donaldson, because nothing ever sticks, has a ring to it.
How did YouTube’s golden boy tarnish his reputation - and why haven’t any of them thrown him off his throne yet?
Like Olivia Pope herself, let’s get into the scandal of it all, and what MrBeast’s resilience, resurgence, and redemption mean for content creators…
Heavy is the head that wears the crown
Once hailed as YouTube’s first potential billionaire, and the undisputed king of content creators, MrBeast was the face of ‘what could be’ for years. He was the argument for taking a chance. He was exhibit A in the challenging of the old guard, believing that the next generation of superstars can be YouTubers and content creators instead of media-trained movie stars and modeled pop stars.
And then the king of YouTube faced some hurdles - his heroic ascent hit some buffering issues.
2024. The year that MrBeast’s main channel became YouTube’s biggest, with 334 million followers. It was also the year he smashed the record for the single most-watched video in 24 hours. And he signed a deal to produce one of the biggest reality TV competitions in history, teaming up with Amazon to stage the Beast Games.
Throw in a burgeoning personal net worth, deals with major supermarkets around the country like Target and even getting engaged to his girlfriend, Thea Booysen, and you would think the 26-year-old would be feeling untouchable.
But, 2024 was also the first year that scandals and behind-the-scenes whispers started to penetrate the bulletproof reputation of YouTube’s juggernaut.
Was it just tall poppy syndrome? People love tearing down a star - Taylor Swift circa 2017, Blake Lively in 2024, so on and so forth - or was it justified?
MrBeast - monster or martyr?
MrBeast was ‘one of the nice guys’ of the internet. Not a hard feat when his peers like Logan Paul had to rely on the doomed apology video all too often. But MrBeast’s image started to come into question as his empire grew.
Ahead of his Amazon Prime show, Beast Games, offering a $5 million cash prize, several contestants filed lawsuits against him and his production company.
There were allegations that they weren’t paid for their grueling, 20+ hour days. There were unsafe conditions. Sexual harassment claims. Accusations of a ‘culture of misogyny.’ People were ‘underfed and overtired.’ There were hospitalizations.
How does he come out on top?
While he hasn't formally commented on the allegations, MrBeast did reply to a user on X who asked about the allegations in late 2024, stating “We have tons of behind-the-scenes dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were.”
Let’s be honest - this reply from any other star-facing cancelation just wouldn’t cut it. So why does it work for MrBeast?
For a start, he has precedent on his side. Whenever he’s been challenged in the past - with questions on whether his philanthropy is actually self-serving, for example, - MrBeast responds.
He made sure to prove that his philanthropic channel isn’t monetized, and anything raised goes back to producing more giveaways.
And when his former co-host Ava Kris Tyson was accused of grooming, he responded swiftly. (Lawyers for MrBeast later proved the accusations were without basis).
What does this prove?
MrBeast will - and always has - replied when he has the answer. He doesn’t fight every accusation just to clear up his own name or to get ahead of a scandal. He responds when it’s the right thing, and not just the right thing for him.
