Major Controversies Surrounding MrBeast: A Detailed Timeline

Public opinion and media debates around MrBeast—discover key moments of controversy.

James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, is a prominent American YouTuber, media personality, and businessman recognized for his engaging and high-production-value content. He is famous for hosting elaborate challenges, often incorporating philanthropic endeavors. MrBeast holds the distinction of having the most subscribed channel on YouTube, boasting over 419 million subscribers. Furthermore, as of August 2, 2025, he was the third-most-followed creator on TikTok, with a substantial following of over 119 million.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

February 2018: Matt Turner Employment as Editor

Matt Turner, an editor for Donaldson was employed from February 2018 to September 2019

May 2018: The Atlantic Reports on MrBeast's History of Homophobic Slurs

In May 2018, The Atlantic published an article on Donaldson's history of using homophobic slurs as a teenager on Twitter, regularly treating being homosexual as a punchline and "gay" as an insult.

September 2019: Matt Turner Ends Employment as Editor

Matt Turner, an editor for Donaldson's team, ended employment in September 2019. Following the end of his employment, Turner alleged mistreatment.

October 2019: Matt Turner Publicizes Allegations

In October 2019, Matt Turner released a deleted Twitter thread stating that he was "yelled at, bullied, called mentally retarded and replaceable by Donaldson every single day".

November 23, 2019: Counterfeit Money Accusations

On November 23, 2019, Donaldson faced accusations of using counterfeit money in his "I Opened A FREE BANK" video. He clarified that fake money was used for safety, and participants received real checks afterward.

October 2020: Influencer Trivia Tournament

In October 2020, Donaldson hosted an influencer trivia tournament featuring 24 competitors with a grand prize of $300,000. The winners, Charli and Dixie D'Amelio, faced cheating claims.

February 2021: Clubhouse Room Controversy

In February 2021, Donaldson removed entrepreneur Farokh Sarmad from a Clubhouse room after Sarmad claimed Donaldson could not pronounce his name, leading to racism allegations that were disputed by other Clubhouse users.

April 2021: Investment in Current and Cryptocurrency Scheme Backlash

In April 2021, Donaldson became a long-term investor and partner of financial technology company Current. The same month, Donaldson received backlash after fans lost significant amounts of money in a cryptocurrency scheme that Donaldson had invested in and promoted.

May 2021: Allegations of a Difficult Work Environment

In a May 2021 New York Times article, Matt Turner, a former editor for Donaldson, claimed that Donaldson verbally berated him almost daily and that he was regularly not credited for his work.

March 3, 2023: Feastables Promotion Controversy

On March 3, 2023, Donaldson asked fans on Twitter to improve the presentation of Feastables displays in stores, suggesting they obscure competing products, and offered a $5,000 raffle for proof of assistance, which led to criticism and accusations of exploiting fans for unpaid labor.

June 17, 2023: Donaldson's Wishes to Shut Down MrBeast Burger

On June 17, 2023, Donaldson expressed his wish to shut down MrBeast Burger due to quality issues, regretting signing "a bad deal" with Virtual Dining Concepts, LLC.

July 31, 2023: Lawsuit Against Virtual Dining Concepts

On July 31, 2023, Donaldson sued Virtual Dining Concepts in federal court to end their partnership, alleging the company damaged his reputation by prioritizing expansion over food quality.

July 24, 2024: Removal of Ava Kris Tyson from MrBeast Brand

On July 24, 2024, Donaldson removed Ava Kris Tyson from the MrBeast brand following allegations of sexual misconduct with minors. Tyson stated her decision was mutual.

September 2024: Class Action Lawsuit Filed

In September 2024, James Donaldson, known as MrBeast, became the subject of a class action lawsuit alleging mistreatment, sexual harassment, and unpaid expenses and wages related to his reality television series.

September 2024: Class Action Lawsuit Filed by Beast Games Contestants

In September 2024, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of five former contestants of Beast Games against Donaldson, Amazon, and production companies, alleging mistreatment, sexual harassment, and unpaid expenses to gain Nevada tax credits.

November 1, 2024: Conclusion of Investigation into Allegations Against Ava Kris Tyson

On November 1, 2024, the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan concluded the allegations against Tyson were baseless after conducting "39 interviews of current and former employees" and reviewing "over 4.5 million documents from mobile phones, emails, Telegrams, Discords, WhatsApps and Slack".

May 2025: MrBeast Faces Legal Threats in Mexico Over Chichén Itzá Video

In May 2025, Mexican authorities threatened legal action against MrBeast for his video "I Explored 2,000 Year Old Ancient Temples," which showed him violating rules at the Chichén Itzá ruins by climbing and entering temples at night. MrBeast initially claimed to have had permits and followed guidelines, but Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum called for an investigation into the permit conditions.

June 2025: MrBeast Announces AI Thumbnail Generator

In June 2025, MrBeast, with the help of Viewstats, introduced a new AI-powered thumbnail generator that swaps faces and styles with popular videos' thumbnails. The tool allows users to use other YouTubers' thumbnails without their consent to generate new thumbnails, and suggests channels to plagiarize content from.