What's the deal with MrBeast allegations? Claims explained as he hires lawyer to fight YouTube video claims

• MrBeast has hired a ‘superlawyer’ to fight back against claims made in a pair of YouTube videos
• Jimmy Donaldson has now lawyered up and is taking action.
• He has hired the same lawyer who successfully defended Alec Baldwin in his Rust shooting trial.

MrBeast has hired a ‘superlawyer’ to fight allegations made by a former employee in a pair of viral YouTube videos. The online superstar has lawyered up and sent a cease-and-desist letter to the account behind the clips, which have been viewed millions of times each.

Jimmy Donaldson, 26, is the most subscribed star on YouTube - and is the third most followed account on TikTok. But after an account on YouTube called DogPack404 released videos making very serious claims about the online darling, MrBeast has taken steps to fight back. He has hired the high powered ‘superlawyer’ who successfully defended Alec Baldwin in his Rust shooting trial. 

The Daily Mail reports that Jimmy Donaldson has hired celebrity attorney, Alex Spiro, who charges $2,000-per-hour (£1,500), to take action against these accusations. A cease-and-desist letter has been sent to DogPack404 after he posted

The mega-popular online personality has become one of the most familiar faces on the internet during the 2020s but for the first time he’s facing serious backlash. But if you are wanting to catch-up on who exactly MrBeast is, what allegations have been made and against who, here’s all you need to know.

Who is MrBeast 

If you have kids who are big watchers of YouTube or TikTok you may have heard them chatting about MrBeast, he is one of the most popular creators on either platform. He is known, in particular, for his high-budget videos which often feature challenges like ‘Squid Game in Real Life’. 

The creator, who has been making videos on YouTube since 2012, regularly gives away huge prizes to contestants in his videos - ranging from cash to a private island. Earlier this year he became the most subscribed channel on the platform. 

But beyond YouTube, the creator - real name Jimmy Donaldson, 26 - is also known for his Feastables snacks. It includes a range of chocolate bars which started to arrive in UK supermarkets last year - and thankfully avoided the huge rush that marred the launch of Prime drinks. 

He is also behind the MrBeast Burgers, which your kids may have pestered you into trying. They have been available for delivery in parts of the UK for a while now. 

MrBeast hires ‘superlawyer’ to fight claims in videos 

As the storm clouds continued to gather around MrBeast and his team this summer, a new account appeared on YouTube called DogPack404, who claims to be an ex-employee and made some pretty salacious allegations. It included, according to the Daily Mail, that he was rigging prize giveaways as well as labelling him a ‘sociopath’. 

The initial pair of videos were published in early August 2024 and have over 10 million views each. A third one has since been added to the account’s channel. Jimmy Donaldson has now hired the celebrity attorney Alex Spiro who is taking the fight to DogPack404 to deny his claims. 

Spiro, who reportedly charges his clients an eye-watering $2,000 (£1,500 approx)-per-hour was the man who successfully defended Alec Baldwin in his Rust shooting trial. The case against the Hollywood legend was dismissed by a judge in July of 2024.

Daily Mail reports that Spiro has outed Dawson French as the person behind the DogPack404 account and accused him of 'posting misinformation and false statements’. A cease-and-desist letter has been sent to French and the British paper reports that Spiro has threatened him with legal action if he continues to post ‘unlawful’ claims. 

The Mail also has a comment from French in response to the letter, but it features some pretty potentially libellous claims. So we will not include it here - go to the linked article to see it for yourself. 

MrBeast orders ‘investigation’ into allegations 

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, so goes the famous opening line of Charles Dickens’ seminal-novel A Tale of Two Cities but it could equally apply to MrBeast in 2024. So far the year has seen him overtake T-Series to become the most subscribed YouTube channel on the platform with over 309 million and sign a deal with Amazon for a Prime Video exclusive reality competition show called Beast Games, as well as facing his first taste of real public backlash amid a series of alleged scandals surrounding the MrBeast business. 

In a leaked memo obtained by The Associated Press last week, MrBeast has ordered a “full assessment” of the internal culture in his YouTube empire. The internet mogul has also promised an investigation into “allegations of inappropriate behaviour by people in the company”. 

But what exactly has happened - and what are the allegations? Let’s take you through it piece-by-piece. 

A long-time MrBeast collaborator accused of inappropriate behaviour 

In the first signs of a chink in the armour of the MrBeast empire came in late July 2024, as MrBeast’s childhood friend and long-time collaborator Ava Tyson was removed from the brand after allegations that she has sent inappropriate messages to a then-13-year-old when she was 20.

In a statement on social media, Ava wrote: “I would like to apologize for any of my past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone. It was not my intent.

“Seeing recent events, we’ve mutually decided it’s best I permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media to focus on my family and mental health.”

MrBeast has hired the law firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan to investigate the claims against Ava Tyson. He also wrote on social media: “Over the last few days, I’ve become aware of the serious allegations of Ava Tyson's behavior online. 

“I will allow the independent investigators the necessary time to conduct a comprehensive investigation and will take any further actions based on their findings.” 

Old clip of MrBeast using slurs surfaces 

Around the same time that the allegations against Ava Tyson broke, old clips of MrBeast from around 2017 surfaced online - when he would have been around 18/19 years old. In the footage, the YouTube star can be heard using racist and homophobic slurs. 

Sky News reports that the footage was shared by YouTube influencer Rosanna Pansino on 24 July, in it MrBeast responded to a viewer who commented about selling people for money with a racist slur.

A spokesman for the YouTube star acknowledged that MrBeast had used “inappropriate language” earlier in his career. The statement said: “Over the years he has repeatedly apologised 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."

Beast Games set conditions hit by complaints

Having conquered the world of YouTube and TikTok (he is the third most followed creator on that platform), MrBeast is set to make the short hop, skip and jump over to the world of streaming services with his Prime Video exclusive show Beast Games. The new competitive reality show was announced in March of this year and applications have since opened. 

The pitch of the show is that 1,000 contestants will compete for the chance to win $5 million (just shy of £4 million). It was touted as the biggest single prize in the history of television and streaming following the announcement. 

At the time, MrBeast said: “My goal is to make the greatest show possible and prove YouTubers and creators can succeed on other platforms. Amazon gave me the creative control I need to try and make it happen. I hope to make the YouTube community proud.”

However, jumping forward to the start of August, the New York Times published a bombshell article on the conditions experienced by several contestants during an intake process for the show this year.

A contestant claims that some people left the competition arena on stretchers, although it was unclear if they required serious medical attention. Another participant recalled witnessing people vomiting and appearing to pass out. 

In a response to the New York Times, a spokesperson for MrBeast blamed the issues on the recent CrowdStrike computer outage. They said the shoot “was unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather and other unexpected logistical and communications issues” and stated MrBeast had started a formal review and had “taken steps to ensure that we learn from this experience”. 

MrBeast orders ‘full assessment’ of company culture

It was following the report on Beast Games that the Associated Press got hold of the internal memo from MrBeast to his ‘Team Beast’ workers. As you may recall, he ordered a full assessment of the internal culture at his media empire. 

He wrote: “As your leader, I take responsibility, and I am committed to continue to improve and evolve my leadership style. I recognize that I also need to create a culture that makes all our employees feel safe and allows them to do their best work.”

For more on the New York Times article on the conditions during the filming of Beast Games earlier this year, make sure to click the link here. Do your kids watch MrBeast videos - will you think about banning him from your house now? Let our tech reporter know by email [email protected].