MrBeast, YouTube’s most-subscribed-to star, has broken his silence on allegations of racism rooted in his early days of internet fame.
The online content creator, whose channel boasts more than 308 million subscribers, admitted to using “inappropriate language” in past videos after clips of him responding to comments about selling Black people for money resurfaced on social media in late July. In the video, MrBeast (real name Jimmy Donaldson) says, “The most I would pay is like $300.” He also can be heard using a derogatory term for gay people multiple times. Based on the look of his streaming setup in the controversial video, it was published sometime in 2017.
In a statement shared with The Times, a representative for MrBeast, 26, said that when the YouTuber “was a teenager he acted like many kids and used inappropriate language while trying to be funny.”
“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,” the statement said. “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.”
MrBeast, known for his gimmicky, sometimes controversial videos (“$456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!”), addressed his early videos a week after he condemned now-ex-collaborator Ava Kris Tyson, who faces allegations of interacting inappropriately with minors online.
Tyson is facing scrutiny for alleged conversations with an underage teenage fan, including public posts in which the two discussed nude images and anime pornography. The fan denied any exploitation in a July 22 post on X, describing such accusations as “massive lies and twisting the truth.”
In a July 24 post on X, YouTuber Nate Weyman alleged he and the unnamed fan performed unpaid technical work running Tyson’s streams and would all play video games together “for hours on end.” Weyman said Tyson had a private Discord server with about 10 people, mostly other minors around 14 years old, and would frequently spam the server with pornographic images.
As the allegations surfaced, Tyson apologized on July 23 for “any of my past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone.” She also announced she would be stepping way from “all things MrBeast and social media” to focus on her personal life and her mental health.
“I want to add, I never groomed anyone,” Tyson said in a thread posted to X (formerly Twitter).
A day after Tyson’s public resignation, MrBeast addressed the allegations against his former collaborator, noting he was “disgusted and opposed to such unacceptable acts.” He said he would also hire “an independent third party” to investigate the allegations and “ensure I have all the facts.”
“I do not condone or support any of the inappropriate actions,” he said. “I will allow the independent investigators the necessary time to conduct a comprehensive investigation and will take any further actions based on their findings.”
MrBeast has not posted on X, Instagram or YouTube since the allegations against Tyson surfaced.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.