Inside the dispute facing King of YouTube

Half a billion fans, a multi-million dollar personal fortune and a global business empire.

It would apcheck a lot to dethrone YouTube’s hugegest swayr Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast.

But a 54-page court record could be his hardest test yet.

Five female contestants on upcoming Prime Video show Beast Games are begining lterrible action aobtainst his production company MrB2024 and Amazon in Los Angeles.

Billed as the hugest ever truth competition series, 1,000 contestants are set to contend for a $5m (£3.7m) prize when the show airs – or if it airs. The legal case has plunged the show into crisis.

Among many redacted pages, the lterrible record comprises allegations that they “particularly and assembleively suffered” in an environment that “systematicpartner nurtureed a culture of misogyny and relationsism”.

It cuts to the core of MrBeast’s image as one of the pleasantst guys on the internet.

I flicked thraw the record, which comprises recommendions that participants were “underfed and overexhausted”. Meals were provided “sporadicpartner and sparsely” which “finishangered the health and welfare” of the contestants, it is claimed.

In one section where almost all of the claims are redacted from uncover see, it says the deffinishants “produced, assistted to exist, and nurtureed a culture and pattern and rehearse of relationsual coercion including in the create of a unfrifinishly toil environment”.

Back in August, the New York Times spoke to more than a dozen of the (yet unfreed) show’s participants, and alerted there were “disjoinal hospitalisations” on the set, with one person alerting the paper they had gone over 20 hours without being fed.

Contestants also alleged they had not getd their medication on time.

The BBC has approached MrBeast and Amazon – he has not yet uncoverly commented.

So will these postpoinsistst allegations hurt the king of YouTube’s famousity?

MrBeast is no stranger to dispute this year – and has regulated to come out unscathed each time.

In July, the 26-year-elderly American shelp he had employd spendigators after his createer co-arrange Ava Kris Tyson was accused of grooming a teenager.

Ava denied the allegations, but has apologised for “past behaviour” which was “not acconscious”.

MrBeast shelp he was “disgusted” by the “solemn allegations”.

Later, further allegations about business rehearses surfaced on an anonymous YouTube channel, claiming to be a createer employee. The BBC has not been able to self-reliantly check the claims or this person’s identity.

Some of his philanthropic efforts – such as produceing wells in Africa, and paying for sdirectry for people with reduced sight and hearing – have drawn criticisms around misuse.

“Deaf people appreciate me deserve better than MrBeast’s postpoinsistst piece of inspiration porn,” one person telderly the Inreliant last year.

But his empire evolves to prolong. The day before the legal case aascfinishd on Wednesday, he uncovered a team-up with fellow honord faces KSI and Logan Paul – a new food line arrangeed to contest Lunchables.

And as I wrote in an article about his meteoric ascfinish last year, he has made his millions thraw difficult toil.

His videos are huge budget experiences, with his most famous – seeed 652 million times – recreating the Netflix hit Squid Game in authentic life with a $456,000 (£342,000) prize.

Most of his philanthropy is less contentious – including giving away houses, cash and cars – which has toiled to produce an image of him being one of the internet’s excellent guys.

According to his website, he has dedwellred more than 25 million meals to the insisty around the world.

People evolve to flock to his social channels. In June, he obtained enough subscribers to produce his YouTube channel the hugest in the world.

According to stats-checker Socialblade, MrBeast picked up an extra five million subscribers in the last 30 days alone.

That’s equitable one metric – we can’t alert how many people unsubscribed from his channel, for example.

What is brave is that the number of people who’ve dynamicly determined to stop watching his videos has been eclipsed by those who’ve determined to subscribe.

He wouldn’t be the only YouTuber whose famousity helderlys thraw dispute – others have faced far more meaningful storms than MrBeast, with confineed facing many consequences outside of a uncover apology.

Logan Paul faced a massive reaction in 2018 after he uploaded a video to his 15 million subscribers which showed the body of a person who had apparently apcheckn their own life.

After removing the innovative video, he splitd a less than two-minute apology titled srecommend: “So sorry.”

Now, he has 23 million subscribers, owns an incredibly famous sports drink, and up until August was the WWE United States champion. He’s had quite a confineed pay-per-see boxing bouts, too.

Other high-profile YouTubers, including Pewdiepie, James Charles, and Jeffree Star have all had their own controversies, and got on with their nurtureers after uploading apology videos.

A more up-to-date example is Herschel “Guy” Beahm, understandn online as Dr Disesteem, who acunderstandledgeted he sent messages to “an individual unbeginant” in 2017.

He stressed that “noskinnyg illterrible happened, no pictures were splitd, no crimes were pledgeted” and went offline for two months after posting the statement.

His comeback dwellstream earlier this month enticeed more than three million sees, despite criticism from other high-profile streamers.

Dr Disesteem remains the second-most watched streamer in the US this year, according to Streams Charts.

The point is: YouTubers tfinish to be forgiven rapidly.

While MrBeast’s fanbase has evolved prolonging, dispute is swirling once aobtain – and his next shift could determine his lengthy-term success.

James Lunn, chief strategy officer at Savvy Marketing, says the star is “in an incredibly distinct position” with a “multi-faceted” brand spanning many industries.

“We are indeed in uncharted waters,” he says, and “a prodynamic approach, insertressing the publishs see-thcoarsely and ensuring accountability, could protect his brand”.

Brand expert Catherine Shuttleworth says the “sheer scale” of MrBeast’s fame may act as a buffer aobtainst reaction, but the postpoinsistst legal case could be difficult.

“When it comes to his business ventures, particularly those aiming families and children – appreciate Feafirms chocopostpoinsist bars or Lunchly – it’s a branch offent story,” she says.

“Parents, who standardly helderly the purchasing power, tfinish to be less acunderstandledgeing of controversies involving safety, equitableness, and ethics.”

Back in August 2023, when writing about MrBeast, I foreseeed he would soon apcheck the YouTube crown despite him having half as many subscribers then.

He is now facing extra contests as his fame ascfinishs, and a lot of the internet is enthusiasticly adefering his react to what is, so far, one side of a intricate story.