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Kelly Rissman
US News Reporter
The contestants on MrBeast’s forthcoming Amazon game show, Beast Games, have filed a class action lawsuit against the YouTuber claiming they were subjected to “chronic mistreatment” and sexual harassment.
As reported by Variety, five unnamed individuals filed the lawsuit against the internet star, real name Jimmy Donaldson on 16 September at the Los Angeles Superior Court.
The lawsuit alleges that the contestants were victims of chronic mistreatment and neglect while participating in the show which reportedly has a $100m budget (£75,819,500.00). The show has a $5m prize (£3,790,975.00), the biggest in the history of television and streaming. At the time of writing the show does not have a release date.
The suit alleges that Amazon and MrBeast’s production company have failed to pay minimum wages and overtime; failed to prevent sexual harassment; subjected contestants to “infliction of emotional distress”; did not provide meal breaks, rest breaks or access to basic hygiene and that contestants were exposed to “dangerous circumstances and conditions as a condition of their employment”.
In August, The New York Times reported that several contestants had told them that the meals provided consisted of a small portion of cold oatmeal, a few pieces of raw vegetables and a single hard-boiled egg. Contestants reported being fed these small meals twice a day, although a spokesperson for MrBeast maintained they had been offered three meals a day.
In a statement, the anonymous contestants said: “While participants knew upon signing the contract at the production’s inception that they were facing a potentially long and challenging competition, they allege getting a lot more than they bargained for,” attorneys for the anonymous Beast Games.”
They add: “Several contestants ended up hospitalised, while others reported suffering physical and mental complications while being subjected to chronic mistreatment, degradation and, for the female contestants, hostile working conditions.”
A separate plaintiff, identified only as ‘Contestant 5’ said that she only joined Beast Games because she was a fan of MrBeast’s YouTube videos and that they made her “smile during the Covid-19 pandemic” but felt that she was treated like “less than nothing” whilst on the show.
She added: “As one of the women, I can say it absolutely felt like a hostile environment for us. We honestly could not have been respected less – as people, much less employees – if they tried.”
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The lead counsel for the plaintiffs, Robert Pafundi, said in a statement: “As extreme as the allegations against defendants are here, the law could not be more clear. Participants entered into contracts and they were promised compensation for their services. Their expectation of compensation, along with them being consistently under the control and supervision of the production staff, makes them employees under California law. As such, they were entitled to and denied, certain protections. And when you add to that the extreme neglect, degradation, harassment and inhumane conditions — it’s quite simply a massive dereliction of duty, for which the defendants must and will now be held accountable.”
Donaldson, who currently has the most subscribed channel on YouTube with more than 300 million followers, is facing a string of controversies attached to his name. In May, he addressed the grooming accusations against his longtime collaborator Ava Kris Tyson, saying that he’s “disgusted” and “opposed to such unacceptable acts.”
Although Tyson denied the allegations she confirmed that due to 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.”
Then in August, the 26-year-old acknowledged his use of “inappropriate language” in his early online days after clips from 2017 podcasts which included racist and sexist comments resurfaced.
MrBeast and Amazon have been contacted for comment.
