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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Greg Evans

MrBeast responds to sexual misconduct allegations against his company

YouTuber MrBeast has finally revealed details of a three-month investigation into claims against his company after a former collaborator was accused of grooming a minor.

Earlier this year, Ava Kris Tyson, who appeared in a multitude of MrBeast, aka Jimmy Donaldson’s YouTube videos, was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a minor. Tyson has strongly denied the allegations.

Donaldson, who is the most followed person on YouTube, is also facing controversy for his upcoming Amazon game show, has now shared the results of the investigation which has seen between 5 to 10 employees fired.

A company spokesman declined to put a precise number on the firings, which employees were let go and for what reasons.

The shakeup comes as Donaldson, who draws millions of views with highly produced stunts and giveaways, deals with accusations of impropriety against himself.

The nearly three-month probe concluded that there was no basis behind allegations that MrBeast team members committed sexual misconduct or “knowingly” employed people with “proclivities or histories towards illegal or questionable legal conduct.”

Donaldson has since turned to X/Twitter and shared the findings, adding that during the investigation he was “asked to refrain from making public statements to enable a detailed and unbiased investigation.”

He also said: “The lawfirm/investigators reviewed millions of documents/messages and conducted 39 interviews.”

As per the document from the law firm, the sexual allegations against MrBeast LLC were “without basis”.

“The allegations were soundly rejected, including by alleged victims,” the document reads.

The law firm also noted that “allegations of the Company knowingly employing individuals with proclivities or histories towards illegal or questionable legal conduct are similarly without basis.”

The firm did find “several isolated instances of workplace harassment and misconduct. The Company was informed of such conduct and took swift and appropriate actions to address the incidents, including, where necessary, disciplining or letting go of implicated individuals.”

Donaldson is currently in the process of making several changes to his company, including a new CEO, CPO, CFO, and General Counsel. There will also be mandatory training, an anonymous reporting system for employees and a new policy handbook.

MrBeast attends TikTok House Party at VidCon 2022 at a private venue on 23 June, 2022 in Anaheim, California (Getty Images for TikTok)

Fellow YouTuber Rosanna Pansino, one of Donaldson’s most vocal critics, responded on X that the findings of “workplace harassment and misconduct” and “multiple firings” mean “it might be time for a bigger investigation”.

Additional reporting from agencies.

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