10 MrBeast Scandals and Controversies You Didn't Know About

#10: Animation Theft

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When MrBeast and his friends spent seven days stranded at sea, the most difficult part was keeping the video afloat at all. Shortly after it went live, the challenge was hit with a copyright claim by someone alleging it used a stolen piece animation, which led to the whole thing being privated. For what it’s worth, the original animator later stepped forward admitting that the short, two-second gif was created for free, non-commercial use. Either way, the video is back online now and this controversy doesn't seem to have slowed down the video’s success, either. As of 2023, the MrBeast challenge has well over 170 million views, and counting.

Joe Rogan is a contentious figure, with critics pointing to his spreading of misinformation and use of racial slurs as some of the most problematic things he’s done. MrBeast, on the other hand, usually tries to maintain a squeaky-clean public image. So, there was some understandable backlash when the YouTuber sat down for a lengthy chat on Rogan’s podcast. Some saw it as MrBeast endorsing Rogan’s past behavior. Some saw it as a declaration of his own ideals. And, some just saw it as a two hour-long thinkpiece on the ever-changing YouTube landscape. Whichever camp you fall in, it’s clear that MrBeast’s time on the show was a lot more trouble than it was worth.

#8: Destroying Expensive Things for Views

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The name of MrBeast’s game is doing the most insane, crazy thing before you can even think of it yourself. Most of the time, that means blowing stuff up. Usually in grand, over-the-top fashion. But, over the years, MrBeast’s indulgent destruction of property has started to raise some eyebrows. While there is some novelty in seeing a lamborghini dropped into a shredder, many have argued that he could donate those materials instead of destroying them for clicks. However, other fans debate whether that’s a fair criticism considering MrBeast already devotes a significant amount of his time to philanthropic acts - specifically, through the side-channel aptly named “Beast Philanthropy.”

#7: MrBeast Burger Bombshells

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When MrBeast launched his namesake burgers, hungry viewers lined up for miles to get a taste. But, soon enough, they had the sad realization that the food simply wasn’t very good. In fact, some went as far as calling the burgers outright “inedible.” After two years of diminishing returns, MrBeast quietly attempted to discontinue the brand in 2023. And yet, that’s not the end of the story. The burgers’ poor quality has MrBeast taking his distribution partner, Virtual Dining Concepts, to court. In response, they dismissed the accusations and planned to counter-sue MrBeast. No matter who ends up on top, the fact of the matter is that no one got the meal they wanted.

In the court of public opinion, a name can go a long way. Especially when that name is as well known as MrBeast. Allegedly, it all started with an investment. MrBeast backed an innocuous cryptocurrency app, and just like that, eagle-eyed fans followed. But, when the Refinable app launched at a much higher trade-price than expected, the numbers crashed. Hard. Even though MrBeast never publicly advertised the product himself, a certain sect of fans felt like they’d been scammed. On the other side of things, MrBeast’s silence on the matter had some theorizing his brand had been used without consent. Regardless, he still had to bear the brunt of the backlash.

#5: Trouble in the Clubhouse

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When MrBeast began an open call on the audio seminar app, Clubhouse, he invited any and all fans to join and ask questions. Among them was Farokh Sarmad. The catch? Despite making it onto the panel, Sarmad never actually got to speak. Then, when the call was cleared to make room for others, MrBeast allegedly booted Sarmad because he couldn’t pronounce his name. Sarmad quickly took to social media to voice his displeasure at the supposed racism. However, MrBeast fans countered that the internet star’s words had been misinterpreted, and Sarmad wasn’t actually kicked out over his name. Intentional or not, though, this was one callout MrBeast could’ve done without.

When “Squid Game” debuted on Netflix in 2021, it rode the cultural zeitgeist all the way to becoming the service’s most watched original show, ever. Ironically, MrBeast’s YouTube remake had similar success, accruing over half a billion views altogether. However, it didn’t come without its fair share of criticism. A vocal portion of viewers felt that milking the show’s concept completely missed the point of “Squid Game’s” money-conscious themes, especially considering MrBeast’s video was posted with ads on YouTube. And yet, the controversy didn’t seem to be an issue for everyone else. After just one year, the remake has become MrBeast’s most-watched long-form video of all time, and it’s not even close.

MrBeast is known for his charitable work in the online space, but if these rumors are to be believed, he’s a very different person when the cameras aren’t rolling. Beginning in 2021, eleven former employees came forward accusing the creator of fostering an unhealthy work environment. Their testimonies claimed they were frequently overworked, not credited for their assignments, and demeaned with ableist slurs. Those kinds of accusations don’t look good for anyone, let alone someone with a reputation like MrBeast. He’s never directly commented on the scandal, but it’s safe to say it’s not the kind of press he would’ve liked.

You’d think that helping people with vision impairment would be an objectively good thing. But, using some wild leaps of logic, a portion of the internet didn’t see it that way. While some had genuine concerns about MrBeast’s trek into healthcare, especially some of the misleading claims being made, others thought it made him the actual antichrist. We aren’t kidding. This radical population pointed out that, by performing quote-unquote “miracles” of sight, MrBeast was following the path of the Beast from the Book of Revelation. The squabble over the video reached such a boiling point, MrBeast himself had to comment on it. Who knew helping people see again would cause such a fuss?

MrBeast has a very, very long history on the internet, and not all of it is good. Even a cursory dive into his social media shows that, at one point, he was very flippant with some extremely unacceptable words. They include those aimed at sexuality, race, cognitive ability, and more. Some of his old videos are just as bad, too. In recent years, MrBeast has attempted to delete most of those unsavory comments off his pages. And, since then, his content has been noticeably more brand-safe. But, the fact that MrBeast had to remove old posts at all just shows that this is a part of his history he’d rather forget. Did we miss any scandalous MrBeast moments? Let us know in the comments below!