The popular YouTuber MrBeast, known for his “nice guy” image, is facing criticism after resurfaced racist comments he made years ago online.
In a video reportedly filmed around 2017, which recently recirculated, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, 26, is seen responding to a viewer who commented about “selling” Black people. In the footage, Donaldson replies, “The most I would pay is probably 300.”
In addition to this, Donaldson repeats a homophobic slur from a commenter and advises other viewers to stop using the N-word in their chat.
A spokesperson for MrBeast acknowledged that the star used “inappropriate language” in his humor. “When Jimmy was a teenager, he acted like many kids, using inappropriate language while trying to be funny,” the spokesperson said. “Over the years, he has repeatedly apologized and has learned that with increasing influence comes greater responsibility to be more aware and sensitive to the power of language.”
“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 is the most-followed YouTube channel on the platform, with over 300 million subscribers. His videos – ranging from competitions and stunts to philanthropic work – typically surpass 100 million views. In March, he announced a collaboration with Prime Video to produce “Beast Games.” The competition series is billed as the “largest game show in history” and is set to feature over 1,000 contestants and $5 million in prize money.
Tictacnews has reached out to Prime Video for comment. The series is currently in production, according to IMDb, which is owned by Amazon.
