MrBeast has responded to the class action lawsuit that alleges multiple labor law violations took place on the set of his upcoming show, saying the claims are "blown out of proportion."
At 26 years old, MrBeast—real name Jimmy Donaldson—holds the record for the most subscribers on YouTube, which was 332 million at the time of writing. His viral success—and his army of loyal followers—have led to an upcoming project with Prime Video: the reality competition program Beast Games, inspired by Netflix's South Korean hit Squid Game.
On Monday the YouTuber shared a teaser for the new show on X, formerly Twitter. When the account for the entertainment news site Dexerto reshared the Beast Games teaser, one user commented, "Is this the same one where a lot of contestants complained of terrible conditions?"
MrBeast used the opportunity to address the allegations, replying: "We have tons of behind the scenes dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were. Just can't release it now because it would spoil the games."
We have tons of behind the scenes dropping when the show does to show how blown out of proportion these claims were. Just can't release it now because it would spoil the games.
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) November 25, 2024Newsweek contacted a spokesperson for MrBeast for comment by email outside normal business hours.
While there has been much anticipation surrounding the new show, set to premiere on December 19, it has been embroiled in controversy. In September, the Los Angeles Superior Court accepted a class action lawsuit filed against MrBeast's companies and the production arm of Amazon. The suit involves five former participants in MrBeast's reality competition show and alleges multiple labor law violations, false advertising and unfair business practices.
Newsweek has emailed Amazon for comment.
The contestants are suing the internet celebrity, alleging "unreasonable, unsafe and unlawful employment conditions." The participants say they were deprived of medical care, food, sleep and the necessities of basic hygiene. According to the complaint, production staff produced a "toxic" environment and subjected women to "sexual harassment."
"I expected to be challenged, but I didn't think I would be treated like nothing—less than nothing," said one of the female plaintiffs, identified only as "Contestant 5."
"And 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."
One plaintiff also alleges they are owed money for participating in the show.
Beast Games was inspired by Netflix's popular survival thriller and horror television series, Squid Game, in which cash-strapped competitors compete for a tempting prize with deadly stakes.
In the trailer MrBeast shared on X, contestants are dressed in blue tracksuits that feature their contestant numbers, reminiscent of the South Korean show. The teaser also shows that the challenges involve, among other things, monster trucks, a pirate ship and a helicopter.
"Here's a little teaser for Beast Games! I spent over a year creating this 10 episode competition series, breaking 40 world records, building the craziest sets in entertainment history, featuring 1,000 players, and a $5,000,000 grand prize! I poured everything I have into this show, I'll see you December 19th on @PrimeVideo!" he captioned the post.
Beast Games isn't the only project that MrBeast has worked on inspired by Squid Game. The YouTuber's most popular video to date is a 2021 real-life recreation of the popular show that featured a $456,000 prize for the winner. It has garnered more than 671 million views as of press time.
In January 2022, Forbes ranked MrBeast as the highest-earning content creator, with an estimated annual income of $54 million, drawn mostly from ads on his YouTube videos.
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