Let's check in on MrBeast
LOLCows, pro-ana chatbots, the protein plague, Dr Disrespect to Rumble, and a new podcast from Alex Cooper's network
Few figures online have risen as meteorically as Jimmy Donaldson aka MrBeast. At over 332 million subscribers, he is the biggest creator on all of YouTube. His philanthropic stunts and high-budget videos have made him a global star. Earlier this year, it was announced that Donaldson had struck a $100M deal with Amazon to host the biggest competition series in TV history.
But over the past four months, Donaldson’s empire has been in jeopardy. The YouTuber has been embroiled in non-stop controversy since allegations against his long-time collaborator, Ava Kris Tyson, surfaced, alleging that she’d had inappropriate conversations with minors.
Then, a YouTuber named DogPack404 published a multi-part expose on Donaldson’s business, exposing poor labor conditions, restrictive NDAs, and chaos at Beast Headquarters. Shortly after, contestants of Jimmy’s "Beast Games" reality show filed a class action lawsuit alleging mistreatment and unsafe conditions on set. Then, customers began finding mold in Lunchly boxes (MrBeast’s boxed lunch company).
The entire situation snowballed into a full-fledged PR disaster, and now Donaldson is attempting clean up duty.
Last week, he sat down for a 2-hour and 37-minute discussion with Oompaville, a fellow YouTuber, where he addressed the claims against him and his production house. He explained why he has remained silent (his lawyers told him to), and denied pretty much everything. He also said he will likely sue DogPack404. It’s a softball interview/discussion that basically allows Donaldson to quell investors worries and begin seeding his narrative in the press without having to deal with journalists directly.
Apparently Donaldson has also been making the rounds to friendly Creator Economy YouTube channels, who are also likely not to criticize him given that they function essentially as industry press.
With his image rehab campaign in full swing, Donaldson began promoting his Amazon show, Beast Games yesterday by posting the first trailer. “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,” Donaldson posted. “I poured everything I have into this show, I'll see you December 19th on Prime Video.”
The reaction was mixed. Donaldson was doing some damage control in the comments, but there were also a lot of direct replies from fans. “So everyone thought you were laying low and instead you were just breaking records,” one user posted.
Donaldson’s career has reached a critical inflection point, and how he manages this cancellation cycle could serve as a stress test for the viability of influencer mega-brands going forward. For Donaldson, the stakes are uniquely high. His empire spans multiple verticals: YouTube, philanthropy, entrepreneurial ventures like Feastables, a licensing business, deals with third parties like Amazon, and a full-blown content studio. His audience is massive and mostly made up of kids, but his brand equity is deeply tied to his image as an authentic and benevolent guy.
Donaldson is lucky that the scandal is happening at a time when mainstream media is significantly diminished. Legacy media, which employs almost no dedicated online culture reporters anymore, has largely ignored the story while entertainment-focused outlets have published only the bare-bones. Steven Asarch, a freelance internet culture writer, is honestly the only formal journalist I’ve seen publishing to-the-minute updates.
And while most of YouTube has undeniably turned against Donaldson, the the speed of news cycles on social media and the fragmented nature of audiences means that even a major scandal like his stops catching viewers attention eventually— especially when viewers are inundated with videos commentating on every minor update.
Ultimately, I think there are enough rich people involved in Donaldson’s success, that he will ride this scandal out, but I do think that he has a rocky road ahead. Donaldson will no longer be considered untouchable by fans and other YouTubers. Any future ventures will be highly scrutinized. I think we could eventually see him attempt a full Zuckaissance-style rebrand in order to distance himself from this whole thing. Either way, the way he manages the rollout of his Amazon show over the next few months will prove crucial.
Americans think minorities are everywhere
The results of this 2022 YouGov poll began spreading on Twitter this week and I think it’s a good reminder that most Americans over estimate the prevalence of minority groups to an insane degree.
“Beginning to understand why so many Americans are obsessed with trans issues and panicking about being replaced,” Kareem Carr, a statistician studying at Harvard posted. “They think there are 21x more trans people, 27x more Muslims, 15x more jews, 5x more Asians, 3x more Black people, and 2x more immigrants than there actually are.”
What I’m reading
Rise of the Bro-Casters
How young, male digital stars are using YouTube to take over the podcast industry. - The Information (I wrote this!)
The Mormon church tells its members to become influencers
“There is a tremendous push from the church itself and from its leadership to be public with your faith and your lifestyle... there really is encouragement from the upper leadership of the church to use social media.” -
Social media's 'LOLCow' obsession is curated cruelty
Social media audiences are laughing with — and at — creators. - Mashable
The Three Pillars of the Bro-Economy
Day-trading, sports betting, and crypto are about to get bigger. - The Atlantic
More fun stuff
Public figures are begging their PR people to get them on Joe Rogan and other right-wing platforms after Trump's success.
A24 has released its own line of candy bars.
Gen Z’s are abandoning Target for Walmart.
A full line up of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade floats, balloons, and performances.
Louis Vuitton launched a video game to celebrate the first anniversary of its Discord server.
Dictionary.com chose "demure" as their word of the year.
After getting banned from Twitch and having his appeal for re-monetization on YouTube denied, streamer Dr Disrespect is teaming up with right-wing streaming platform Rumble.
Male fitness influencers and hustle-bros are all journaling now.
A bunch of academic professors attempt to dissect what makes a meme goes viral.
LinkedIn is shutting down its Clubhouse clone.
We’ve got pro-ana chatbots now.
Influencer Hallie Batchelder announced her new podcast, Extra Dirty, on Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network.
93% of Gen Zs said they were using two or more AI tools a week — such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, Otter.ai, and other generative AI products, according to a recent poll.
A new publisher aims to “disrupt” the book industry by publishing 8,000 books in 2025 alone using artificial intelligence.
An interview with the Twitch streamer who has been live for three years straight.
When will the protein plague end??
Schwartz and Sandy’s is closing which means everyone will have to find a new spot to lurk on Bravolebrities.
This video of Blackstone’s CEO Stephen Schwarzman eating a Jersey Mike’s sub to announce their investment on Instagram is hilarious to me.
Linktree collected insights from 1,562 creators about monetization and content creation. They found that 70% of creators made less than $49k a year.
It’s getting harder and harder to be a Drake fan.
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