YouTube star MrBeast is seeing a significant decrease in channel growth thanks to the allegations surrounding his company and collaborators.
Jimmy ‘MrBeast’ Donaldson was, up until very recently, the darling of the internet. The multi-millionaire influencer is best known for his over-the-top challenges, big-budget videos, and massive cash giveaways, on top of his multiple philanthropic endeavors.
However, public sentiment has now turned against him following accusations against his former collaborator, Ava Kris Tyson, of behaving inappropriately with minors online.
On top of this, MrBeast himself has come under fire due to his supposed business practices, treatment of fellow staff members, and reportedly hiring a registered sex offender who appeared in his past videos.
This backlash has stunted growth on the YouTuber’s channel in a major way. Donaldson, who currently reigns as the most-subscribed channel on the platform with over 300 million subs, is now seeing a big decline in viewership, subscribers, and even potential revenue loss.
According to statistics from ViewStats, MrBeast’s main channel has seen 153 million less views than the previous 28-day period.
That’s not all; he’s also received 12 million less subscribers than the last month, suffering a projected loss of nearly $700K.
While the true financial implications of the drama surrounding MrBeast are unknown, it’s clear that the backlash is impacting his YouTube channel in a palpable way, at the very least.
Thus far, MrBeast has yet to release an official statement addressing the further allegations against him that have come to light following the removal of Ava Kris Tyson from his ranks.
However, he did call Ava’s behavior “disgusting” and promised to hire a third party to investigate the situation internally… but experts say that this ordeal could have dire consequences for the YouTuber’s financial security and brand.
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“Could these allegations make a permanent dent on the MrBeast brand? Probably not,” social media consultant Katya Varbanova said in an interview with the Daily Mail. “But it could be a very expensive problem to clear up, all the same. In the short term, this could be financially catastrophic.”
“The problem from here on out is that it’s a live issue with millions speculating on the internet,” PR expert Mark Borkowski added. “The longer this is left without an answer, the more conspiracy theories surface and the more ferocious this saga becomes.”
That aside, MrBeast is still immensely popular, and many of his fans are still glued to videos regardless of the ongoing controversy. His “7 Days Stranded In A Cave” video hit 10 million views in under 4 hours, meaning the YouTuber has had two high profile releases that are still doing well despite his silence.
The YouTube giant also advertised his new toy line, MrBeast Lab, in this video and is going forward with the launch despite all the controversy surrounding him.
Jake Weddle, a former MrBeast employee, claimed that the creator offered him $190k and an apology. He expressed that he wasn’t comfortable with the amount of money, but wound up taking $50k.
However, even as someone who called him out, Weddle wasn’t convinced that MrBeast’s channel will be toppled based on these allegations alone.
“People need to come forward about how they’ve been treated and how they’ve been affected because, at the very least, if Jimmy is too big to fail, then maybe that’ll make the company a little better. Maybe people will be watching out for more stuff like that. We have to hold people accountable,” Weddle asserted in his video.
This downturn in views and subscribers follow a series of record-breaking moments for the YouTube star, who broke his own record for day-one viewership with his influencer-filled competition back in July and even had plans to launch his own beverage brand.
