Jimmy Donaldson, popularly known as Mr. Beast recently had a slew of allegations levied against him: from moldy food products to mistreatment of contestants on his upcoming game show, Mr. Beast is at the center of public scrutiny.
Over the past few years, Mr. Beast has experienced nothing short of a meteoric rise. All his videos are set up to be ten times bigger than the last. As many YouTubers do, Mr. Beast started with video game letsplays. However, once he accrued a substantial following, he began producing his famous money giveaway videos, which rocketed him to stardom.
What many don’t realize is that Mr. Beast divided his audience from the moment he began giving money away. Many, including me, believed that even though his giveaways were a net positive to those in need, it was morally dubious for him to bolster his public brand with these acts as they felt exploitative.
These money giveaways would then grow into Mr. Beast hosting game shows and challenges with huge sums of money as prizes. Elaborate, epic-length videos and captivating action storylines sent Mr. Beast’s channel up to previously unseen heights of YouTube. So much so that on July 28th, 2022, Mr. Beast became the second YouTuber to reach 100 million subscribers.
People’s idea that Mr. Beast is too big to fail is now being put to the test.
In September, Mr. Beast, KSI and Logan Paul launched Lunchly. A near carbon copy of the popular ready-to-eat meal Lunchables. The only real difference between the two is that Lunchly comes with KSI and Logan Paul’s controversial sports drink Prime.
Where the real controversy comes from is the recent discovery of mold in Lunchly, specifically in the cheeses, even though the product is well within its best-by date.
When asked about the mold issue, KSI and Mr. Beast laughed the issue off and claimed it was because other creators were simply trying to get clicks. This put MrBeast and KSI further into the scorn of public opinion.
So why are so many people experiencing mold in their Lunchly cheese?
One possible explanation could be that Lunchables uses “cheese products” whereas Lunchly claims to use real cheese. This real cheese may be less shelf stable than the cheese product used in Lunchables.
This is just one of the many serious controversies plaguing Mr. Beast’s image. Though, other YouTubers have come back from controversy. For instance, when fellow YouTuber PewDiePie said a racial slur live on stream, many thought his career would be over. Yet, with smart maneuvering and displays of sensitivity, PewDiePie has been able to come back and grow his channel bigger than ever.
If Mr. Beast can reasonably settle these allegations, potentially dial back the ambition of his projects and improve the quality of his food. I see Mr. Beast bouncing back easily.
