YouTuber MrBeast hires investigators over co-host grooming claims

MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, has hired investigators following accusations against his former co-host, Ava Kris Tyson, who is alleged to have groomed a teenager.

The accusations, made by other YouTubers, claim that Tyson sent inappropriate messages to a minor when she was 20.

Tyson, 28, who had been with MrBeast’s channel since 2012, has denied the grooming allegations but admitted that it was mutually agreed she would leave the channel.

In a statement, MrBeast expressed his disgust over the serious allegations against Tyson and announced that he became aware of the claims circulating online in the past few days.

Tyson has since apologized for her “past behavior,” which she acknowledged as “not acceptable.”

MrBeast, the world’s largest YouTuber with over 300 million subscribers, has taken these allegations seriously and is working to address the situation.

“I am disgusted and opposed to such unacceptable acts,” he says.

MrBeast’s statement said he had “been focused on hiring an independent third party to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure I have all the facts”.

“That said,” he continued, “I’ve seen enough online and taken immediate action to remove Ava from the company, my channel, and any association with MrBeast.

“I do not condone or support any of the inappropriate actions.”

The US YouTuber added that he would wait for the investigators to finish their work and “take any further actions based on their findings”.

Ava previously said she had “never groomed anyone” and “to create a narrative that my behaviour extended beyond bad edgy jokes is disgusting and did not happen”.

She added: “In past years, I have learned that my old humour is not acceptable.

“I cannot change who I was, but I can continue to work on myself.”

Ava Tyson, who publicly came out as a transgender woman last year and has been undergoing gender-affirming therapy, has not yet responded to MrBeast’s latest statements regarding the allegations.

The individual who allegedly received the messages from Ava has defended her, claiming that online descriptions of their relationship are “massive lies and twisting the truth.”

He stated in a post on X that Ava “never did anything wrong” and that their interactions were limited to “a few edgy jokes,” asserting that he was neither exploited nor taken advantage of.

BBC Newsbeat has reached out to both Ava Tyson and MrBeast’s representatives for further comment.