As scandal surrounds the MrBeast empire, MrBeast lawyers up and goes into bunker mode

Jimmy «MrBeast» Donaldson's YouTube career began in 2012, and a dozen years and over 800 videos later he is the undisputed king of YouTube. In its earliest years the channel was a relatively unremarkable mix of Minecraft and reaction videos, before Donaldson stumbled upon something that really worked: counting.

These videos, such as one where he counted to 100,000 over nearly 24 hours, racked up views in the tens of millions, and marked the real start for what would become a content empire. MrBeast began 2024 more popular than ever before. Then, at almost the exact point he became the biggest YouTuber in the world, scandal erupted. Allegations of sexualised messages between a longtime collaborator and a minor led to accusations of grooming, the opening for what would become a string of exposes about all corners of the MrBeast empire: from former employees weeping on-camera at their treatment, to contestants in his latest big show claiming mistreatment, and even accusations that some of the giveaways and stunts the channel is known for have been rigged.

We'll get to those in detail, but first how we got here. Donaldson's 2017 counting videos may have been his breakout moment, but plenty of creators have one big success and struggle to replicate it. Donaldson would prove different. If one thing distinguishes MrBeast, it is his uncanny ability to see past the surface nature of what interests people, and dig out the core, repeating elements that can make content consistently successful on YouTube.

Look at those counting videos and you'll note the unerring focus on one person attempting something extraordinary, the stunt-like nature of it, the sense of an improbable challenge paired with great reward. These principles can be summarised as an unusual premise with a prize, and later videos would begin to incorporate twists such as MrBeast being buried alive. The formula didn't just work: it worked exponentially. 

MrBeast's most popular content is stunts such as recreating