<\/span><\/span>Don Arnold\/WireImage<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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MrBeast is no stranger to controversy this year – and has managed to come out unscathed each time.<\/p>\n
In July, the 26-year-old American said he had hired investigators after his former co-host Ava Kris Tyson was accused of grooming a teenager.<\/p>\n
Ava denied the allegations, but has apologised for “past behaviour” which was “not acceptable”.<\/p>\n
MrBeast said he was “disgusted” by the “serious allegations”.<\/p>\n
Later, further allegations about business practices surfaced on an anonymous YouTube channel, claiming to be a former employee. The BBC has not been able to independently verify the claims or this person’s identity.<\/p>\n
Some of his philanthropic efforts – such as building wells in Africa, and paying for surgery for people with reduced sight and hearing – have drawn criticisms around exploitation.<\/p>\n
“Deaf people like me deserve better than MrBeast\u2019s latest piece of inspiration porn,” one person told the Independent last year.<\/p>\n
But his empire continues to grow. The day before the lawsuit emerged on Wednesday, he revealed a team-up with fellow famous faces KSI and Logan Paul – a new food line designed to challenge Lunchables.<\/p>\n
And as I wrote in an article about his meteoric rise last year, he has made his millions through hard work.<\/p>\n
His videos are big budget experiences, with his most popular – viewed 652 million times – recreating the Netflix hit Squid Game in real life with a $456,000 (\u00a3342,000) prize.<\/p>\n
Most of his philanthropy is less controversial – including giving away houses, cash and cars – which has worked to create an image of him being one of the internet’s good guys.<\/p>\n
According to his website, he has delivered more than 25 million meals to the needy around the world.<\/p>\n
People continue to flock to his social channels. In June, he gained enough subscribers to make his YouTube channel the largest in the world.<\/p>\n
According to stats-checker Socialblade, MrBeast picked up an extra five million subscribers in the last 30 days alone. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s just one metric – we can\u2019t tell how many people unsubscribed from his channel, for example. <\/p>\n
What is certain is that the number of people who\u2019ve actively decided to stop watching his videos has been eclipsed by those who\u2019ve decided to subscribe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The YouTube apology<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n
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He wouldn’t be the only YouTuber whose popularity holds through controversy – others have faced far more significant storms than MrBeast, with few facing many consequences outside of a public apology.<\/p>\n
Logan Paul faced a massive backlash in 2018 after he uploaded a video to his 15 million subscribers which showed the body of a person who had apparently taken their own life.<\/p>\n
After removing the original video, he shared a less than two-minute apology titled simply: “So sorry.”<\/p>\n
Now, he has 23 million subscribers, owns an incredibly popular sports drink, and up until August was the WWE United States champion. He’s had quite a few pay-per-view boxing bouts, too. <\/p>\n
Other high-profile YouTubers, including Pewdiepie, James Charles, and Jeffree Star have all had their own controversies, and got on with their careers after uploading apology videos.<\/p>\n
A more modern example is Herschel “Guy” Beahm, known online as Dr Disrespect, who admitted he sent messages to “an individual minor” in 2017.<\/p>\n
He stressed that “nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed” and went offline for two months after posting the statement.<\/p>\n
His comeback livestream earlier this month attracted more than three million views, despite criticism from other high-profile streamers.<\/p>\n
Dr Disrespect remains the second-most watched streamer in the US this year, according to Streams Charts.<\/p>\n
The point is: YouTubers tend to be forgiven quickly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
![\"MrBeast,](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/ace\/standard\/240\/cpsprodpb\/64ce\/live\/66707d20-7728-11ef-8a58-3de0b1251a4e.png.webp)
<\/picture><\/span>Steven Kahn<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n