MrBeast Acknowledges That He Used Slurs ‘While Trying to Be Funny’

A PR representative of Jimmy Donaldson, better known by his screen name MrBeast, claims that the viral clip of their client making racist jokes and using a homophobic slur in 2017 was just a case of edgy humor gone wrong.

Donaldson’s YouTube account boasts a whopping 307 million subscribers, making it easily the most popular channel on the platform and causing Donaldson and his collaborators to be some of the most high-profile and closely watched content creators on the internet. Right now, the MrBeast channel is at the center of one of the internet’s most inflammatory controversies as Donaldson’s long-time friend and co-host, Ava Kris Tyson, faces accusations of grooming and predatory behavior over her online interactions with a minor. Both Tyson, who is trans, and the now-20-year-old whom Tyson stands accused of abusing have vehemently denied the allegations against her, but Donaldson and MrBeast have cut ties with the long-time collaborator nonetheless.

Shortly before Donaldson publicly disavowed Tyson and called her behavior “disgusted” and “unacceptable,” another popular YouTuber named Rosanna Pansino posted a clip from a 2017 MrBeast livestream that shows Donaldson making racist and homophobic comments.

During the livestream, Donaldson engaged with a commenter who told the YouTuber that they were “selling (N-words) for $400 money,” to which Donaldson answered the fan, “The most I would pay is probably 300. Sorry, 400 is just out of my price range for that type of thing.” Later on in the stream, Donaldson grew irritated with one user who apparently questioned whether the livestream was actually live, telling them, ”Shut the fuck up, you stupid f----t. If the video was looped, how would I call you a stupid f----t? Exactly, it’s not looped, fucking dumbass."

The comment section of the stream quickly became overwhelmed with users repeating the N-word, behavior that Donaldson half-heartedly attempted to curtail, telling his fans, “Boys, no more typing the N-word in chat.” However, shortly after the warning, Donaldson replied to a comment that read, “Selling 10 (N-words) for $69 each,” to which Donaldson responded jokingly, “That’s a steep price, I don’t think you’re going to get any sales. I’m kidding!”

After Pansino’s post attracted over 14 million views, a representative of Donaldson and MrBeast addressed the creator’s past comments in a statement, saying, “When Jimmy was a teenager, he acted like many kids and used inappropriate language while trying to be funny,” adding of the world’s biggest YouTuber, “Over the years he has repeatedly apologized and has learned that increasing influence comes with increased responsibility to be more aware and more sensitive to the power of language. After making some bad jokes and other mistakes when he was younger, as an adult he has focused on engaging with the MrBeast community to work together on making a positive impact around the world.”

The representative stopped short of offering an apology to viewers who were offended by the clip, nor did they address the fact that the livestream remained posted and monetized until Pansino drew attention to it.