- MrBeast has faced backlash over people in his circle and conditions on his gameshow.
- He's turned to a high-profile lawyer to muscle his way through the crisis.
- Experts are skeptical, saying the way to regain fans' trust is genuine change and accountability.
MrBeast appears to be trying to salvage his reputation following a series of controversies in recent weeks.
YouTube's biggest star — whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson — has faced criticism from former employees, allegations of lousy health and safety on set, and questions about his company's culture.
And Donaldson is lawyering up as a path through. DailyMail.com reported that he hired Alex Spiro, a $2,000-an-hour attorney who has represented Alec Baldwin and Elon Musk.
A representative for Spiro's law firm, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, confirmed the move to Business Insider.
However, crisis-management experts said that legal showdowns with his critics might not be the best move for rebuilding the trust that has been eroded with fans.
Where the problems began
Donaldson runs the most prominent YouTube channel, with 312 million subscribers. Given his fame, he's used to getting a healthy dose of criticism, which he has largely shrugged off over the years.
That was until this year when he cut professional ties with his childhood friend Ava Tyson after she was accused of engaging in inappropriate conversations with young fans.
Donaldson posted a statement on the night of July 24 saying he was "disgusted" and had hired a third-party investigator.
"I've seen enough online and taken immediate action to remove Ava from the company, my channel, and any association with MrBeast," he said in the statement posted on X. "I do not condone or support any of the inappropriate actions."
Donaldson's reputation took another hit when The New York Times published a report detailing claims about the conditions on the set of his upcoming Amazon show, "Beast Games."
The report contained allegations of injuries and hospitalizations, a lack of food and water, and limited access to medicine. At the time, a spokesperson blamed the CrowdStrike IT outage and said Donaldson had "taken steps to ensure that we learn from this experience."
A person who said he was a former staffer of MrBeast also posted two lengthy videos on his YouTube channel, DogPack404, racking up 26 million views in total.
In the videos, the person, whom DailyMail.com named as Dawson French, called Donaldson a "fraud" and a "sociopath" who profits off manipulating his young audience. He also claimed Donaldson hired a registered sex offender to be part of his crew.
Donaldson has not addressed this claim, but he sent a memo to his employees on August 7 saying he would hire a human-resources officer and offer safety and sensitivity training, The Daily Beast reported, adding that he said he would "foster a better internal culture."
Hiring a 'superlawyer'
In that context, he hired Spiro, who has represented Elon Musk, Megan Thee Stallion, and Alec Baldwin.
Spiro sent French a cease-and-desist letter accusing him of "posting misinformation and false statements," DailyMail.com said.
However, experts told BI that if Donaldson had enlisted Spiro, it may just add fuel to the fire.
Haddy Folivi, an experienced UK publicist, told BI that Donaldson seemed to be acting from a place of emotion rather than logic, "which is the worst thing you can do in a crisis."
"He is not admitting his mistakes," she said. "He is paying a lawyer $2,000 an hour to try and fix the issue and make it go away, which it won't."
Laura Perkes, the founder of the firm PR with Perkes, told BI that taking legal action meant "you're simply trying to stop people from sharing their version of events," rather than taking accountability.
Perkes said that by threatening legal action, "all you're doing is deflecting and passing blame onto others."
Kellie Whitehead, a third public-relations founder, told BI that the move showed Donaldson had cemented his status "in the domain of the superrich and powerful" and that hiring this level of legal representation meant "a wall of expensive silence ensues."
While this may protect Donaldson, Whitehead said he would probably find it doesn't resonate with his fans.
"You are not fixing your reputation this way. You are merely paying to fight legally," she said. "There is a difference between criticism and accusations, and that's where the law should be involved — his public and fan-base reputational damage is another story."
Common mistakes
Perkes said that for online stars like Donaldson, negative pushback could seem relentless when things start to go wrong. Often, people share their opinions without having all the information, and this, coupled with the herd mentality of cancel culture, can feel overwhelming.
Saying the wrong thing can be catastrophic, Perkes said, but staying quiet can make you look guilty.
"You can't fight fire with fire," she said.
Folivi agreed that trying to ignore the problem is a mistake many online celebrities make, which she said is "an insult to their followers."
However, it's also not recommended to respond to everything, as this can come across as defensive. Instead, the best course of action is a "holding" statement, she said.
"Admit to your mistakes," Folivi said. "Issue an apology, where necessary, especially to your young fans who hold you in high regard, then put a plan in place to mitigate such errors in the future."
Trust is vital
Trust is hugely important between influencers and their fans, Perkes said.
"Without trust, there's nothing," she said. "Influencers need their fans; without them, they're no longer influencers, and without them, they're no longer a brand with products or services that people want to buy."
When trust is eroded, Perkes said, it can take years to rebuild.
"Apologizing for their mistakes won't cut it; it's not enough," she said. "Fans need to see that they've changed their behavior based on the lessons learned."
People are wise to celebrities and how they can use periods of controversy in their favor to propel their careers. Onlookers are paying attention, Perkes said, and being discerning about who gets their views.
"If they're not happy, not only will they vote with their feet, but they'll be vocal about it, too," she said.
Folivi said her 11-year-old son is a huge fan of Donaldson and that he is likely to feel let down by some of the recent news about the star.
"Trust is not impossible to rebuild, but it will take time," she said. "It will require a time-out for the celebrity to really reflect, and people will need to see that they are remorseful."
She said a good move would be to take a significant amount of time off and return with the right project that shows them in a positive light.
"We are human, so we will make mistakes," Folivi said. "When it happens, take ownership, apologize, and don't repeat the same mistakes."
Donaldson's team didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
