A woman who previously worked at Beast Industries, the company behind MrBeast’s popular YouTube channel, has filed a lawsuit against the YouTuber’s company claiming she was sexually harassed, verbally abused, and fired after returning from maternity leave. The company says it has extensive evidence that “unequivocally refutes her claims.”
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, in a lawsuit filed on April 22 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, former employee Lorrayne Mavromatis alleged she was subjected to sexual harassment and was then demoted when she complained. She also claims she was forced to join a conference call while giving birth and was expected to work during her maternity leave.
“This clout-chasing complaint is built on deliberate misrepresentations and categorically false statements, and we have the receipts to prove it,” Gaude Paez, a Beast Industries spokesperson, told the L.A. Times. “There is extensive evidence–including Slack and WhatsApp messages, company documents, and witness testimony–that unequivocally refutes her claims. We will not submit to opportunistic lawyers looking to manufacture a payday from us.”
Kotaku has also reached out to Beast Industries for comment, but didn’t hear back before publication.
Jimmy Donaldson, better known online as MrBeast, helped create the company after his small YouTube channel quickly exploded in popularity due to viral videos involving charity stunts. The company is reportedly worth around $5 billion and has 500 employees. MrBeast has a large reality show with Amazon, and his main channel has nearly half a billion subscribers, making him the most popular YouTuber in the world.
The verbal and sexual harassment that allegedly happened at MrBeast’s company
In the lawsuit, Mavromatis claims the company’s previous CEO, James Warren, would allegedly force her to meet him at his private home for one-on-one meetings and would often comment on her looks. When Mavromatis asked the then-CEO why she never got to work with MrBeast, she was allegedly told that “she is a beautiful woman and her appearance had a certain sexual effect on Jimmy,” and “Let’s just say that when you’re around and he goes to the restroom, he’s not actually using the restroom.”
Paez refuted this claim, telling the L.A. Times, “That’s ridiculous. This is an allegation fabricated for the sole purpose of sparking headlines.”
Mavromatis also says that MrBeast himself told her he “would only participate in her video shoot if she brought him a beer.”
At another point, Mavromatis says that when she tried to ask a question during a staff meeting, a male colleague told her to “shut up” or “stop talking.” She also claimed male execs at the company would mock female contestants participating in the Amazon-produced BeastGames reality show who were complaining about not having access to “feminine hygiene products and clean underwear while participating in the show.”
In November 2023, Mavromatis formally complained about the situation to the company’s head of human resources, Sue Parisher, who the lawsuit claims is MrBeast’s mom.
Mavromatis claimed that Beast Industries didn’t have a proper process for employees to report such issues, and instead, employees were expected to follow the company’s handbook entitled “How To Succeed In MrBeast Production.” The lawsuit claims that this handbook says “It’s okay for the boys to be childish,” “if talent wants to draw a dick on the white board in the video or do something stupid, let them,” and “No does not mean no.”
After being demoted, Mavromatis says she was later fired. Paez told the outlet that she was eliminated as part of a company-wide reorganization.
