MrBeast's company sued over alleged sexual harassment, wrongful termination
A federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday alleges that YouTube star MrBeast’s companies are a toxic workplace where sexual harassment was “condoned and/or perpetuated” by supervisors.
Lorrayne Mavromatis, a former employee who was the head of the company’s Instagram operations, is suing MrBeast’s production companies for wrongful termination, alleging she was demoted and then fired after she complained about the alleged sexual harassment and hostile work environment.
“Plaintiff was a rising star promoted twice within her first year of employment, but after complaining about a workplace that suffered from a lack of basic employment protections in November 2023, she was subjected to multiple adverse employment actions, including a negative transfer, demotion, and termination,” her lawyers alleged in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in North Carolina.
A spokesperson for MrBeast’s companies, MrBeastYouTube LLC and GameChanger 24/7 LLC, which employ more than 700 people, denied the allegations and vowed to fight the case in court.
“This clout-chasing complaint is built on deliberate misrepresentations and categorically false statements, and we have the receipts to prove it. 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,” the spokesperson said.
According to the lawsuit, the company’s former CEO insisted Mavromatis “meet him in his home for one-on-one meetings while commenting on the way she looked in her clothes.” When she complained about a client making unwanted advances, she alleged she was told “she should be honored that the client was hitting on her,” the complaint said. A company spokesperson called the allegations “fabricated for the sole purpose of sparking headlines.”
Mavromatis also alleged she was treated differently from her male counterparts, told to "shut up” or “stop talking” during a meeting, and demeaned by MrBeast, whose name is Jimmy Donaldson.
“Executives’ demeaning treatment towards women was publicly displayed at MrBeast headquarters when male executives laughed and made jokes at the office about female contestants of BeastGames who complained they did not have access to feminine hygiene products and clean underwear while participating in the show,” the lawsuit said.
According to the complaint, Mavromatis was demoted to a division where “careers go to die” after she complained about the hostile environment. She alleged she was fired less than three weeks after she returned from maternity leave. Though he was told her position was terminated, she alleged that Donaldson hired a male employee to perform her former duties after she was fired.
“MrBeast terminated Plaintiff less than three weeks after she returned from FMLA and pregnancy-related leave, telling her that she was ‘too high caliber’ for the role she was demoted into after formally complaining about sexual harassment and the hostile work environment at MrBeast,” the lawsuit said.
Her lawsuit accused Donaldson’s companies of a violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act, wrongful termination, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Donaldson runs the most-subscribed YouTube channel -- with more than 479 million subscribers -- and is working on a game show series with Amazon MGM Studios.
