As a teenager, MrBeast made some bad jokes while trying to be funny, a spokesperson for the YouTube star has acknowledged.
“Like many kids,” he used “inappropriate language,” but learned his lesson as he got older and became more aware of the power of words.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, discovered as his now $700 million online empire exploded that “increasing influence comes with increased responsibility,” the spokesperson continued in a statement to the Associated Press.
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The admission came after several accusations were made about Donaldson online.
The allegedly racist and homophobic comments were made before MrBeast became a YouTube juggernaut with his polished videos of gifts and quirky challenges that routinely attract more than 100 million views.
Clips have recently surfaced of comments Donaldson made as he built his career as a gaming content creator.
In a 2017 clip, he reportedly responded to a viewer commenting on selling Black people for money, writing, according to the AP, that “the most I would pay is probably 300.” He is also said to have used a homophobic slur.
“His first videos, where he was trying to be an edgy gamer and streamer, and he said horrible things and nasty things—I didn’t know that. I had no idea that history was there,” Rosanna Pansino, the YouTube influencer who posted the clip, told the AP.
In another clip, Donaldson suggested he would have sex with rapper Bhad Bhabie, who was then just 14.
“When Jimmy was a teenager he acted like many kids and used inappropriate language while trying to be funny,” his spokesperson told the AP.
“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.”
