YouTube star MrBeast breaks silence as co-host Ava Kris Tyson denies grooming claims

25 July 2024, 12:27

YouTube star MrBeast has broken his silence after accusations of grooming emerged against his friend and co-host Ava Kris Tyson.

Ms Tyson, 28, who features prominently on MrBeast’s 305 million subscriber channel, was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a minor, aged 13 at the time, when she was 20.

Reacting to the allegations, MrBeast said he was "disgusted" and "opposed" to Ms Tyson's alleged actions.

In a post on X, he said: "Over the last few days, I’ve become aware of the serious allegations of Ava Tyson's behavior online and I am disgusted and opposed to such unacceptable acts.

"During that time, I have been focused on hiring an independent third party to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure I have all the facts.

"That said, I’ve seen enough online and taken immediate action to remove Ava from the company, my channel, and any association with MrBeast. I do not condone or support any of the inappropriate actions.

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"I will allow the independent investigators the necessary time to conduct a comprehensive investigation and will take any further actions based on their findings."

She denies claims of grooming, as does the alleged victim, but accepts some of her behaviour online may have been offensive or inappropriate.

Writing on X, Ms Tyson wrote: “I would like to apologize for any of my past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone. It was not my intent.

“Having said that, I humbly apologise to anyone I have hurt with my unacceptable social media posts, past actions, and to those who may feel betrayed by how I used to act online.

“Seeing recent events we’ve mutually decided it’s best I permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media to focus on my family and mental health.

“I want to add, I never groomed anyone.

“To lump these two factors together to create a narrative that my behavior extended beyond bad edgy jokes is disgusting and did not happen.

“In past years, I have learned that my old humor is not acceptable. I cannot change who I was, but I can continue to work on myself.

“I don't want these accusations to impact the hundreds of people who work at MrBeast, which is why I have stepped away.”

The allegations first emerged in a YouTube video last month, which named the alleged victim.

Writing on social media, the alleged victim rejected claims that grooming occurred.

They wrote: "These videos are massive lies and twisting the truth.

"Ava never did anything wrong and just made a few edgy jokes. I was never exploited or taken advantage of."

Ava Kris Tyson announced last year that she was a transgender woman and would undergo gender-affirming therapy while changing her pronouns to she/her.

MrBeast has shot to fame over the last decade, becoming the most subscribed creator on YouTube.

His content consists of giveaways, challenges to win cash and high-budget social experiments.