Did MrBeast Cross the SAG-AFTRA Picket Line?

MrBeast, real name James Stephen Donaldson, is not only one of the most famous YouTubers in history, but also has the second most-subscribed channel (beaten out by T-Series) on the entire platform. He’s known for his outlandish philanthropic stunts.

As we’ve covered before, Donaldson is no stranger to controversy. He’s caught flack for recruiting his own fanbase to go to grocers and tidy up display stands for his mediocre chocolate and had a slew of workplace toxicity accusations lodged against him. As Yahoo News reports, several former employees of Donaldson came forward about miserable working conditions.

Now he’s got a new controversy for seemingly crossing the SAG-AFTRA picket line. A few days ago, he promoted the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem on his instagram account, which allegedly broke SAG-AFTRA strike orders. According to the SAG-AFTRA website, influencers are advised to not work with struck companies nor do any promotion for their content.

So, did MrBeast break those guidelines? Well, not exactly. Twitter account Dexertonox first reported the story, but Donaldson rebuked it. He clarified, saying that the promotion was a contract signed prior to the strike, which he was legally obligated to fulfill. As per SAG guidelines, influencers under contract are allowed to promote said work, even if it’s from a struck company. MrBeast, who is reportedly worth around $100 million, also said that he would donate money to SAG-AFTRA that day.

This clears up pretty much most of the controversy, but there are still a few problems here that I think are important to discuss. MrBeast is a philanthrocapitalist with a long history of toxic self-promotion. His (probably) paltry donation to SAG cannot and should not act as a church indulgence for the sins of a rich white man, whose long-term goals are profiteering and branding. His “charity” consistently exploits vulnerable people for his own personal gain.

There is so much more that he, and other rich people like him, could do to help strikers right now. MrBeast is only obligated to do the bare minimum for public image and nothing else. As ABC.net.au says, he turns poverty into entertainment for others to gawk at, which continues to go unaddressed, both by him and his followers.

If we want to truly help those tossed aside by greedy production companies and AI, we need better allies. This movement needs more than men who saw Squid Game’s anti-capitalist messaging as an opportunity for doing more capitalism.

(featured image: YouTube/MrBeast )