MrBeast sued over claims of sexual harassment, firing a new mom

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A woman who used to work at Beast Industries, the company behind the MrBeast YouTube channel, is suing them. She claims she experienced sexual harassment and was fired soon after returning from maternity leave.

Lorrayne Mavromatis, a social media professional originally from Brazil, is suing her employer, claiming she experienced sexual harassment by company management. The lawsuit states she was demoted after voicing her concerns. According to the complaint filed Wednesday in federal court, Ms. Mavromatis was also pressured to participate in a work call while in labor and was expected to continue working during her legally protected maternity leave, violating the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Beast Industries strongly denies the claims made, calling them a transparent attempt to gain attention and based on false information. According to a company spokesperson, Gaude Paez, they have substantial proof – including messages, documents, and witness accounts – to disprove the allegations. They stated they will not be pressured by lawyers seeking a financial settlement.

Jimmy Donaldson, now 27, started MrBeast as a gaming channel when he was a teenager. It quickly grew into a massive media company, currently valued at around $5 billion. Today, MrBeast employs 500 people and has a huge following of 450 million subscribers who enjoy its videos featuring games, daring challenges, and generous giveaways.

According to the lawsuit, Mavromatis, who started as head of Instagram in 2022, reported a widespread environment of discrimination and harassment.

In her lawsuit, the plaintiff claims that the company’s ex-CEO, James Warren, repeatedly asked to meet with her alone at his house. During these meetings, he allegedly commented on her appearance and downplayed her concerns when she reported a male client’s inappropriate behavior, even suggesting she should feel flattered by his advances.

When Mavromatis inquired why MrBeast, Donaldson, wouldn’t collaborate with her, she was told it was because of her attractiveness and the effect it had on him. Specifically, she was informed that he would pretend to use the restroom simply to avoid being around her.

Paez refuted the claim.

Paez called the claim ‘ridiculous,’ stating it was intentionally made up to generate media attention.

Mavromatis stated that Donaldson subjected her to several disrespectful requests, including demanding she bring him a beer in exchange for allowing her to film her video.

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff, a woman in a leadership position at a company dominated by men, faced discrimination. This included being left out of meetings with her male coworkers, being publicly humiliated, experiencing harassment, and witnessing male colleagues receive better opportunities at work.

During a team meeting, Mavromatis reported that a male coworker told her to be quiet or stop speaking after she asked a question.

She reported that male executives at MrBeast’s headquarters in North Carolina made fun of female contestants on BeastGames who had raised concerns about not having enough feminine hygiene products or clean underwear during filming.

According to a lawsuit, in November 2023, Mavromatis officially reported to Sue Parisher—MrBeast’s mother and the company’s HR head at the time—that she and other female employees had been subjected to sexual harassment, inappropriate encounters, and a demeaning and hostile work environment while working at MrBeast.

Honestly, what really bothered me about this case is that Beast Industries didn’t seem to have a way for people to safely report problems. It wasn’t like they had an anonymous hotline or anything – they just told everyone to look at their employee handbook, which they called ‘How to Succeed In MrBeast Production,’ like that would actually solve things. It just feels like they weren’t setting up a system where people could speak up without fear of getting in trouble.

The lawsuit alleges that company guidance told employees to allow inappropriate behavior, stating it was acceptable for male employees to act immaturely, and that even if someone objected, it shouldn’t necessarily be respected. Specifically, the guidance reportedly permitted employees to draw offensive images and engage in foolish actions without consequence.

Mavromatis alleges that she was demoted and then fired.

According to Paez, Mavromatis lost her job because of a restructuring within a struggling division of Beast Industries, and she was informed about the decision.

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2026-04-22 22:01