Beast Games Participants File Lawsuit Against MrBeast Production Company

Earlier this year, Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson signed a deal with Prime Video to create Beast Games, a competition show that Amazon reportedly paid $100 million for. But before the first episode of Beast Games even aired, a lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles alleging that MrBeast’s production company created a “toxic environment” that included sexual harassment, failure to pay minimum wage and overtime, and unfair business practices.

There had already been reports that Beast Games wasn’t providing enough food or medical care to contestants. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, the proposed class action goes even further, accusing the production company of forcing contestants into “unconscionable contracts with illegal clauses and illusory obligations” that not only misclassified their employment status, but also allowed the show to “avoid minimum wage and overtime protections, mandatory meal breaks and workers’ compensation.”

The complaint claims the production company created a “culture of misogyny and sexism” that led to a “hostile and toxic work environment” for female candidates who were subjected to “severe embarrassment and unfair disadvantage.” The complaint cites a MrBeast Production employee handbook as an example of the sexism at issue: “It’s okay for guys to be childish… If talent wants to draw a penis on the whiteboard in the video or do something stupid, let them do it. Really do everything you can to empower the guys on set and help them create content. Help them be idiots.”

Now that the lawsuit has been filed, it is up to a Superior Court judge to decide whether the plaintiffs’ proposed class action will proceed and include all Beast Games participants. The plaintiffs’ attorneys have also suggested that the production company could be liable for millions of dollars in damages if the case is proven in court.