Former MrBeast exec sues over ‘years’ of alleged harassment

A former employee of Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson has filed a lawsuit alleging that she faced “intentional infliction of emotional distress” from harassment at the YouTuber’s production company, was asked to work during maternity leave, and was wrongfully fired just a few weeks after returning from leave. According to the lawsuit, plaintiff Lorrayne Mavromatis and other female employees were demeaned by their male colleagues, who perpetuated a toxic, “male-centric workplace.”

Mavromatis was one of the few women in the executive suite at Beast Industries before she was fired. The lawsuit claims that she faced unwanted sexual advances and comments about her appearance while working for Donaldson’s company, including from the company’s former CEO James Warren, who is also Donaldson’s cousin. Mavromatis says Warren made “her meet him in his home for one-on-one meetings while commenting on the way she looked in her clothes.” He also allegedly “told her that she is a beautiful woman and her appearance had a certain sexual effect on Jimmy.”

The lawsuit adds that, Mavromatis “complained about the sexual harassment and the hostile environment she and other women were experiencing to MrBeast’s Head of Human Resources, who at the time was [Sue] Parisher,” Jimmy Donaldson’s mother. Mavromatis was told her claims were “unsubstantiated,” and she was demoted shortly afterward.

Beast Industries also didn’t have a formal employee handbook during Mavromatis’s time there, as the lawsuit states:

Upon information and belief, during Plaintiff’s employment, MrBeast did not have an Employee Handbook with standard employment policies and practices. Instead, MrBeast distributed a handbook to employees titled, “How to Succeed In MrBeast Production” that included sections such as “It’s okay for the boys to be childish” and states, “[i]f talent wants to draw a dick on the white board in the video or do something stupid, let them.” The handbook states, “[D]o everything you can to empower the boys when filming.” MrBeast directs employees to go to great lengths to get results and that there are no excuses to not getting the job done. The handbook tells employees, “No Does Not Mean No” and “The Amount of hours you work is irrelevant.”

Donaldson was also sued in 2024 by former contestants on his Beast Games reality show who say they faced “chronic mistreatment,” neglect, and sexual harassment.

Beast Industries spokeswoman Gaude Paez responded to Mavromatis’s lawsuit in a statement to The Verge, saying, “This clout-chasing complaint is built on deliberate misrepresentations and categorically false statements, and we have the receipts to prove it. There is extensive evidence — including Slack and WhatsApp messages, company documents, and witness testimony — that unequivocally refutes her claims. We will not submit to opportunistic lawyers looking to manufacture a payday from us.”

Update, April 22nd: Added comment from Beast Industries spokeswoman Gaude Paez.