Twitter Widely Decries MrBeast Backlash Amid Latest Charity Video

• In his latest charity video, MrBeast gave away 20,000 pairs of shoes to African students in need.
• Some continue to criticize the YouTuber for profiting from systemic issues like poverty.
• But many on Twitter have been struggling to make sense of why MrBeast continues to be slammed for his good deeds.

MrBeast is defending his latest charity video, in which he chronicled “giving away 20,000 shoes to children in Africa,” as fans have vehemently supported the YouTuber over the past few weeks, even amid a spate of backlash.

In his latest charity video, which has three million views and counting, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, said children in South Africa cannot walk to school every day due to a lack of shoes. “You have to walk for miles over rough terrain, broken glass and contaminated water,” he says in the video above.

Donaldson has teamed up with Barefoot No More, a Johannesburg-based non-profit that makes seamless shoes out of plastic granules, to help run his latest major charity giveaway. He recorded the event on Beast Philanthropy, a secondary channel where all advertising revenue benefits his eponymous charity.

As expected, the video was recorded criticism on Twitter, including claims that Donaldson was fixing systemic problems like poverty for his own benefit instead of fixing the underlying problems. (The top YouTuber has received this criticism in the past, most recently for his viral video in January, in which he said he had “cured” a thousand people of blindness.)

Donaldson addressed those allegations again. On Thursday, the creator took to Twitter to respond to a user who had tweeted that his videos weren’t “actually charitable.”

“People who praise things like ‘good Mr. Mr. Beast’ ignore the reality that he makes a profit from these kinds of videos. That’s not really charity.” @UpwardBoss wrote. Her tweet was liked over 5,500 times.

Donaldson replied that he still benefits his charity, Beast Philanthropy, from her YouTube efforts.

“No hate, you may just not have seen this channel, but it is actually a charity and I obviously don’t benefit from it,” Donaldson replied @UpwardBoss. “100% of all animal charity proceeds go towards running my food banks and helping alleviate human suffering, and since inception I have personally pledged millions to the love of animals.”

Despite some ongoing criticism, many more people rushed to Donaldson’s defense as of Friday. Twitter users and other YouTubers say they find these criticisms deeply unfair — and that Donaldson has done more good than harm.

“Mr Beast helped more people?” tweeted Comment YouTuber MoistCr1TiKaL. “Thankfully the intellectual saints on Twitter are here to explain why good things are actually bad and nothing positive is real.”

Some noted that while it’s fair to criticize the mechanisms in which Donaldson operates, the backlash has grown far too great of late.

“It’s part of the machine. He’s not going to fix capitalism, he’s going to operate in it — and it’s good that he’s also doing good,” YouTuber Ludwig Ahgren said in a recent video about the ordeal. “You don’t have to love him for doing charity work … but hating him for it seems a bit backward. Is it better if he doesn’t? I do not think so.”

Others poked fun at the discourse, joking that they would keep the YouTuber at gunpoint when he saved her mother who was dying of cancer, or when he throws an epic tantrum world hunger ended.

In addition to defending Beast Philanthropy, Donaldson also attempted to clarify the origins of his MrBeast Burger Ghost Kitchen business.

In response to a critical tweet that has since been deleted, Donaldson said the chain also has roots in altruism.

“I started Beast Burger during Covid because restaurants were struggling and I wanted to give them a way to make extra money.” he wrote. “I never made a dime from it either, we just reinvest the proceeds into ads to help restaurants make more money.”

Insider has reached out to Donaldson and his team for further comment.