YouTube juggernaut MrBeast is under fire — again.
This time, the world’s most-subscribed creator, real name Jimmy Donaldson, is facing backlash over his latest viral hit: a jaw-dropping spectacle titled “Would You Risk Dying for $500,000?” In it, a professional stuntman named Eric navigates through seven fiery, Hollywood-style “death traps” to collect bags of cash. From being shot out of a cannon into fire to escaping a smoke-filled house rigged to explode, the video has already racked up more than 45 million views since dropping on Saturday.
But not everyone is cheering.
Critics on social media have slammed the video as “irresponsible,” “dystopian,” and “humiliating,” claiming it sends a dangerous message to young fans who may try to imitate the high-risk challenges. Others raised ethical concerns, likening it to a “real-life Squid Game.”
But Donaldson isn’t backing down.
“I take safety more serious than you could ever imagine,” he wrote Monday on X (formerly Twitter), responding to the wave of online outrage. “Obviously we had ventilation for the smoke and a kill switch to cut off the fires. We had professionals test this extensively and the guy in the video is a professional stuntman.”
A pinned comment on the video doubled down, noting that a dedicated pyro team was on set, and multiple fire suppression systems were in place for every stunt. “None of these systems were ever needed,” the comment said. “Just wanted to be transparent with you all since I saw some concern!”
Eric, the stuntman star of the show, walked away with $500,000 — a hefty payday for a video that’s being called both a technical marvel and a moral landmine.
Still, this isn’t MrBeast’s first run-in with controversy.
Earlier this year, his Beast Games Amazon series — where 1,000 contestants competed for a $5 million prize — was hit with a lawsuit alleging poor treatment of participants. Donaldson dismissed the claims as “blown out of proportion.”
With 440+ million subscribers, brand partnerships, fast food ventures, and massive cash giveaways, MrBeast remains the most powerful — and polarizing — figure on the platform. Whether you see him as a genius showman or a digital-age ringmaster, one thing’s for sure:
