Earlier this year, Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson signed a deal with Prime Video to create Beast Games, a competition show that was reportedly worth Amazon shelling out $100 million for. But before the first episode of Beast Games has even premiered, a lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles alleging that MrBeast’s production company created a “toxic environment” that included sexual harassment, failure to pay minimum and overtime wages, and unfair business practices.
There were previous reports about Beast Games not providing enough food or medical care for the contestants. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, the proposed class-action lawsuit goes even further by accusing the production company of coercing contestants into agreeing to “unconscionable contracts with illegal terms and illusory obligations” that not only misclassified their employment status, it also allowed the show “to avoid protections related to minimum and overtime wages, mandatory meal breaks, and worker compensation benefits.”
The complaint states that the production company created a “culture of misogyny and sexism” that led to a “hostile and toxic work environment” for female contestants who were subjected to “severe embarrassment and unfair disadvantage.” The lawsuit quotes a MrBeast Production employee handbook as a top-down example of the sexism involved: “It’s okay for the boys to be childish… If talent wants to draw a dick on the white board in the video or do something stupid, let them. Really do everything you can to empower the boys when filming and help them make content. Help them be idiots.”
Now that the lawsuit has been filed, it’s up to a Superior Court judge to decide if the plaintiffs’ proposed class action will go forward and include everyone who was a contestant on Beast Games. The plaintiffs’ lawyers also suggested that the production company could be held liable for millions in damages if the case is proven in court.
Image credit: Images/Jeff Kravitz
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