Billionaire YouTuber MrBeast embroiled in bitter feud over his chocolate bar brand
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Billionaire YouTuber MrBeast embroiled in bitter feud over his chocolate bar brand
Published June 26, 2026, 9:45 a.m. ET
Yet another dispute is brewing between Jimmy Donaldson — aka MrBeast — and a clutch of his investors.
This time the issues center on Feastables, Donaldson’s chocolate and snack brand which is part of his holding company, Beast Industries, valued at close to $5 billion.
A handful of Feastable investors have grown fed up with how the YouTube sensation has allegedly handled the brand, which launched in 2022.
Page Six Hollywood has learned that the irate backers are lawyering up, and appear ready to issue a legal challenge over what sources deem to be Donaldson’s alleged contract breaches. These purported breaches center on a range of issues including the use and exclusivity of his image and likeness.
The snack brand, which launched with a Willy Wonka style promotional event — complete with a real-life chocolate factory and a handful of “golden tickets” — got off to a promising start generating around $250 million in revenue in 2024.
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Leaked investor material once forecasted that the brand could pull in $500 million in 2025, although a source familiar with the financials says revenue has since dropped.
A source close to Donaldson pushed back on the notion of any wrongdoing, blaming the dispute on a changeover of representation that occurred a couple of years ago.
“Jimmy didn’t make these deals, his previous managers did and it is pretty rich that it’s coming up right now,” said the source. The source didn’t dispute that the brand has been challenged, but said that hiring Jeff Housenbold in 2024 as president and CEO of Beast Industries and Damien Atkins as chief legal officer has helped boost the company. They’ve also brought in Michelle St. Jacques, the former Molson Coors chief commercial officer, as president of Feastables. “The problems they’ve had were things that came from the people who were there before,” said an insider.
The 28-year-old YouTube showman is already embroiled in a years-long legal feud with his former partner, restaurateur Robert Earl and his Virtual Dining Concepts, over the 2020 launch of MrBeast Burger.
Two years after launch, Donaldson moved to shut down the chain and filed a lawsuit against VDC to terminate their partnership, alleging that the dining firm’s rapid expansion of the brand came at the expense of quality control, resulting in a “revolting” customer experience, according to court documents filed in New York state court.
VDC then countersued for over $100 million, alleging breach of contract and intentional tortious interference. The dispute is ongoing.
Donaldson is also facing a class action lawsuit from participants of Season 1 of “Beast Games” — the reality competition series that aired on Amazon Prime Video. According to court filings in California state court, the plaintiffs in that case allege that their expenses and wages went unpaid, that they lacked medical care and adequate food during production, and that some were sexually harassed.
A rep for Beast said at the time of those allegations: “The MrBeast promotional video shoot, which included over 2,000 participants, was unfortunately complicated by the CrowdStrike incident, extreme weather, and other unexpected logistical and communications issues, which we are currently reviewing, but we are grateful that virtually all of those invited to Toronto for our next production have enthusiastically accepted our invitation.” The show has gone on for two more seasons.
Donaldson, meanwhile, is raising hundreds of millions for Beast Industries in addition to the $680 million he’s already raised from a mix of individual investors, family funds and sovereign backed funds and crypto funds, a source said.
Donaldson has a slate of ventures in the works, including a wireless carrier and a banking product, called Step, (that drew the attention of Sen. Elizabeth Warren earlier this year).
Donaldson recently made history by becoming the first individual content creator to surpass 500 million subscribers on YouTube.
The YouTube pioneer is worth a reported $2.6 billion and has a $100 million contract with Amazon alone.
He also has hundreds of employees, and for years has had a reputation for accumulating huge profits — and huge losses — partially on account of the extremely elaborate setups for his videos. (He lost a reported $110 million in 2024).
But the YouTube whiz also said that despite the big business numbers, he’s personally broke. He famously has told The Wall Street Journal: “Technically, everyone watching this video has more money than me in their bank account if you subtract the equity value of my company, which doesn’t buy me McDonald’s in the morning.”
He brought in Housenbold in 2024 to help steady the company’s finances. Housenbold has said that he wants to model Beast Industries on the Walt Disney Company telling Bloomberg “There’s such a bigger opportunity here than just being a YouTuber.”
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
