A former MrBeast employee has sued the famous YouTuber’s company, alleging it violated the Family and Medical Leave Act and retaliated against her after she reported sexual harassment and a hostile work environment.
Lorrayne Mavromatis joined the company, founded by 27-year-old Jimmy Donaldson, in 2022 as head of Instagram and worked in social media roles until leaving in 2025.
Her complaint, filed Wednesday in federal court in North Carolina, says that she experienced a workplace in which sexual harassment and hostile treatment of female employees were common.
A MrBeast spokesperson broadly denied the allegations.
“This clout-chasing complaint is built on deliberate misrepresentations and categorically false statements, and we have the receipts to prove it,” they said in a statement. “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.”
Mavromatis’ suit alleges that in November 2023, she complained of sexual harassment and hostile work conditions to then-human resources head Sue Parisher (who is Donaldson’s mother) and then-CEO James Warren’s aunt. The suit says Mavromatis was told two months later that her claims were “unsubstantiated.”
The suit says she was then demoted to a midlevel management position in a division that employees referred to as a place “careers go to die.” The MrBeast spokesperson said Mavromatis was not demoted but moved into a role she requested, and her salary didn’t change.
The suit alleges that MrBeast’s company never sent Mavromatis information about her FMLA rights before she took maternity leave in early 2025. The complaint says the company terminated her less than three weeks after she returned from leave, telling her that she was “too high caliber” for her role.
The MrBeast spokesperson shared a screenshot of Mavromatis’ signature acknowledging receipt of the employee handbook, which they said showed she was aware of the FMLA policy.
Mavromatis’ suit alleges that she feared retaliation for not working during her pregnancy leave, and says she was on a work conference call while in the labor and delivery room.
The MrBeast spokesperson shared a screenshot that they said showed a Slack exchange between Mavromatis and a coworker. In the exchange, Mavromatis said she needed to postpone a meeting because she was in labor, to which the coworker responded in all caps, “BUT OF COURSE.”
The suit alleged that a few weeks after giving birth, the company asked Mavromatis to work, including on the production of a video in Brazil with the Brazilian soccer star Neymar.
The company shared a screenshot that it said showed Mavromatis offering to go to Brazil for the Neymar shoot, despite being on maternity leave, citing the value of having her as a Brazilian citizen on the ground.
The suit says MrBeast’s company was a hostile environment for women
The suit makes a series of claims about the workplace environment and Donaldson.
It alleges that Warren, a cousin of Donaldson, made her meet him in his home for one-on-one meetings and told her that her appearance had a “certain sexual effect on Jimmy.”
The suit says that when Mavromatis asked Warren why Donaldson would not meet with her on certain projects, Warren told her, “Jimmy gets really awkward around beautiful women. Let’s just say that when you’re around and he goes to the restroom, he’s not actually using the restroom.”
The MrBeast spokesperson said Donaldson has an eye condition and Crohn’s disease, both of which he’s been open about, which explains his lack of eye contact with Mavromatis and his trips to the bathroom.
Mavromatis’ suit alleged Donaldson once asked her to fetch him a beer — something she never saw him ask a male employee to do — and when she brought it to him, he took one swig and tossed it on the ground.
The suit also says that “executives’ demeaning treatment towards women was publicly displayed at MrBeast headquarters when male executives laughed and made jokes at the office about female contestants of BeastGames who complained they did not have access to feminine hygiene products and clean underwear while participating in the show.”
The company has faced workplace controversies
MrBeast has previously faced workplace-related controversies.
In 2024, Donaldson cut ties with an employee and friend who was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a minor. Around the same time, Donaldson gave a statement apologizing for using racist and homophobic language earlier in his career after some of the comments resurfaced online. That year, the company shared plans to hire an HR officer and implement companywide sensitivity training as part of an assessment of its internal culture.
On the set of his “Beast Games” Amazon show, a worker was hit by a collapsing tower and spent eight days in the hospital, Business Insider previously reported.
More recently, Donaldson said he’s worked 15-hour days and has an unhealthy work-life balance.
Some of the years of Mavromatis’ employment coincide with a time when MrBeast’s company was run largely by Donaldson and family members. The company has since hired several outside professionals, including current CEO Jeff Housenbold, as it seeks to improve profitability and prepare for an eventual IPO.
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