Two production companies owned by YouTube star MrBeast have been sued by a former executive who alleges sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, and wrongful termination in a federal complaint filed in North Carolina on Wednesday.
Lorrayne Mavromatis, who worked as head of Instagram and later head of creative at Beast Industries, claims she faced a hostile work environment where male executives made demeaning comments about women and dismissed harassment complaints. The lawsuit targets MrBeastYouTube and GameChanger 24/7, both owned by Jimmy Donaldson, though Donaldson himself is not named as a defendant.
The allegations against company leadership
Mavromatis alleges that former CEO James Warren, who is Donaldson's cousin, sexually harassed her by requiring one-on-one meetings at his home while commenting on her appearance. When she questioned why Donaldson would not work with her on certain projects, Warren allegedly told her she is a "beautiful woman" whose "appearance had a certain sexual effect on Jimmy."
"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."
Warren allegedly made this comment to Mavromatis, according to the lawsuit. The complaint states that after these incidents, Mavromatis "began to wear baggy clothes and baseball caps, so her looks would not potentially negatively impact her employment."
The lawsuit also describes a workplace culture where male executives allegedly laughed about female contestants on Beast Games who complained about lacking access to feminine hygiene products and clean underwear during filming.
Company handbook and workplace policies
The complaint highlights a company handbook distributed to employees titled "How to Succeed In MrBeast Production" that included problematic language. The handbook reportedly contained sections such as "It's okay for the boys to be childish" and instructed employees to "do everything you can to empower the boys when filming."
- The handbook stated "No Does Not Mean No"
- It declared "The Amount of hours you work is irrelevant"
- It encouraged letting talent "draw a dick on the white board" or "do something stupid"
Mavromatis claims the company lacked formal policies for reporting sexual harassment and discrimination incidents in 2023, when she filed her complaint with the HR department, which was run by Donaldson's mother, Sue Parisher.
Retaliation and termination
After Mavromatis complained to HR in November 2023, the company conducted an investigation that concluded her claims were "unsubstantiated." She was subsequently demoted to what the lawsuit describes as "an isolated, middle-manager position in the struggling and unpopular Merchandise division," which employees allegedly knew as the place where "careers go to die."
When Mavromatis became pregnant and took maternity leave in January 2025, she claims the company violated the Family and Medical Leave Act by requiring her to work during her leave. The lawsuit alleges she was "on a work conference call while in the labor and delivery room" and was asked to work on multiple projects, including a trip to Brazil, while supposedly on leave.
Mavromatis was terminated less than three weeks after returning from maternity leave, with the company allegedly telling her she was "too high caliber" for her demoted role.
How the outlets are framing it
Rolling Stone (left-leaning) emphasized the detailed allegations of sexual harassment and the toxic workplace culture, leading with the hostile work environment claims.
Just Jared (centre) focused on the company's denial and included Donaldson's response at the Time100 Summit about bringing in experienced leadership.
The Hollywood Reporter (centre) balanced the allegations with the company's strong denial, highlighting the "clout-chasing" characterization.
The Verge (centre-left) connected the lawsuit to previous Beast Games contestant complaints and emphasized the tech industry workplace culture angle.
The Independent (centre-left) highlighted the maternity leave violations and the detail about working from the delivery room.
Beast Industries has strongly denied all allegations, calling the lawsuit "clout-chasing" and claiming to have "extensive evidence" including Slack messages, WhatsApp conversations, and witness testimony that refutes the claims. The company distributed a formal employee handbook in March 2025 detailing Family and Medical Leave Act rights as part of instituting formal policies and processes. Mavromatis is seeking lost wages, reinstatement, compensatory damages, punitive damages, and attorney fees.
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