Warning: This article contains references to sexual abuse.
Ava Kris Tyson, a longtime co-host of numerous MrBeast’s shows, stepped down from the role to focus on family and mental health. That is a result of multiple serious allegations against her in July.
Fans of MrBeast should need no introduction to Ava Kris Tyson. She often appeared in Donaldson’s videos and was even often a face of Beast Reacts, which, as the title suggests, was a side channel mostly focused on reaction content.
However, in July, Tyson was accused by other YouTubers of sending inappropriate messages to minors and grooming them.
Who is Ava Kris Tyson?
Tyson’s content creation journey began in 2012, when MrBeast started his channel, which is currently the biggest on the platform with more than 300 million subscribers. In these 12 years, Tyson was a part of many different pranks, challenges, and other videos you typically see on MrBeast’s channel. As we mentioned, she was also a pivotal part of the Beast Reacts channel.
In March 2023, Tyson revealed she and her wife had been already separated for a year, and later on, she announced that she had started hormone replacement therapy. Shortly after, she changed her pronouns to she/her, after which she started experiencing transphobic attacks online. Tyson was defended by both MrBeast and her ex-wife in the light of these attacks at that time.
In the meantime, Tyson also had her own private YouTube channel which had a little over 20,000 subscribers before the allegations were made.
What are allegations made against Ava Kris Tyson?
In July, a video was posted online, which outlined the accusations against Ava Kris Tyson. It claimed that the interactions between Tyson and her fan, going by the online name of LavaGS, started when they were 20 and 13, respectively.
While the original clip was taken down, it was already spreading on the internet, with numerous commentary channels and creators taking the matter under scope. This forced Tyson to make a public statement on July 23, where she apologized and announced her departure from MrBeast.
“I would like to apologize for any of my past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone. It was not my intent. Seeing recent events we’ve mutually decided it’s best I permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media to focus on my family and mental health.”
Simultaneously, Tyson underlined she “never groomed anyone.” On top of that, she mentioned how LavaGS, who is brought up in these accusations, has verbally supported and denied the claims about Tyson’s grooming allegations. That appears to be true, with LavaGS talking about it on X on July 22.
“These videos are massive lies and twisting the truth. Ana never did anything wrong and just made a few edgy jokes. I was never exploited or taken advantage of,” LavaGS wrote.
Nevertheless, Tyson apologized to anyone who had been hurt by her past actions or social media posts. She also left MrBeast’s, since she didn’t want to have these accusations impact the people who are part of Donaldson’s content creation team.
How did MrBeast react?
Donaldson also addressed the situation via his X account on July 25. The YouTuber acknowledged the allegations that had been made against Tyson, and revealed he’s “disgusted and opposed to such unacceptable acts.”
The content creator decided to take matters into his own hands. “I have been focused on hiring an independent third party to conduct a thorough investigation to ensure I have all the facts,” he wrote.
Since then, there have been no updates regarding the situation, with Donaldson’s investigation’s findings being likely able to shed new details on the matter in an unforeseen future. Tyson herself decided to focus on her family and mental health, according to her post from july 24.
If you know someone suffering from sexual violence, contact RAINN or the National Sexual Abuse Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.