MrBeast claps back at critics slamming him for hiring his mom to work for him

MrBeast claps back at critics slamming him after it was revealed that he hired his mom to work for him.

Few creators in the history of the internet have built an empire quite like Jimmy 'MrBeast' Donaldson.

What started as a teenager posting Minecraft clips from his bedroom has evolved into one of the most recognisable brands in the world. His content spans jaw-dropping challenge videos, a real-life Squid Game recreation, a Netflix series, and two successful seasons of his Amazon Prime hit Beast Games.

However, despite his net worth estimated at over $1 billion, MrBeast's finances have been a surprising source of controversy.

The internet personality has been open about the fact that he personally holds relatively little of that wealth, as he reinvests the vast majority of his earnings back into his content and businesses.

"I personally have very little money because I reinvest everything (I think this year we’ll spend around a quarter of a billion on content)," he posted on X last year.

The 27-year-old has also been in the firing range of social media for borrowing money from his mother to help fund his upcoming wedding.

Now, a clip from his Vanity Fair interview has caused a stir over MrBeast's decision to hire his mother. In the video, Donaldson recalls the moment he landed a $40,000 brand deal and turned to his mum for advice.

However, he was shocked when his mom told him that that $40,000 was around her annual salary.

"That's when I was like, come over here, work for me then," he laughed. "My mom was one of the first people I hired, so she didn't have to do jobs she didn't love."

He added: "Money was a really big driving factor [...] I wanted to take care of my mom back then."

Last year, Donaldson reacted to his 'Hi me in 10 years' YouTube video where he admitted his motivation for YouTube was to make money for his mother and 'not be a burden on her.'

To everyone roasting me for hiring my mom and not retiring her, this was when I was first growing. I barely had enough money to support myself and videos. Stop making assumptions about my finances when I was 19 lol

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) May 5, 2026

Predictably, the internet found a way to make the whole ordeal controversial in that Donaldson should have long since retired his mother rather than keeping her on the payroll.

"To everyone roasting me for hiring my mom and not retiring her, this was when I was first growing," he replied to the interview on X. "I barely had enough money to support myself and videos. Stop making assumptions about my finances when I was 19 lol."

Some fans have been showing their support for his decision, with one writing: "At 19 you finally hit a brand deal worth your mom’s annual salary and hired her instead of playing pretend millionaire? "That’s not a scandal, that’s loyalty."

Another commented: "Geez, people still find a way to roast someone even doing a good deed?"