2024-07-25 16:15:02
One of MrBeast’s YouTube co-hosts, Ava Kris Tyson, announced she’s quitting the popular channel after allegations of grooming a minor.
Tyson, 28, was recently accused of sending inappropriate messages when she was 20 to a then-13-year-old.
Tyson addressed the allegations on social media on Tuesday.
“I would like to apologize for any of my past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone,” Tyson began her statement. “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,” she added.
In follow-up tweets, Tyson said, “I want to add, I never groomed anyone. The person who gets brought up in these accusations,” who uses the handle @LavaGS on X and goes by Lava, “has vocally supported that they are false.”
Lava, now 20, wrote, “Ava never did anything wrong and just made a few edgy jokes. I was never exploited or taken advantage of.”
Tyson similarly acknowledged making off-color comments. “I humbly apologize to anyone I have hurt with my unacceptable social media posts, past actions, and to those who may feel betrayed by how I used to act online.”
“To lump these two factors together to create a narrative that my behavior extended beyond bad edgy jokes is disgusting and did not happen,” she went on. “In past years, I have learned that my old humor is not acceptable. I cannot change who I was, but I can continue to work on myself.”
Tyson added, “I don’t want these accusations to impact the hundreds of people who work at MrBeast, which is why I have stepped away.”
Since 2012, Tyson had appeared alongside MrBeast, now 26, on his YouTube channel, which has over 300 million subscribers, more than anyone else on YouTube.
Tyson, who came out as a transgender woman last year, was accused of grooming Lava in a 45-minute video posted online in June by the account Prism42, according to Rolling Stone.
The video claimed Tyson sent a Snapchat message to the then-minor of her face with the text, “C–ming for America.”
Lava denied the allegations made in the video on Monday.
“These videos are massive lies and twisting the truth,” he wrote on X.
“Can you do me a favor and comment on these videos and tell them to stop spreading lies,” he went on, linking to the supposed exposés that claim he was abused.
“This situation takes away from children who are actively being exploited everyday online. I am not a victim of anything being claimed in these videos or at all.”
When Tyson came out last year and announced she was undergoing gender-affirming hormone replacement therapy, resulting in transphobic attacks against her online.
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, defended Tyson last month from the streamer Nickmercs, who accused Tyson of abandoning her 4-year-old son, Tucker, “to play pretend.”
“Ava is literally always with her kid and doesn’t even go on shoots [so that she can] spend more time with him,” MrBeast wrote on X in defense of his then-co-host.
“Tuck man is always smiling, not sure why this rumor is a thing.”
Tyson co-parents her son with ex-wife Katie.
The former couple separated in 2022.
