MrBeast draws fierce criticism on social media for uh, rescuing enslaved children

MrBeast‘s videos feel like they’ve been teleported in from the RoboCop dimension. Watching desperate people struggle through nightmarish and humiliating challenges in the name of content is dystopian as all heck, so I stay as far away from it as possible. But, all that said, MrBeast himself seems alright.

MrBeast (aka Jimmy Donaldson) launched ‘Beast Philanthropy’ in 2021, drawing on his gigantic financial reserves to do some genuine good in the world. Since then, the charity has provided millions of free meals to poor communities in the United States, constructed hundreds of wells in Africa, paid for cataract surgeries, given prosthetic limbs to Cambodian amputees, and rebuilt schools in Cameroon. The list goes on, but you get the point.

The charity’s current focus is fighting child slavery, and in a video on April 6, he revealed he’d partnered with Ghana Make a Difference to build a surgical center for children in the GMAD compound. In a video entitled “Rescuing Child Slaves in Africa” he unveiled his plan to combat the lack of medical care:

Most of you will be wondering how anyone could possibly criticize that? After all, in the world that feels like it’s teeming with evil and selfish rich people, here’s someone who is objectively using their wealth for good. Well, as it turns out, it’s not what MrBeast is doing, but the aesthetics of how he’s doing it:

If this image doesn’t sicken you a little something is very very wrong with you https://t.co/QO2obZKHfM pic.twitter.com/yz8ReYvEqd

— Eloise (@dykesambeckett) April 10, 2025

The heart of the criticism is that MrBeast is being a “white savior”, and his real reason for building a children’s hospital isn’t kindness but because he knows it’ll be good PR and get views. But, even if that’s true, he’s still building a children’s hospital. As such, there’s been a lot of pushback against the hate, with many asking those critical of him what they’ve done for Africa lately?

i think at his core he's only doing it for capitalist greedy white saviour reasons but like at the end of the day impoverished and enslaved kids are getting education

— charles (@draculasffav) April 11, 2025

It’s a clickbait thumbnail to garner more attention yet the video in and of itself is helping people. In my eyes you’re needlessly searching for the issue in a rich person at least TRYING to aid those less fortunate.. and you’re mad? others do way less.

— Triastotle (@triazidomethane) April 11, 2025

And, in probably the best summary of all this:

Sometimes the ends justify the means

— kol 🇵🇸 (@rainberrysugar) April 11, 2025

In an ideal world, we wouldn’t have to rely on random acts of kindness from YouTubers to build children’s hospitals in Ghana. But, and I hope you’re sitting down for this bombshell, take a glance out the window and realize the world outside is extremely far from ideal. If MrBeast wants to spend his money on helping people rather than buying a solid gold Ferrari, I say let him.