A former Beast Industries employee says she was fired weeks after returning from pregnancy-related leave; the company denies harassment and retaliation claims.
Beast Industries, the media company behind YouTube creator MrBeast, has been sued by a former employee who alleges she faced sexual harassment, gender bias and retaliation after taking pregnancy-related leave.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court in North Carolina by Lorrayne Mavromatis, accuses companies tied to MrBeast’s media operation, including MrBeastYouTube and GameChanger 24/7, of violating federal family and medical leave protections. Mavromatis also filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging sex and pregnancy discrimination and retaliation.
Beast Industries strongly denied the allegations. A company representative called the case a “clout-chasing complaint” based on “deliberate misrepresentations and categorically false statements,” and said Mavromatis’s job was eliminated during a reorganization by a new head of ecommerce.
Mavromatis worked for the company from 2022 to 2025, first as head of Instagram before being promoted. In court filings, she alleges that harassment of women employees was tolerated or carried out by supervisors, that complaints were not taken seriously and that she was treated differently from male colleagues.
The complaint says Mavromatis was fired less than three weeks after returning full time from pregnancy-related leave. She told The Associated Press that she continued working around the birth of her child, including while in the delivery room. “I was still bleeding, and I just had to show up,” she said.
One episode cited in the complaint involves former Beast Industries CEO James Warren, whom Mavromatis says she asked why Jimmy Donaldson, the creator known as MrBeast, would not work with her on certain projects. The lawsuit alleges Warren responded in sexually charged terms about her appearance and Donaldson’s reaction to her. The company has denied the broader claims that she was demoted or sidelined after reporting workplace concerns.
Mavromatis alleges that after she complained to human resources about sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, she was moved into what she described as an obscure role. She is seeking lost wages, lost benefits, reinstatement and damages for alleged emotional and professional harm.
The company said it has evidence, including messages, documents and witness testimony, that refutes her claims. It also shared a Slack exchange from March 31, 2025, in which a coworker told Mavromatis she “shouldn’t even be checking” messages after she wrote that she was in labor and canceling a meeting. Beast Industries also said it had a signed acknowledgment showing she received an employee handbook containing Family and Medical Leave Act policies.
A company representative also told the BBC that Mavromatis’s firing was not related to performance and said roles held by both men and women were eliminated during a wider team reorganization.
The lawsuit renews scrutiny of the workplace culture around Donaldson’s fast-growing media business. Beast Industries previously fired several employees after a third-party investigation found what the company described as isolated instances of workplace harassment and misconduct. Donaldson has also faced legal scrutiny over his reality competition show Beast Games , allegations he has denied.
The allegations in Mavromatis’s lawsuit have not been tested in court. The next stage will determine how much of the dispute is litigated in federal court, and how the separate EEOC complaint proceeds.
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