Gaming - News
TikToker Clears the Air On MrBeast Pay Dispute
By MARY OSBORNE
Although MrBeast — a.k.a. Jimmy Donaldson — has a reputation for being generous on-camera, his off-camera behavior might exhibit a less giving, shadier side. Early in June 2022, Artisan Cake Company founder Liz Marek, who goes by SugarGeekShow on TikTok, accused the YouTube star of failing to pay her for creating an enormous cake shaped like a toilet.
Marek explained in an updated video that she hadn’t expected her allegations to gain so much traction on TikTok, and that she wasn't intending to send hordes of negative attention to MrBeast. She has since spoken with MrBeast, and although the two agreed that it was a case of miscommunication, the YouTuber now plans to pay her for her time and materials.
MrBeast allegedly used Marek's work to show Natalie Sideserf — the celebrity chef ultimately hired to create the toilet cake — how to construct the cake he needed for his video. Sideserf is an accomplished realistic cake artist all on her own, and she posted a video confirming that she created the toilet cake for MrBeast's chocolate factory video with Gordon Ramsay.
Even though Marek didn't wish any ill will toward MrBeast or Sideserf, it seems like this incident might be part of a larger picture. On May 4, 2021, the New York Times profiled the YouTuber, alleging that he created a hostile work environment and refused to credit his employees for their work on his video projects; MrBeast did not consent to an interview with the newspaper.
