EXCLUSIVE: MrBeast slammed as ‘white savior’ by charities over viral orphanage video amid claims YouTuber ignored pleas to help rehome the children instead
MrBeast has been labeled a ‘white savior’ by charities over a viral video of him bragging about rebuilding an African orphanage, despite a global campaign to shut them down.
The world’s richest YouTuber reportedly ignored pleas from humanitarian groups to stop his “philanthropic stunt,” amid concerns that orphanages would be a haven for “violence, abuse and neglect.”
But MrBeast instead poured millions of dollars into filming the reconstruction of South Africa’s Baphumelele Orphanage.
His video, in which he shows the transformation of the building together with laughing children, has been viewed more than seven million times on YouTube in less than a week.
It has led to accusations from the Hope charity and Homes for Children that the stunt was simply a ‘prick for more views’.
MrBeast, the world’s largest YouTuber, has been accused of ‘white saviorism’ by charities over a video of him bragging about rebuilding an orphanage in South Africa
MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, claims his team saved the orphanage from the brink of closure thanks to six months of ‘tireless work’
Before and after images show how his Beast Philanthropy venture renovated the playground
The movement to end orphanages worldwide and instead find families for children is supported by the UN, EU, Commonwealth and South African government.
In 2019, a UN General Assembly resolution on the rights of the child urged member states to gradually replace orphanages with quality alternative care, such as foster networks and social workers.
Lourenza Foghill, from Hope and Homes for Children, said Mr Beast had chosen to ‘completely ignore’ these votes, despite the charity contacting him in March shortly after he released a video calling for donations to his orphanage project.
She added, “Is this a classic case of white saviorism? No doubt, but one thing is certain: Mr. Beast denies the so-called ‘orphans’ from Baphumele the right to grow up in a family.’
The charity stressed that there was no misconduct at the Baphumelele orphanage itself, but pointed to evidence showing that 80 percent of the 5.4 million children detained in orphanages today are not actually orphans, but have relatives who can take care of them.
Campaigners say the majority of children growing up in such facilities experience abuse and neglect and are more likely to become homeless, experience mental health problems and run afoul of the law later in life.
Charities including Hope and Homes and the Lumos Foundation, of which JK Rowling is chairman, wrote to MrBeast’s team in March to make this point clear after his video calling for donations to save the Baphumelele orphanage was circulated 15 million times. had been viewed.
Hope and Homes said they had not received a response.
On Aug. 20, MrBeast uploaded a new video titled “We Adopted an Orphanage,” claiming that his venture Beast Philanthropy had saved Baphumelele from closure after six months of “tireless” work that saw his team build 12 new homes and a continued supply of fresh food and repaired the dilapidated playground.
It was claimed that the orphanage had previously saved about 5,000 lives.
The video also tells the heartwarming story of Mama Rosie, who founded the orphanage thirty years ago. The charities that criticized MrBeast made it clear that there was no wrongdoing on behalf of Mama Rosie or her Baphumelele orphanage
The video shows pictures of smiling children, believed to be orphans in Baphumelele
But charities claim that 80 percent of the 5.4 million children locked up in orphanages today are not actual orphans, but have relatives who could care for them.
The charities say they wrote a letter to MrBeast in March, shortly after he launched his appeal for donations to the project, urging him to focus his efforts on rehoming the children. But they said they were ‘completely ignored’
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The video featured the heartwarming story of the orphanage’s founder, Mama Rosie, who was led blindfolded to her newly renovated project before the big reveal left her nearly in tears.
Lumos said in a statement that while Mama Rosie’s orphanage seemed “well-meaning,” this was not the case for all of these institutions.
“Many orphanages around the world are set up to exploit children for profit, exposing children to harm and abuse. By promoting orphanages, even well-meaning orphanages, we promote the work of those who are not, perpetuating the cycle of exploitation,” the charity added.
“We don’t believe anyone in the video is malicious, including Mama Rosie and MrBeast. But if we want to support children in the best possible way, we have to move away from promoting the orphanage system and start supporting families with community-based care so that their children can stay where they belong.”
DailyMail.com has reached out to MrBeast and the Baphumelele Orphanage for comment.
This isn’t the first time MrBeast, whose real name is 25-year-old Jimmy Donaldson, has been accused of being nice to clicks.
In January, he was criticized for a video on his channel showing him helping dozens of blind people from the US and around the world get rid of their cataracts with the help of a non-profit organization.
Critics accused him of using their suffering to increase his wealth and fame, although the doctor who performed the surgery said many patients had benefited from it.
MrBeast is one of the few people with over 100 million subscribers on YouTube
He was previously criticized for a video in which he helped cure blindness in 1,000 people with the help of a non-profit organization, with some accusing him of using suffering for clicks.
The YouTuber has amassed a staggering estimated net worth of over $500 million, largely based on extravagant stunts in which he offers lavish gifts to unwitting members of the public.
His early content revolved around harmless jokes about friends, but quickly turned outlandish.
Earlier this month, his “7 Days Stranded At Sea” clip claimed to have garnered the most YouTube views in 24 hours for a non-music video.
The video shows the YouTuber and four of his friends deliberately stranded on a raft in the middle of the ocean for a week.
When he boasted about his new record being unverified, he also took aim at his critics on X, formerly known as Twitter. He wrote: ‘I also never want to hear that I only get ratings because I give money away. We broke the world record while me and my friends suffered and joked lol.’