YouTube Co-host Ava Kris Tyson Resigns Amid Grooming Allegations, Which She Denies
YouTube co-host Ava Kris Tyson has resigned from the channel following grooming allegations, which she denies.
The 28-year-old US YouTuber, who has over 22,000 subscribers on her own channel, was accused of sending inappropriate messages to a minor, reportedly then 13, when she was 20.
On X, Ava denied the claims, stating, “I never groomed anyone,” but apologized for her “past behaviour” in a statement.
She announced that she and MrBeast—real name Jimmy Donaldson—have “mutually decided it’s best I permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media to focus on my family and mental health.”
Ava rose to fame after appearing alongside MrBeast on his channel, which has over 300 million subscribers, since 2012. In 2022, he became the most subscribed YouTuber on the platform and is known for his large-scale stunts and philanthropic videos.
Last year, Ava revealed she was a transgender woman undergoing gender-affirming therapy and changed her pronouns to she/her.
Allegations first surfaced against her last month in videos accusing her of messaging a minor when she was 20.
Ava responded, saying: “To create a narrative that my behaviour extended beyond bad edgy jokes is disgusting and did not happen. In past years, I have learned that my old humour is not acceptable. I cannot change who I was, but I can continue to work on myself. 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.”
The alleged victim, named online, has defended Ava, stating: “These videos are massive lies and twisting the truth. Ava never did anything wrong and just made a few edgy jokes. I was never exploited or taken advantage of.”
BBC Newsbeat has contacted representatives for Ava Kris Tyson and MrBeast for comment.
Source: BBC