MrBeast gave a waitress a car in his most recent TikTok video, but some viewers expressed disapproval that the "act of kindness" appeared to double as a commercial for the YouTuber's chocolate brand.
In a TikTok posted March 27, MrBeast, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, appeared to be sitting at a restaurant speaking to his server, who was called Amy according to a caption on the post.
"What's the biggest tip you've ever gotten?" Donaldson asked, with Amy replying by saying it was around $50.
"Has anyone ever tipped a car?" Donaldson asked, handing her a set of keys.
@mrbeast Amy’s been getting to work without a car formonths, thanks to you we changed that :-)
♬ original sound - MrBeast
The server questioned whether Donaldson was being serious, at which point he took her outside and showed her a black Toyota that he said was her "brand new car." A sticker on the side of the car had the word "Feastables" written on it, the name of the YouTuber's own line of chocolate products. The logo for Donaldson's main YouTube channel also appeared on the car's hood.
The server appeared to tear up and put her hand over her face in the clip. "Oh wow, I wasn't expecting you to cry," Donaldson said in response.
"I was literally late to work today because the Uber was slow," Amy said, as she got into the vehicle with Donaldson.
"Enjoy the car," Donaldson said as the 42-second clip ended.
The clip received 50 million views on TikTok, becoming Donaldson's most popular TikTok post in the month of March. In a comment made from his account on the post, the creator said that if fans bought more of his Feastables products, he would be giving away more cars on social media.
—The BKH 💫Create More (@thebkh) March 27, 2023
Commenters applauded the YouTuber for the "life-changing" tip, calling him a "legend" and asking him to do more giveaways in the future.
On Twitter, entertainment outlet Dexerto reshared Donaldon's TikTok, where it also went viral and drew more of a mixed response.
Several users said they thought having the two logos on the car felt more like product placement than a genuine act of kindness from the YouTuber.
"So basically she has to do promotion for his company by driving the car," one person tweeted.
Others suggested that the logos made the car look less attractive and that they would not want to drive it themselves. Some said they would immediately get the gift repainted if they were in the server's shoes, or that they would prefer to travel by Uber instead.
—SeanTalksSports (@SeanTaIksSports) March 28, 2023
"This cool af from MrBeast, but why tf he decorated the car like a 12-year-old fan's laptop LMAO," wrote Dennis Feitosa, an internet drama commentator known online as Def Noodles.
A handful of Twitter users also questioned how practical the gift was, considering someone would have to pay sales tax for the vehicle, and that the server would also need to spend money maintaining it. Meanwhile, other users defended Donaldson and his altruistic videos, with one saying they "don't understand why people get so mad over him helping others."
Donaldson, who has 139 million subscribers, and is the most-followed individual YouTuber in the world, has become known for his elaborate videos where he gives away large sums of money.
In 2022, he gave away at least $3.2 million — plus a $2.5 million jet and a private island — in challenge prizes, according to all the YouTube videos he posted that year.
His philanthropic acts are often received with overwhelming support and positivity, but in January, he defended himself against backlash for a YouTube video in which he paid for 1,000 people to have sight-restoring cataract surgery, due to concerns that people should not be turning to big influencers to solve societal problems.
On TikTok, he has developed a following of 79.5 million followers and translates his elaborate YouTube giveaway content into short-form clips on the platform, having previously gone viral for stunts such as challenging Dwayne Johnson to a game of rock, paper, scissors for a $100,000 reward, and paying a stranger $300 to fly to Paris to bring him back a baguette.
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