The production company behind YouTube mogul Mr. Beast is being sued by a former employee who claims she and other female employees were “sexually harassed” and wrongfully fired years later.
Lorraine Mavromatis, who filed the lawsuit in North Carolina federal court on April 22, accuses MrBeastYouTube, LLC and GameChanger 24/7, LLC of firing her in violation of federal law that allows eligible family and eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for medical reasons such as childbirth.
Mavromatis, who was hired by Mr.Beast (real name Jimmy Donaldson) in 2022, said she was fired less than three weeks after returning from maternity leave in 2025 and replaced by a man, according to the complaint obtained by USA TODAY.
The termination also occurred after Mavromatis complained to Mr.Beast’s human resources director about the sexual harassment and hostile work environment she and other women were experiencing, but her claims were ultimately determined to be “unfounded.” Immediately after the 2023 complaint, she was “immediately demoted and transferred to a low-profile position known among Mr.Beast employees as the ‘career-killing’ department,” the complaint alleges.
Beast Industries told The Associated Press that Mavromatis’ lawsuit is an “influence complaint” based on “intentional misrepresentations and materially false statements.” The company said Mavromatis’ position was eliminated when a new head of e-commerce reorganized the team.
USA TODAY reached out to representatives for Beast’s company and the YouTuber for comment on April 23, but did not receive a response.
Here’s what you need to know about a YouTuber’s lawsuit against his company.
Who is Lorraine Mavromatis?
Mavromatis described himself as a “rising star” who had been promoted twice within a year of joining Mr.Beast, according to the complaint. From June 2023 to January 2024, she oversaw operations for MrBeast’s vertical social media division focused on Instagram and managed a team of approximately 20 employees.
The complaint says her trajectory within the company changed after November 2023, when she complained about a “workplace that suffers from a lack of basic employment protections,” including protections for female employees from sexual harassment.
She claims she was treated differently than men and was told to “stay away from Donaldson from an otherwise all-male meeting.” Her complaint also alleges that an unidentified male colleague told her to “shut up” and “stop talking.”
The complaint specifically accuses Mavromatis of telling Mr. Beast that he would only participate in the video shoot if she brought beer, which was a mission to disparage her.
“We will not bow to opportunistic lawyers,” says Beast Industries.
Beast Industries shared a March 31, 2025 exchange on the workplace messaging app Slack with The Associated Press. In it, a colleague told Mavromatis that she “shouldn’t even check” her messages after she canceled a meeting because she wrote, “I was actually in labor in the hospital as we spoke.”
The company shared with news outlets a screenshot of her signature confirming receipt of the employee handbook, which includes the FMLA policy, in response to allegations that Mr. Beast failed to inform her of her rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
“We will not yield to opportunistic lawyers who seek to defraud us of our salaries,” the company said in a statement.
What kind of relief is Mavromatis seeking?
For relief, Mavromatis is seeking a court order requiring Beast Industries to reimburse him for lost wages and benefits, and to reinstate him as chief operating officer of the company’s vertical division or an equivalent position, according to the complaint.
