A former employee of Beast Industries has filed a federal lawsuit against the media production company owned by YouTube star Jimmy Donaldson, alleging she was terminated following her return from maternity leave after years of enduring sexual harassment and workplace gender bias.

The legal action, initiated on Wednesday by Lorrayne Mavromatis in North Carolina federal court, accuses MrBeastYouTube, LLC and GameChanger 24/7, LLC of violating federal protections for family and medical leave. Mavromatis additionally filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, citing allegations of sex and pregnancy discrimination as well as retaliation.

Mavromatis, 34, stated in an interview with The Associated Press that she continued to work "nonstop" during the delivery of her child and the subsequent postpartum period. "I was still bleeding, and I just had to show up," she said. She was reportedly fired less than three weeks after returning to full-time status.

Company Defense

A spokesperson for Beast Industries characterised the litigation as a "clout-chasing complaint" founded on "deliberate misrepresentations." The company maintains that Mavromatis’s role as a social media manager was eliminated during a departmental reorganisation led by a new head of e-commerce.

To contest her claims, the company provided a March 2025 Slack exchange in which a colleague advised Mavromatis not to check messages after she reported being in labour. Furthermore, the company released a signed document from Mavromatis acknowledging the receipt of an employee handbook outlining her rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

“We will not submit to opportunistic lawyers looking to manufacture a payday from us,” the company’s statement read.

Allegations of Toxic Culture

The lawsuit portrays a misogynistic environment within the rapidly expanding Donaldson empire. Mavromatis claimed she participated in team meetings from her hospital bed during labour, fearing termination if she declined. "I actually had to hold my breath in between talks because of how hard the contractions were," she remarked.

Internal documents cited in the suit, including a guide titled "HOW TO SUCCEED IN MRBEAST PRODUCTION," allegedly encouraged extreme work habits and noted that "It’s okay for the boys to be childish."

The complaint also details an exchange with then-CEO James Warren regarding Donaldson’s behaviour. When Mavromatis noted that Donaldson avoided eye contact, Warren allegedly claimed the creator was "awkward around beautiful women" and suggested his frequent bathroom breaks were a result of her presence. The company has refuted this, stating the breaks are related to Donaldson’s struggle with Crohn’s disease.

Corporate Expansion and Oversight

The allegations arrive as Beast Industries seeks to diversify beyond YouTube into financial services and television. The company, which currently employs roughly 700 people, recently acquired the banking app Step and continues to produce the "Beast Games" series for Amazon Prime.

Despite previous efforts by Donaldson to "create a culture that makes all our employees feel safe," the lawsuit claims that reporting harassment to human resources—then led by Donaldson’s mother—resulted in Mavromatis being demoted to an "obscure role" before her eventual firing.

Mavromatis is receiving support from the TIME’S UP Legal Defence Fund. Jennifer Mondino, senior director of the fund, stated that the case reflects a broader struggle against "a longstanding culture of harassment that relies on entrenched silence and shame."

The filing coincides with Donaldson’s scheduled appearance at the TIME100 celebration in New York, where he is being recognised as one of the world's most influential figures of 2026.

With inputs from AP