MrBeast co-host Ava Kris Tyson quits over grooming claims

Ava Kris Tyson, the co-host of MrBeast on YouTube, has decided to leave the channel following allegations of grooming. She has denied these accusations.

The 28-year-old American YouTuber, who has over 22,000 followers on her personal channel, is facing allegations of sending inappropriate messages to a young person who was reportedly 13 years old at the time, while she was 20.

Ava rejected the allegations on X, stating, "I never groomed anyone", but did apologize for her "previous actions" in a statement.

She stated that she and MrBeast, also known as Jimmy Donaldson, have both agreed that it is best for her to permanently withdraw from all involvement with MrBeast and social media in order to prioritize her family and mental well-being.

Ava became famous after she was featured on MrBeast's channel, which has over 300 million subscribers, starting in 2012.

In 2022, he achieved the highest number of subscribers on YouTube and is famous for his large-scale stunts and videos that promote charitable causes.

"Ava shared with everyone last year that she identifies as a transgender woman. She also mentioned that she was receiving gender-affirming treatment and now prefers to be referred to with she/her pronouns."

Claims were first made against her last month in videos posted by fellow YouTubers, alleging that she had communicated with a minor when she was 20 years old.

Ava replied, "Claiming that my actions went beyond making edgy jokes is vile and untrue."

During previous years, I have come to realize that my previous sense of humor is no longer considered appropriate. Although I cannot alter my past actions, I am committed to personal growth and improvement.

I want to sincerely say sorry to anyone I may have hurt with the things I posted on social media or with my actions in the past. I also want to apologize to those who may feel let down by how I used to behave online.

The person who claims to be a victim and was identified on the internet has spoken up in support of Ava, stating: "These videos contain huge falsehoods and distortions of the truth."

Ava always behaved correctly and only made some daring jokes. I was never mistreated or used unfairly.

BBC Newsbeat has reached out to spokespersons for Ava Kris Tyson and MrBeast for a statement.