MrBeast controversy erupts after he donates 20,000 shoes

YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson just released his most recent philanthropy video and the “hate” is already rolling in over donating 10,000 pairs of shoes.

MrBeast recently posted a YouTube video called “Giving 20,000 Shoes To Kids in Africa,” stating that it’s his best Beast Philanthropy project yet. Beast Philanthropy is a charity started by MrBeast that aims to help people around the world.

“I thought it’d be fun to use my fame to create a loop of helping. Film good deed, inspire millions of kids to do good, use revenue from good deed to do next good deed,” he explained on Twitter.

We gave 20,000 kids in South Africa their first pair of shoes! Genuinely my favorite Beast Philanthropy video yet, go watch plz so we can do more stuff like this❤️https://t.co/XbaZVON2Ta

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) March 8, 2023

MrBeast donates 20,000 shoes to kids in Africa

In a recent YouTube video, MrBeast explained how rural towns in Africa have to “walk to school for miles over harsh terrain, broken glass, and contaminated water” all without shoes. To combat this, MrBeast reached out to Johannesburg, South Africa to contact a charity called Barefoot No More.

MrBeast grabbed the 20,000 shoes from Barefoot No More and brought them to Cape Town to find schools who had students desperate for help. They ended up giving out shoes at nine different schools, sponsored in part by Lectric eBikes.

“To witness these kids wearing their first-ever pairs of shoes was really emotional and, again, a realization of the basic needs most of us take for granted,” MrBeast said.

Trolls take to Twitter to argue about MrBeast

Beast Philanthropy currently has over 12 million subscribers on YouTube. An ongoing donation has reached about $4,740 at the time of writing. This money will go towards future projects like the one above (or his recent eye surgery mission) and food pantries around the world.

But a lot of people didn’t get a heartwarming feeling from MrBeast’s latest charity project. A lot of people on Twitter felt donating shoes wasn’t really all that much for someone with MrBeast’s net worth, questioning what would happen when the kids outgrew the shoes.

Other people voiced other concerns with MrBeast’s philanthropy, stating that he was taking away revenue from small local businesses, creating more poverty, or trying to get attention for doing a good deed. Another person also felt he was continuing the “starving child in Africa” narrative.

Many others wondered why MrBeast wasn’t addressing “bigger” problems or even local ones in the United States. One person said there are a bunch of homeless people right where MrBeast lives, questioning why he didn’t help them instead.

Most of the comments, however, have been extremely positive and supportive. A lot of people said they felt inspired by MrBeast and subscribed and/or donated to help his cause. Others fought off the haters and stood up for the streamer, telling him he doesn’t have to explain himself for doing something good with his money. Many felt he was doing more with his fame, platform, and money than most rich people.