MrBeast Embroiled in Lawsuit With Mexican Authorities — Here’s Why
James Donaldson aka MrBeast attends the YouTube TV's Upfront Brandcast at David Geffen Hall on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
MrBeast is making headlines due to a new controversy.
The popular YouTuber was given access to Mexican ancient temples and pyramids, including the Chichén Itzá in Yucatan, Mexico, for a new video. Although the YouTuber was granted the permits to film, he didn’t quite meet all the legal requirements.
Born Jimmy Donaldson, the popular social media content creator, is under fire for filming in ancient treasures such as Chichén Itzá in Yucatán, Mexico, and Calakmul in Campeche, Mexico. Though he was reportedly granted permits by the federal Tourism Ministry and state governments, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) claims that there were post-production theatrics that were added to the video that don’t represent his access.
What theatrics are in question? There are a few post-production scenes that MrBeast and his team added to the video. For example, there’s a scene where he supposedly flies a drone inside El Castillo aka Temple of Kukulcan (in reality, INAH claims that he only flew it outside the temple). Another clip shows him touching and putting on an ancient funerary mask – which the INAH claims was a reproduction.
The video manipulation is only part of the reason why MrBeast is being discussed on social media.
Another issue is that in his video, he advertises products that INAH didn’t agree with. INAH claims that part of the agreement was not to monetize the video. Per Reuters, INAH said: “The permission granted to Full Circle Media … did not authorize … the use of images of the archeological site for for-profit advertisements of private brands.”
Subsequently, INAH is suing the MrBeast’s representation firm Full Circle Media for promoting products in the viral video that currently has over 59 million views.
However, the Governor of Campeche, Layda Sansores, is grateful for her city’s exposure and says that MrBeast acted with respect. “The Mr. Beast team always acted with absolute responsibility and respect in the care of our ancestral heritage. All legal permits and procedures were processed and authorized by the @INAHmx, who was present during filming, as were the @SECTURCampeche and the Campeche State Government,” she wrote in Spanish online yesterday (May 14).
The Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, also brought up the subject during a daily press conference. She reportedly said: “If the permission was violated, [we will] see what sanctions come.”
Beyond all of these legal situations, social media users are also expressing their POVs.