The co-host of a wildly popular YouTube show has broke his silence amid claims he had an ‘inappropriate’ relationship with a child.
Ava Kris Tyson, who rose to fame for his role on the MrBeast channel, issued an apology for his ‘past behavior’ and ‘comments.’
He announced he was stepping back from the MrBeast channel – which boasts 300million subscribers – and social media ‘to focus on my family and mental health.’
Tyson is alleged to have sent risque messages to a minor whom he first met when the person was 13 and he was 20.
The pair were allegedly introduced after the child won an online competition. At that time, Tyson was known to YouTube fans as ‘Chris’.
Tyson – who has a son with his ex-wife – is said to have spent years communicating with the fan on public online forums before meeting in person when the teen turned 16 years old.
In an X post today, Tyson wrote: ‘I would like to apologize for any of my past behavior or comments if it hurt or offended anyone. It was not my intent.’
‘Seeing recent events we’ve mutually decided it’s best I permanently step away from all things MrBeast and social media to focus on my family and mental health.’
The fan, who is now an adult, says he is not a victim and has defended Tyson but has admitted some of the messages were ‘inappropriate’ and ‘edgy’.
Since the relationship was revealed in a series of expose-style videos and clips, several controversial posts by Tyson have resurfaced.
Multiple posts show Tyson interacting with ‘Shadman’, an artist known for drawing young characters in sexual poses.
In one post, Tyson begged Shadman to ‘draw a 10-year-old anime girl’. Other posts show Tyson sexualizing cartoon children.
The scandal comes just a month after Dr Disrespect, a well-known Twitch gamer, was blacklisted from the online community after admitting to sending inappropriate messages to a minor.
MrBeast, who has a net worth of $700 million, is known for his extravagant stunts and philanthropic initiatives.
Tyson is also a personal friend of the YouTube star.
The uproar on social media was triggered by a series of videos that claimed to show Instagram posts of Tyson and the minor who had visited him at college.
The two pictures show Tyson in 2020 with two other males, but the person who is allegedly the minor is blurred.
The claims have suggested that the child, who goes by the name ‘Lava,’ met Tyson through a fan meet-up after winning a contest through MrBeast’s YouTube channel that he and Tyson started in 2012, according to Insider Gaming.
