Ava Kris Tyson[1] (born Chris Tyson; July 1, 1996) is an American YouTuber and internet personality. She is best known for being a former member of MrBeast's on-screen cast and early friend of Jimmy Donaldson.
Ava Kris Tyson | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1, 1996 |
| Spouse |
Katie Tyson
(m. 2018; sep. 2022) |
| Children | 1 |
Career
Tyson was born on July 1, 1996 as a male.[2] Tyson was a childhood friend of Jimmy Donaldson, appearing in many early videos on the MrBeast YouTube channel since 2015.[3]
As the channel grew, Tyson was hired by Donaldson to further contribute to the grow of the channel.[4] Tyson married Katie Tyson in 2018. The two had a son named Tucker in 2020. Tyson later confirmed in a social media post in early 2023 that she and Katie had separated.[5]
In November 2020, Tyson publicly came out as bisexual via Twitter.[6]
Tyson appeared in many of MrBeast's viral YouTube videos such as $456,000 Squid Game in Real Life!, Last To Leave Circle Wins $500,000, and $1 vs $500,000 Plane Ticket, which was where fans began to point out her more feminine appearance than in previous videos.[7] Rumors of her change in gender began to surface as Tyson's appearance began to shift further from her masculine appearance.
In early 2023, she publicized her beginning hormone replacement therapy on her social media accounts, while changing her displayed pronouns to "any" on Twitter.[8] These actions prompted criticism from Australian YouTube personality Lachlan Windross, best known by his online alias SunnyV2. This led Donaldson to react on Twitter, denouncing Windross' claims that Tyson's increasingly feminine persona would harm his brand.[7][9] Tyson officially came out as a transgender woman during an interview with Anthony Padilla, published to YouTube on July 21, 2023.[10][11]
Allegations
In July 2024, allegations against Tyson of inappropriate misconduct with a minor surfaced, originating from a 45-minute video uploaded to YouTube channel Prism42 on June 13.[12] Upon the allegations gaining widespread attention in late July, Tyson announced her "mutually decided" permanent departure from MrBeast on July 23 in a Twitter post;[13] however, Donaldson issued a statement the following day, claiming that Tyson had instead been fired, saying he was "disgusted and opposed to such unacceptable acts," further adding that he was in the process of hiring a private investigator.[14] The alleged victim, known as LavaGS online, initially denied the allegations, stating via Twitter that their interactions included nothing more than "a few edgy jokes," and that circulating videos about the situation were "twisting the truth."[15] He later rescinded the statement and said that the conversations were inappropriate for his age and acknowledged that he was a minor who didn't recognize the wrongdoing at the time.[16]
References
- ^ Hansford, Amelia (April 24, 2024). "MrBeast star Ava Kris Tyson claps back against claim her transition 'broke up' her family". PinkNews. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ Etienne, Vanessa (July 5, 2023). "Mr. Beast's Chris Tyson Recalls '26 Years of Hiding My True Self' in Special Birthday Post". People. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ "Who is MrBeast's friend Ava Tyson and why did she leave the channel?". South China Morning Post. August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "Is MrBeast the world's most controversial YouTuber?". South China Morning Post. May 11, 2021. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ Tyson, Ava Kris [@kristyson_] (March 27, 2023). "For a little over a year now me and Katie have been separated. We are finalizing things soon but these things take time. We like to keep our personal lives private, which a lot of people don't understand because we share so much, but this is the only time I want to discuss it" (Tweet). Retrieved June 22, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Chung, Gabrielle (April 7, 2023). "YouTube Star MrBeast's Sidekick, Chris Tyson, Announces Hormone Replacement Therapy". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Klee, Miles (April 13, 2023). "MrBeast Calls Out Transphobic Backlash to Chris Tyson's Hormone Therapy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
- ^ "MrBeast YouTube Star Chris Tyson Shows Off Transformation After Starting Hormone Replacement Therapy". Peoplemag. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ Reber, Dylan (April 14, 2023). "YouTuber MrBeast Shuts Down Transphobic Comments About Friend Chris Tyson". The Advocate. Retrieved June 22, 2024.
- ^ "MrBeast's Kris Tyson Comes Out as Transgender: 'I Am a Woman! She/Her'". Peoplemag. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
- ^ "MrBeast YouTube Star Kris Tyson Comes Out as Transgender". Entertainment Tonight. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
- ^ Madarang, Charisma (July 23, 2024). "MrBeast Launches Independent Investigation Amid Ava Kris Tyson Allegations". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ "MrBeast: Was Ava Kris Tyson Fired From the Channel?". Yahoo Entertainment. July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ "MrBeast hires investigators over Ava Kris Tyson grooming claims". www.bbc.com. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ II, Moises Mendez (July 24, 2024). "MrBeast's Co-Host Ava Kris Tyson Leaves After Grooming Allegations". TIME. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ Haring, Bruce (July 27, 2024). "MrBeast Co-Host's Alleged Grooming Victim Changes Tune, Condemns Interactions". Deadline. Retrieved August 29, 2024.