YouTube Influencer Chris Tyson Undergoes HRT and Trolls Respond

Influencer Jimmy Donaldson – a.k.a. MrBeast – has amassed some 140 million YouTube followers, largely to "a personal brand built around positivity, as well as goofy, expensive stunts," according to Rolling Stone.

"One of the most-watched creators online, Donaldson styles his MrBeast channel as an institution of philanthropic fun, staging massive cash giveaway competitions that double as viral videos. But all the money in the world can't shield you from the culture wars, and now MrBeast fans are split regarding his friend and collaborator Chris Tyson," the publication said.

People Magazine reported that "Chris Tyson, Youtube star known for appearing alongside MrBeast, revealed they have started hormone replacement therapy."

"On Wednesday, the 26-year-old – whose Twitter profile states that they go by "any pronouns" – shared last week they began the treatments two months ago. According to the Cleveland Clinic, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) helps gender nonconforming people achieve a more traditional masculine or feminine appearance."

"Informed consent HRT saved my and many others' lives," Tyson wrote. "The hurdles [gender nonconforming] people have to jump through to get life-saving gender-affirming healthcare in a 1st world country is wild to me. Just let people make informed decisions about their own bodies."

Donaldson tweeted his support with "Gotchu (followed by three heart emojis) (I did one more heart then Karl because I'm a better friend)"

Tyson's announcement came in reaction to a viral tweet comparing an older photo of Tyson to their appearance in a more recent video, with the caption "bro wtf happened." In a quote-tweet, Tyson replied, "HRT, and it's only been 2 months."

"However, one fan was not pleased with the changes that Chris was going through. He tried to troll Chris. Comparing his two images, the troll wrote, 'Old Chris would make fun of new Chris,'" the website SportsManor.com reported.

Tyson trolled back in hilarious fashion. The content creator told the troll that he will be filing a case against him and the troll was shocked and scared. However, Chris later revealed his lawyer to be MrBeast himself. He posted a picture of MrBeast and captioned the tweet, "My lawyer will be in contact with you immediately."

Another transphobic Twitter user, however, was still not having it. They commented, "Please Chris , you still have your D attached to you .. you are a Handsome MALE .... BROTHER ...."

To this, Tyson responded, "Pretty gay to talk about my genitals bro. Not judging but hope you figure all that out."

"Chris has been very strong in going through the changes in his life and along with that fighting these trolls. It is not an easy task and he might have to face many of these going forward," added SportsManor.com.

Rollling Stone wrote: "While YouTube, Donaldson, fellow members of the MrBeast crew, and many other creators expressed their support, Tyson also had to deal with a wave of transphobic trolls, and responded to one who claimed that his son was losing a 'father figure.' ('This is just more dog whistling that somehow trans and [gender nonconforming] folks aren't safe around kids,' Tyson tweeted.) For someone of Tyson's internet fame, this kind of backlash to coming out is inevitable. But the schism in the MrBeast community over Tyson's gender presentation had begun weeks earlier, thanks to generalized transphobia and homophobia among some fans."

"One TikTok, with 4.4 million views and nearly half a million likes, purports to show MrBeast collaborator Chandler Hallow interacting uncomfortably with Tyson during a livestream, with a transphobic caption added to the footage. (Neither has commented on the clip, which does not appear to indicate any real friction between them whatsoever.)," added Rolling Stone.

Others made vitriolic comments on social media, "and in the past few days, transphobic fans of MrBeast content have garnered significant engagement with negative replies to tweets in which Tyson shows off his gender-fluid look. A representative for Donaldson did not respond to a question about whether he had any plans to address followers who have tried to shame Tyson."

The toxic comments led to TikTok removing a handful of transphobic videos, according to Insider.com.

"After Insider reached out to the platform for comment about eight viral videos that mocked Tyson's more feminine look, a TikTok spokesperson said they removed these videos for violating its community policy against hateful behavior."

"Still, Tyson has received many positive responses across social media, and was heartened by people's interest in learning more about gender-affirming care. 'I was super nervous to be public about this [because] I've always been so private when it comes to this, but seeing conversations started [because] of me is amazing,' they tweeted last week," Rolling Stone said.