By Joe Reardon, Newswire Intern
The launch of Lunchables competitor Lunchly from YouTube trio MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson), Logan Paul and KSI (Olajide Olatunji) has sparked online debate after Minecraft YouTuber DanTDM (Daniel Middleton) criticized the three for promoting junk food to children.
Lunchly currently comes in three varieties: Turkey Stack ‘ems, The Pizza and Fiesta Nachos. Every variety comes with a bottle of Prime, a sports drink created by Paul and KSI, and a bar of MrBeast’s Feastables chocolate.
Prime is a sports electrolyte drink created by KSI and Paul, that comes in a Lunchly meal
People were already criticizing the three YouTubers for promoting heavily processed food to impressionable young fans. However, the backlash escalated after DanTDM spoke out against the launch of Lunchly in a post on X, asking, “what happened to YouTubers?”
“This is selling crap to kids who don’t know better than to trust the people who are selling it to them.” DanTDM said on X.
Paul directly responded to DanTDM’s post on X, writing that YouTubers “want to build businesses,” and referenced a Lunchables lead contamination scandal, arguing that Lunchly was a better alternative to Lunchables.
KSI also responded to DanTDM by posting pictures of DanTDM-branded Youtooz toys in an attempt to frame the YouTuber as a hypocrite. On Sept. 22, KSI released a video on YouTube titled “EVERYBODY HATES US RIGHT NOW!” defending Lunchly and mocking the criticism against the product. He argues that the backlash was motivated by widespread dislike of the YouTube trio.
Lunchly’s advertising has marketed it as a healthier alternative to Lunchables. The Lunchly website features a page comparing Lunchly products to their Lunchables counterparts, emphasizing that Lunchly products contain less calories, less sugar and more electrolytes than Lunchables products.
Ideological clashes toward MrBeast are not new. In 2023, YouTuber Jacksepticeye (Seán McLoughlin) criticized MrBeast for “ruining YouTube,” asserting that the culture of the video hosting site had become “more about views, money and popularity than it did about having fun. If MrBeast had fun doing those videos, they’d be longer. We’d see the fun.”
At the time, Jacksepticeye’s criticism proved divisive as MrBeast had successfully cultivated a reputation as a generous philanthropist with plenty of fans willing to defend him. However, MrBeast’s reputation has plummeted in recent months after his former co-host, Ava Kris Tyson, was accused of sending inappropriate messages to minors and grooming young fans online.
Tyson has since stepped away from the channel. MrBeast said he was “disgusted and opposed” to her alleged behavior and has hired private investigators to look into the allegations. MrBeast has since been named in an unrelated lawsuit, accusing the YouTuber of creating “unsafe” employment conditions for his upcoming reality show Beast Games, created in partnership with Amazon MGM Studios.