MrBeast warns that it can be a "death sentence" if fans take selfies with him in public instead of letting him control the photo.
The YouTube superstar (born Jimmy Donaldson) discussed the topic during a recent episode of Steve-O's Wild Ride! Podcast. Near the 51-minute mark in the video linked here, MrBeast explained that allowing someone else to handle the phone immediately draws attention and creates chaos.
"If someone asks you for a photo and you go yes and then you let them hand the phone to their mom, you're cooked. It's like a fucking flare in the middle of Walmart for everyone to start lining up, just ruining our trip."
He says the problem escalates because public photos cause people to stop and stare, which can lead to chaos.
"You have to understand, it's a death sentence if it's not quick because, again, when you take photos in public, it causes everyone to turn and look, and lines form, and then it just gets bad because once a line forms, people just want a photo because other people are getting a photo,” Donaldson said. “I've literally been kicked out of a Walmart because of it."
He continued, "We like our fans and we're not pieces of shit, it's just a factual thing. If we don't take it quick enough, things just go bad and it's something that's very hard to understand, but you've just got to take our words for it."
Donaldson also noted that he has taken between 2,000 to 4,000 photos in a single day, thanks to a tightly organized, conveyor belt-style system.
“It really makes a difference because then those people leave and they're like, ‘Holy shit, that was a really cool experience,’ as opposed to just like, ‘Oh, it was whatever,’” he explained.
