Kotaku, the gaming website notorious for misleading headlines and a diminishing staff, has been caught spreading misinformation—this time about YouTube’s biggest creator, MrBeast.
This most recent controversy stems from an article written by Kotaku writer Zack Zwiezen, originally headlined “MrBeast: Life Is ‘So Much Easier When You’re Broke.'”
The problem? MrBeast never actually said that.
A tweet in which Kotaku misquotes YouTube star MrBeast – X, @Kotaku
In a recent episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast, Jimmy Donaldson—better known as MrBeast—spoke about the challenges of his high-profile lifestyle. The real quote, which Kotaku failed to verify before running with its misleading headline, was:
“It is like, so much easier when you’re— bro, if you don’t travel constantly, life is so easy…”
At no point did MrBeast claim that being broke made life better or even utter the word “broke.”
He was simply discussing the exhaustion that comes with nonstop travel and high-level responsibilities. But rather than verify his words, Kotaku rushed in with the incorrect quote, attempting to bank on what would have been a hilariously out of touch statement if true, for maximum outrage clicks.
MrBeast took to X to share the misquote from Kotaku, noting that since the article went up he’d been victimized by a slew of online verbal abuse.
A news site lied and said I said “life is so much easier when you’re broke” which I didn’t say. Now I’m waking up to millions of people believing the lie and hating me. Being famous is so much fun 👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/B2UvdaQIgl
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) March 1, 2025
“A news site lied and said I said ‘life is so much easier when you’re broke,’ which I didn’t say,” the YouTube star lamented on X. “Now I’m waking up to millions of people believing the lie and hating me. Being famous is so much fun.”
Kotaku’s Half-Hearted Damage Control
Following backlash and a swift community note fact-checking their misquote, Kotaku eventually revised the article. But instead of issuing a proper retraction or an apology, the outlet did the absolute bare minimum.
Mistakes and misquotes happen in journalism. Tight deadlines and the constant race to get news out can lead to accuracy issues. But responsible journalism outlets will take every opportunity to correct their mistake, apologize, and vow to do better in the future.
That didn’t happen here.
Former Kotaku Editor in Chief Jen Glennon via Kotaku YouTube
READ: The Story of WB Games and Monolith Productions: A Full Timeline of Ambition and Closure
The original article, along with a promotional X post, went live on February 20, 2025. However, the article was not corrected until March 1, 2025, at 12:50 p.m. ET, a full 10 days later.
And rather than issue a proper, widespread correction or apology, Kotaku merely tacked on this small note at the very bottom of the page:
Correction: 3/1/2025, 12:50 p.m. ET: A prior version of this article incorrectly quoted MrBeast as saying ‘easier when you’re broke’ when speaking about the challenges of his current lifestyle. The misquote came from a transcript provided by PR for The Diary of a CEO podcast ahead of the episode’s airing. MrBeast has since clarified his statement in a post on X/Twitter, and we’ve updated the quote and the article’s headline accordingly.
Nowhere in this correction does Kotaku apologize for the mistake and the impact it had on MrBeast and his brand. Nowhere does it acknowledge that it actively spread misinformation, intentional or not. And despite the egregious error, Kotaku has not issued an X post correcting the record. Their misleading tweet promoting the article remained up for days before finally being removed—only after being flagged by a community note.
But that’s it. Just a small blurb at the very bottom of the edited article, which after being up on the site for a full 10 days likely wasn’t receiving a lot of traffic.
The misleading headline of Kotaku’s article on MrBeast still visible in Google searches – Google
Even worse, as of 10:00 AM EST on March 3, 2025, searching “Kotaku MrBeast” on Google still brings up the original misleading headline, showing the lasting damage of this misinformation.
Kotaku’s Longstanding Pattern of Misleading Journalism
For those familiar with Kotaku’s track record, this incident is hardly surprising. The outlet has repeatedly shown a willingness to prioritize engagement over accuracy, often skewing stories to fit a predetermined agenda. Whether it’s misrepresenting developers, stirring outrage against gaming communities, or, in this case, twisting the words of a high-profile creator, Kotaku has built a reputation for sensationalism at the expense of truth.
And it’s not just sloppy reporting—it appears to be a pattern.
When Kotaku gets caught misleading readers, their standard response is to quietly edit the piece and hope no one notices, rather than openly admitting fault and taking real accountability.
Why MrBeast Was an Easy Target
So why did Kotaku jump at the chance to take this shot at MrBeast?
Simple: They knew it would generate clicks.
MrBeast in a video from his YouTube channel where he helped 200 people walk again – YouTube, MrBeast
READ: Warwick Davis Wins the Honor of the BAFTA Fellowship Award
Despite his massive charitable contributions and generally positive public image, MrBeast has long been a target for agenda-driven media outlets. His success, work ethic, and massive influence make him an easy subject for those looking to create controversy. Kotaku has attacked him in the past and clearly saw an opportunity to drum up engagement by painting him as out-of-touch with regular people, regardless of whether the framing was truthful.
Instead of taking the responsible route—fact-checking before publishing—Kotaku rushed to capitalize on a viral misinterpretation. Then, when faced with undeniable proof of their mistake, they opted for minimal damage control rather than an actual correction.
Kotaku’s Decline Continues
This latest misstep is just another indication of Kotaku’s dwindling relevance. The outlet has been on a downward spiral for some time, and recent events have only accelerated its decline.
Just a few months ago, Kotaku’s parent company, G/O Media, initiated another round of layoffs, further gutting the already struggling publication. Key writers like Willa Rowe and Moises Taveras were let go after being hired earlier that year, while senior editor Alyssa Mercante had her contract bought out before the layoffs hit.
Alyssa Mercante in the documentary Gaming While Black – YouTube, Black Sparrow Media
At this point, Kotaku is a shell of its former self. The outlet has lost much of its editorial talent and is barely hanging on as its parent company offloads other properties like The Onion and Gizmodo.
Final Thoughts
Kotaku’s handling of the MrBeast situation is just another reminder of the issues plaguing modern day online journalism. Instead of admitting fault and issuing a proper, visible correction and apology, they chose to quietly alter their article in a way that no one would notice unless they were looking for it.
Kotaku lied. What a surprise.
Naughty me as well for not reading the article. But it’s Kotaku, so… Who the fuck reads that shit.
My bad. https://t.co/IWRzszAsMk
— Heel vs Babyface (@heelvsbabyface) March 1, 2025
This MrBeast situation only adds to the long list of reasons why Kotaku has become a cautionary tale in modern journalism.
Are you surprised that Kotaku misquoted MrBeast and then did the bare minimum to correct its mistake? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
UP NEXT: How the 2025 Oscars Used Likely Illegal Criteria to Block Conservative Films from Consideration
It’s like when they accused George W Bush of saying Iraq had nukes. He said WMDs and they had chemical weapons.
We never found any, though. That and the PATRIOT Act are two sore points for me when it comes to Dubya. I don’t fully blame him for the Wall Street Crash in ’08; Clinton deregulated the real estate market in ’98 and tipped the final domino for that growing disaster.
My understanding is that we did find chemical weapons but not nukes. There were issues with W and MANY issues with Clinton, but the woke make the most ridiculous claims. Like claiming we’re going to full on invade Greenland with troops.
I know those claims too well. The Danish settlers aren’t even the ones in political control of Greenland; the native Inuit are. If they vote to join the US, the Danes don’t have a say in it. If the rest of Scandinavia doesn’t like it, they need a harsh lesson in geopolitics.
Az from Heelvsbabyface on YouTube made a video apologizing to MrBeast for thinking it was real and replying to his X post. A fifty-year-old Briton has more class than entire staff of Cancel Pigs.
I don’t even know why G/O Media still keeps Kotaku around or running. It’s a money sink, it’s worthless as an opinion maker, and it’s increasingly a legal liability. MSNBC fired Joyless Reid for the same reasons. Shut it down, transfer whatever employees are worth something (surely the custodial staff is still useful), and fire the rest before they get the entire conglomerate in trouble.
Journalism integrity and Kotaku can’t be written in the same sentence
What the heck is a kotaku? I’d have to agree that gaming sites have become useless. I stopped reading ign because the walkthroughs are wiki, and their game reviews are 15 paragraphs of some superficial clown complaining about minor tech specs. If anyone gives 8-10, be skeptical.