A woman says she was on the phone for a work meeting while in active labor — and was still fired less than three weeks after returning from maternity leave. That woman is Lorrayne Mavromatis, a former social media manager at Beast Industries, the company behind YouTube's biggest creator, MrBeast.

Mavromatis has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Beast Industries violated the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) — a federal law that protects employees' right to take unpaid leave for childbirth and return to their jobs. She also filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) alleging discrimination based on sex, pregnancy, and retaliation.

Her lawsuit describes more than a wrongful termination. It paints a picture of a workplace where female employees faced sexual harassment, gender bias, and retaliation when they spoke up. According to the complaint, when Mavromatis reported harassment to human resources, she was transferred and demoted. She says the company's own internal guide told employees "it's okay for the boys to be childish" — and that "the amount of hours you work is irrelevant."

This isn't the first time Beast Industries has faced scrutiny over its internal culture. In 2024, a third-party investigation found "isolated instances" of workplace harassment and misconduct, and the company fired several employees. MrBeast himself acknowledged the need to "create a culture that makes all our employees feel safe." That promise must be kept — not just in statements, but in action.

Beast Industries now employs about 700 people and is expanding rapidly into television, financial services, and mainstream entertainment. With that growth comes responsibility. A company of this size and influence cannot hide behind press statements when a former employee is standing in federal court, describing what it felt like to hold her breath between contractions on a work call.

We are calling on Beast Industries to conduct a fully independent, transparent investigation into its workplace culture — and to publish the findings. We are also calling on the company to establish clear, enforceable protections for pregnant employees and new parents, and to ensure that no worker faces retaliation for reporting harassment.

Lorrayne Mavromatis says she just wanted to do her job and come home to her baby. No one should have to choose between the two.