The internet has a short memory, but some names stick like glue. If you spent any time on YouTube between 2017 and 2023, you knew exactly who Chris the Meme God was. He was the high-energy, fire-starting, joke-cracking sidekick to Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson. They were childhood friends from North Carolina who basically invented a new genre of entertainment.
Then everything changed.
The person the world knew as Chris the Meme God doesn't really exist anymore. It wasn't just a rebrand. It was a total life overhaul. Today, the world knows her as Ava Kris Tyson, and the story of her exit from the MrBeast empire is one of the most messy, controversial chapters in social media history. Honestly, it’s a lot to keep track of if you haven't been refreshing Twitter every five minutes for the last two years.
From Chris the Meme God to Ava Kris Tyson
Let’s go back. Chris was there from the start. We’re talking about the days of "Worst Intros on YouTube" and counting to 100,000. He was the first person Jimmy hired. For years, the "Beast Gang" was a tight-knit circle of guys—Chris, Chandler, and eventually Karl. They were the relatable friends living out every kid's dream of winning millions and blowing stuff up.
But in early 2023, fans noticed a shift.
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Chris started looking different. Growing out hair. Wearing different clothes. Then came the announcement: HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy). Chris explained that she had been questioning her gender for a long time and decided to live authentically. By July 2023, the transition was official. She announced her new name, Ava Kris Tyson, and updated her pronouns to she/her.
Jimmy stood by her. He slammed transphobic comments on X (formerly Twitter), calling the hate "absurd." For a while, it seemed like the MrBeast channel was going to successfully navigate a massive cultural shift. Ava continued to appear in videos, and while the comment sections were often a war zone, the business kept moving.
The 2024 Controversy That Changed Everything
Everything fell apart in July 2024. This wasn't about the transition anymore. This was about serious allegations of misconduct.
A series of videos surfaced online—most notably from a channel called Prism42—alleging that Ava had engaged in inappropriate conversations with a minor years earlier. The specific claims focused on a friendship with a fan known as LavaGS, who was reportedly 13 at the time the interactions began. Ava was 20.
Screenshots leaked. They showed "edgy" jokes that many felt crossed a major line.
Ava denied the grooming allegations. She admitted the jokes were in poor taste but insisted nothing illegal or predatory happened. LavaGS actually came out in her defense, stating he never felt like a victim and that the whole thing was being "twisted."
But the damage was done.
MrBeast didn't wait around. He released a statement saying he was "disgusted" by the allegations and immediately hired an independent third party to investigate. Within days, Ava "mutually decided" to step away from all things MrBeast. She vanished from the company, the videos, and eventually, social media altogether.
Where is Chris (Ava) Now?
As of 2026, Ava Kris Tyson has effectively disappeared from the public eye.
She isn't in the new Beast Games episodes. She isn't posting on Instagram. The "Meme God" era is a relic of the past. For a person who was once one of the most recognizable faces on the planet, the silence is deafening.
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The MrBeast channel has moved on. If you watch the latest videos, you’ll see the core crew has shifted. New faces have filled the void. It's like those early years were scrubbed, though the old videos remain as a digital museum of a friendship that lasted over a decade before imploding under the weight of internet scrutiny and personal scandal.
Why This Matters for YouTube Culture
The rise and fall of Chris the Meme God is a case study in how fragile internet fame really is. One day you’re part of a billion-dollar brand; the next, you’re a liability that has to be removed to protect the bottom line.
It also highlights the "parasocial" nature of YouTube. Fans felt like they grew up with Chris. They felt a personal betrayal—either because they didn't agree with her transition or because they were horrified by the 2024 allegations.
There’s no middle ground on the internet. You’re either a hero or a villain.
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What We Can Learn From the Fallout
- Digital Footprints are Forever: Jokes made in a Discord server in 2017 can and will be used against you in 2024.
- Brands Prioritize Safety: No matter how long you’ve been friends, a business as big as MrBeast cannot risk being associated with serious misconduct allegations.
- The Pivot is Real: The transition from Chris the Meme God to Ava Kris Tyson showed that even the biggest influencers are human beings going through complex personal changes, even if the audience isn't ready for them.
If you’re looking for Ava Kris Tyson today, you won’t find her on a leaderboard or in a $1,000,000 challenge. She chose to focus on her "family and mental health," according to her final statements. Whether she ever returns to the internet remains a massive question mark, but for now, the "Meme God" has left the building.
To stay informed on how these types of creator shifts impact the platforms we use, pay close attention to the updated community guidelines on YouTube regarding creator conduct and historical content. Monitoring the results of the independent investigations launched by large creator agencies provides a clearer picture of how "cancel culture" is evolving into corporate compliance.