MrBeast YouTube star Kris Tyson comes out as trans
MrBeast’s friend and longtime collaborator Kris Tyson has come out as a trans woman. (YouTube/AnthonyPadilla)
MrBeast’s friend and longtime YouTube collaborator Kris Tyson has revealed a new name and pronouns as she officially comes out as a trans woman.
In an uplifting and wide-ranging interview with YouTuber Anthony Padilla on Friday (21 July), Tyson opened up about the moment when she first realised her gender was different to what was expected of her, and the trans joy inherent in living as her authentic self.
Tyson, who has regularly starred alongside influential YouTuber and philanthropist MrBeast – real name Jimmy Donaldson – in his viral videos, first spoke openly about her journey discovering her authentic self and accessing hormone replacement therapy (HRT) back in April. She received a wave of support and love from fans, who praised Tyson for being a mainstream influencer that queer kids can look up to.
Unsurprisingly, however, some trolls couldn’t handle Tyson simply being herself, leading MrBeast, the most-subscribed individual user on YouTube, to clap back at bigoted comments about his friend.
Now, Tyson has debuted her new name and pronouns, and shared that she’s been “confident” in her identity for “over a year”, but wanted to “play catch-up with the internet” in the way she discovers herself.
“Six, seven, eight months ago my hair started growing out, all these kinds of things. I wasn’t quite sure exactly who I was yet, but I knew I was not cisgender,” the YouTuber said. “I needed the freedom to express myself and figure out who I was.”
In her interview with Padilla, Tyson also explored feelings of fear about how people would react to her coming out as a woman, and that being from a “small town in a conservative area” had an impact on the progression of her journey.
Tyson shared that she now feels free to be her authentic self without the weight of others’ expectations – and this means being able express her thoughts and emotions openly.
“I literally had people within the first couple of months of me coming out to friends and my therapist … they were like you’re talking so much more, and you just seem so much more present in the conversation.
“I was noticing that myself too,” Tyson continued. “I would get done with conversations and be like ‘why does my jaw hurt so bad?’ Oh, I was talking and smiling – I haven’t done that in a while.”
Fans have been quick to share their support for Tyson, even creating beautiful digital artwork based on her interview with Padilla.
Social media users thanked Tyson for sharing her journey, with one fan posting that it would “inspire and help so many people”.
Another wrote: “I’m so proud of @kristyson … seeing her being so happy to be openly trans makes me cry so much. I kind of see myself in some of the things she mentioned about internalised transphobia and being scared to come out. the interview hit so close to home.”
Will Kris Tyson be in more MrBeast videos?
It’s not yet known whether Kris Tyson will star in upcoming MrBeast content, but in the Padilla interview, she is clear about her love for creating videos with the YouTube superstar.
In April, Tyson shut down rumours that she had been removed from the MrBeast team, letting fans know in a Snapchat stream that she was still part of the MrBeast squad, but wanted to spend more time with her son, Tucker.
As MrBeast has previously been supportive of his friend’s identity, it’s likely that further collaborations will be on the cards.
