‘The Mr Beast of Jails’: This influencer is bailing people out of jail for content

An influencer is bailing random people out of jail and putting them on a party bus. Why? For content.

In a ">video posted to his YouTube channel on November 20, creator cduerk bails 10 strangers out of jail at one time. “I went a little over budget with the bail,” cduerk says. Dressed in a goodwill suit, he waits outside the gates, cameras rolling, ready to load them onto a party bus waiting nearby. 

The first to emerge is Jacob. “I just did three months in here,” he says. Others reveal they were arrested for minor offenses like loitering. A mother and son duo are reunited, while another stranger, Carl, says enthusiastically, “Alright, let’s go party.” The last person to come out, Michael, the YouTuber had already bailed out in a previous video. “They got me again buddy,” Michael says as he steps out the gates and onto the bus. 

When asked why he’s doing this, cduerk explains that he enjoys making YouTube videos and helping people. However, not everyone is thrilled about the idea. One man, Skipper, declines the invite to the party bus. “I’m going to get drunk,” he says. Another woman asks the YouTubers to revoke her bond. “Now I feel like a piece of shit,” cduerk admits as she’s reprocessed back into custody.

As the mix of freshly-bailed strangers gather around the party bus, cduerk introduces them to the sponsor of his video, the gambling app Triumph. The bus rolls out to its first stop, McDonald’s, where the group grabs a bite to eat. Slowly, they begin to splinter off, some heading to hotels, others calling Ubers to their next destinations. The day wraps up with a final group hug and a prayer before everyone goes their separate ways. 

The video sparked mixed reactions. “The Mr Beast of Jails,” one person commented on cduerk’s Instagram page. “Okay I need a 2-hour documentary,” adds another. “This is awesome.”

However, some are more skeptical. “When the destiny of people has become entertainment someone can monetize, you realize capitalism has gone wild,” one viewer commented. “This is amazing but like none of these guys are sex offenders right?,” asks another. 

This isn’t cduerk’s first jailbreak stunt. With 33,100 subscribers, his channel features eight videos dedicated to bailing out random people—one of whom he takes on a ">helicopter ride. But the jury’s still out on whether his content is compassionate or exploitative—or perhaps a mix of both. 

https://www.fastcompany.com/91238881/the-mr-beast-of-jails-this-influencer-is-bailing-people-out-of-jail-for-content?partner=rss&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss+fastcompany&utm_content=rss