In the wake of the Titan submersible tragedy, YouTuber MrBeast says he passed on a chance to ride in a sub making the same voyage to explore the wreckage of the Titanic.
The influencer, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, made his comments on Twitter June 25, three days after an underwater tourist craft operated by OceanGate Expeditions imploded 1,600 feet away from the famed shipwreck, killing all five passengers, including the company's CEO, Stockton Rush.
"I was invited earlier this month to ride the titanic submarine," he tweeted. "I said no. Kind of scary that I could have been on it."
While MrBeast did not note who extended the invitation, he included a screenshot of a text sent to him that read, "Also, I'm going to the Titanic in a submarine late this month. The team would be stoked to have you along. I'm sure you're also welcome to join-" before the pic cut off.
E! News has reached out to MrBeast's rep for further comment and to OceanGate Expeditions and has not heard back.
Also June 25, the U.S. Coast Guard said at a press conference that the June 22 discovery of the debris of the Titan submersible "marked the end of the U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue mission" and that the group has now opened a Marine Board of Investigation to determine the cause of the tragedy.
MrBeast is not the only person to recently say publicly they turned down an invitation to ride in a submersible to explore the Titanic shipwreck, a voyage that OceanGate charges $250,000 per passenger. Las Vegas businessman Jay Bloom said Rush himself invited him and his son Sean Bloom, 20, on the recent expedition but that they ultimately declined the offer.
"I was just not comfortable with the kind of resources that he had to pull this off, that it could be done safely," Jay told NBC News June 23. "Looking back, I'm very relieved and glad that my son and I did not go, just feel terrible for the people who did."
In addition, Nigerian politician Ned Nwoko said on Instagram this week that he turned down a seat on the Titan sub that ultimately imploded after being invited by his close friend and business partner, British billionaire Hamish Harding, one of the passengers who lost their lives.
In April, U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Beech Smith, who presides over Titanic salvage matters from a Virginia federal court, received a letter from OceanGate Expeditions' legal and operational advisor that outlined the company's plans for upcoming trips to the wreckage—as well as a personal invitation to join one of them as a guest.
The following month, the judge wrote, "I thank you for the invitation to participate in the 2023 Titanic Survey Expedition, and perhaps, if another expedition occurs in the future, I will be able to do so."
Find out more info on the victims of the Titanic sub disaster below: