American YouTube star MrBeast might be ending his visit to Uzbekistan on Sunday, 11 October, amid speculation that overwhelming crowds forced him to abandon planned trips to Bukhara and Khiva.
Organisers say his departure was scheduled in advance and no destinations have been cancelled.
Uzbekistan’s Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF), which organised the visit, clarified that the content creator, whose real name is Jimmy Donaldson, had only planned to visit Tashkent and Samarkand.
The foundation confirmed that the YouTuber was heading to the airport on Sunday to conclude his three-day visit.
His production team will continue travelling to Bukhara and Khiva to film at historical landmarks.
The clarification follows reports circulating on social media that MrBeast had hurriedly left Samarkand for Tashkent after struggling to move through crowds of fans.
MrBeast says thousands of fans followed his car
During his visit, Donaldson admitted that he had underestimated the scale of his popularity in Uzbekistan.
In a video shared on social media, he described the country’s fan base as one of the most enthusiastic he had encountered, claiming that more than 1,000 people were following his vehicle.
He said crowds had surrounded his car and made travelling through the streets extremely difficult without police assistance.
Although he thanked Uzbek fans for their support, Donaldson acknowledged that the situation was creating difficulties for his production team.
He even suggested that his presence might be placing too much pressure on local authorities and that an early departure could become necessary.
Bukhara police urge fans not to expect MrBeast
The confusion extended to Bukhara, where residents reportedly headed towards the historic Ark Fortress hoping to meet the YouTuber.
Ulugbek Shukurlaev, spokesperson for the Bukhara regional police department, confirmed that Donaldson had not arrived in the city.
Instead, members of his production crew had travelled there with filming equipment and vehicles to record footage of historical monuments and tourist attractions.
Shukurlaev urged residents not to spread unverified claims about the creator’s whereabouts.
MrBeast arrived in Uzbekistan on 9 October for his first visit to Central Asia. He held a fan event in Tashkent before travelling to Samarkand on 10 October, where hundreds of supporters gathered to see him.
His visit was organised by ACDF in cooperation with Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee as part of efforts to promote the country to international audiences.
