The Mighty Mike Plays saga explained: the dad who blamed his 9-year-old for $118K in ads is now backtracking

The saga began in mid-September, when Dave, father of 9-year-old Minecraft YouTuber Mighty Mike Plays, said his son had spent about $118,000 on YouTube ad campaigns using his company credit card, allegedly costing him his job. To cover the hole, the family launched a fundraiser and a merch store with T-shirts priced from $67 to $97, some bearing the '118k' print.

The internet was skeptical. Users noted that card issuers would flag charges that large, and YouTuber Scott Shafer said he found two homes owned by the father in Glendale, California, worth a combined $4 million, plus a media and advertising company in his name. According to U.S. outlets, Dave even threatened to sue creators who disputed his story.

On Friday (Oct. 2), he walked it back: he admitted he wasn't fired but lost a contract between companies, said he owns around 12 businesses and announced refunds for the AI-designed shirts, on which he spent $10,000. 'I didn't think it would go so viral and I obviously didn't handle everything in the right way,' he said. 'I shouldn't have used AI.'