In the past week, Dr Disrespect has been put through the wringer. It was recently claimed on social media by former Twitch employees that he was banned from the platform in 2020 because he was caught messaging a minor inappropriately through the service. Since then, the situation has gone south rapidly, and Dr Disrespect has found himself at the centre of a controversy like no other that threatens the future of his career as a content creator.
To clear things up, Guy ‘Dr Disrespect’ Beahm took to Twitter to post a lengthy statement. From the horse’s mouth came the confirmation that many of his fans were dreading, and it resulted in an immediate and widespread backlash online. So, what’s happening with Dr Disrespect and why was he banned from Twitch in 2020?
Let’s dive into the scandal.
Midway through June, a former Twitch employee appeared on social media leveling accusations against Dr Disrespect, one of the funniest Twitch streamers. They claimed that the charismatic creator was caught messaging a minor inappropriately and that’s why he was banned from Twitch – but the story goes much deeper than that.
In a follow-up statement addressing the claims, Dr Disrespect confirmed that the allegations are true and he tried to defend his position. Here’s the bulk of what Dr Disrespect said:
‘Everyone has been wanting to know why I was banned from Twitch, but for reasons outside of my control, I was not allowed to say anything for the last several years.
Now that two former Twitch employees have publicly disclosed the accusations, I can now tell you my side of the story regarding the ban. Were there Twitch whisper messages with an individual minor back in 2017? The answer is yes. Were there real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely not. These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more.
Nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed, and I never even met the individual. I went through a lengthy arbitration regarding a civil dispute with Twitch and that case was resolved by a settlement. Let me be clear, it was not a criminal case against me and no criminal charges have ever been brought against me. Now, from a moral standpoint, I’ll absolutely take responsibility.
I should have never entertained these conversations, to begin with. That’s on me. That’s on me as an adult, a husband and a father. It should have never happened. I get it. I’m not perfect and I’ll f***ing own my s***. This was stupid.’
As his statement trailed on, he refuted the labels being stuck to him by users on social media and stressed that he isn’t a ‘predator or pedophile’. These events occurred in 2017 and it took three years for Twitch to ultimately ban Dr Disrespect from the platform, and since then, he’s probably had these revelations hanging over his head.
Dr Disrespect explained that he’s taking an extended vacation with his family to recuperate and consider what happens next. However, he was adamant that he’s not done as a content creator and will be back following his indefinite break. The concern now is that he won’t have much to come back to, as many of his closest peers and some of the biggest names in streaming have moved to denounce his actions and cut ties with him.
He departed Midnight Society – the studio he co-founded – and was publically named and shamed by the head of the studio, Robert Bowling. He was called out by Kai Cenat who was live on stream at the time to tens of thousands of people, and some of the most popular creators in the business have given their two cents on the matter. From Pokimane to Ninja, everyone has had something to say about this scandal.
His closest content creation-related friends, TimTheTatman and NICKMERCS, had tough words for him. Through their shock and disappointment, it became clear that they most likely would avoid associating with him in future. Presently, Dr Disrespect’s statement has more than 62 million impressions on Twitter – it’s the talk of the town for good reason. Dr Disrespect is no stranger to controversy, but this latest bout could be enough to ruin him.
For more information on Dr Disrespect, check out his full profile on Esports.net
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