Dr Disrespect issues lengthy statement on Twitch ban: ‘I’m not perfect,’ but ‘I’m not a predator’

Guy Beahm, the popular streamer better known as Dr Disrespect, has released a lengthy statement regarding the recent allegations that emerged regarding his ban from Twitch in 2020.

This is arguably Beahm’s most substantive response yet to the situation, which escalated last week after a former Twitch employee claimed on X/Twitter that he had been banned from the streaming platform for inappropriate messages with a minor on Twitch Whispers. feature, a claim corroborated by reporting in The Verge and Bloomberg. Beahm’s response addresses that claim, as well as his recent ouster from the game studio he co-founded, Midnight Society.

THE BAN OF TWITCH

Hello, I would like to make a brief statement.

Let’s stop this fucking bullshit, as you know there is no filter with me. I have always been frank and sincere with you about anything I can be frank about, and I am always willing to accept responsibility… which…

– Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) June 25, 2024

In the statement, Beahm admits that there were indeed “whispered messages with a minor in 2017.” (The word “minor” was removed from the original version of the post, but was later reinstated).

“Was there real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely no,” he adds. “These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too far in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more.”

He goes on to say no charges have been filed and reiterates that “nothing illegal happened.”

“Now, from a moral point of view, I will absolutely take responsibility for it,” he says. “I should never have had these conversations to begin with. It’s my fault. It’s on me as an adult, a husband and a father. This should never have happened. I understand. I’m not perfect and I admit it was stupid.

Beahm insists, however, that he is “not a fucking predator or pedophile” and that despite a previously announced “extended vacation,” he appears to intend to continue broadcasting.

“They want me to disappear… yeah, that’s true,” he concludes.

IGN reached out to Twitch for comment, which has not commented on the situation in recent days.

As for his ouster from Midnight Society, Beahm says the decision to part ways with the studio was something he and the team made “collectively.” Shortly after Beahm released his statement, studio co-founder Robert Bowling posted his to X/Twitter, clarifying that it had not been handled by a PR or legal department.

“If you send an inappropriate message to a minor. I can’t work with you,” Bowling wrote. “Period. I promised to act solely on the facts, and I did.”

This is a statement from me personally. It does not reflect any of my businesses and has not been subject to any legal or public relations endorsement.

If you send an inappropriate message to a minor. I can’t work with you.

Period.

I promised to act only on the facts, and I did.

–Robert Bowling (@fourzerotwo) June 25, 2024

Gaming headset and accessories company Turtle Beach also announced earlier Tuesday, before Beahm released his statement, that it would end its partnership with the streamer.

The situation surrounding Beahm’s four-year ban from Twitch came to light last Friday, June 21, thanks to an X/Twitter post from the Twitch account’s former director of strategic partnerships, Cody Conners (Disclosure: Conners briefly worked at IGN in 2011). Conners did not mention Beahm by name, but it was widely speculated and later confirmed in reports from The Verge and Bloomberg that he had been referred to the popular streamer when he wrote: “He was banned because that he was caught sexting a minor in the then-current Twitch whispers product He was trying to meet her at TwitchCon.

Conners’ post became massive news, shedding light on Beahm’s mysterious ban that took place almost exactly four years ago. Twitch provided no details about the reason for the ban at the time, and Beahm himself claimed to have not been informed of the reason initially. He will sue Twitch for banning in 2021, and the legal dispute will be resolved in 2022.

You can read Beahm’s statement in full below:

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Thumbnail credit: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images

Alex Stedman is a senior news editor at IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.