After two notable companies cut ties with him, video game streamer Guy “Dr. Disrespect” Beahm has issued an official statement concerning his ban from Twitch and the nature of it. In a lengthy statement today, the streamer confirms he was messaging a minor in 2017, but goes on to claim that “nothing illegal happened.”
Beahm’s ban from Twitch in 2020 was surrounded with an air of mystery, as very little public reasoning was given for the streamer getting booted from the platform. Recently, though, an allegation from a former Twitch employee seems to have broken the dam. The Midnight Society—a game development studio Beahm co-founded—cut ties with him yesterday following an investigation, and earlier today, headset maker Turtle Beach confirmed it was ending its partnership with Dr. Disrespect, who had moved to YouTube from Twitch. During this time, reports emerged reinforcing the reasoning behind the Twitch ban.
All the while yesterday, Beahm hosted a stream of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, before ending on a somber note that indicated he was, at the very least, taking a break from streaming. Today, he issued a formal statement on his Twitter, announcing his stance and confirming some details around the nature of the Twitch ban.
It’s important to note that Beahm has been editing the statement since its publication, and you can view those revisions on X/Twitter. One consistent portion, though, is that Beahm is publicly confirming that he was messaging with “an individual minor” in 2017. Here’s his full statement on the matter:
“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, 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.”
Guy “Dr. Disrespect” Beahm, via Twitter
He goes on to say that, from a moral standpoint, he takes responsibility and says he should have “never entertained” the conversations; “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 fucking own my shit. This was stupid,” said Beahm.
The statement goes on to lambast “remarks and labels” thrown around on social media. “I’m no fucking predator or pedophile,” Beahm writes. He then apologizes to his community, expresses apathy towards his haters, and then ends with this:
“Finally, if you’re uncomfortable with this entire statement and think I’m a piece of shit, that’s fine. But I’m not fucking going anywhere. I’m not the same guy that made this mistake all those years ago. I’m taking an extended vacation with my family as mentioned on stream and I’m coming back with a heavy weight off my shoulders.
“They want me to disappear… yeah fucking right.”
Guy “Dr. Disrespect” Beahm, via Twitter
Midnight Society studio head Robert Bowling took to Twitter not long after Beahm published his statement with the following:
“This is a statement from me personally. It does not reflect any of my companies and has not gone through any legal or PR approvals.
“If you inappropriately message a minor. I can not work with you.
“Period.
“I promised to only act on facts, and I did.”
Robert Bowling, The Midnight Society
Twitch has not made any official statement on the matter, as of the time of this writing.
Published: Jun 25, 2024 02:25 pm