High-profile Twitch streamer Herschel “Guy” Beahm IV (better known as Dr Disrespect) was banned from the livestreaming platform in late June. And this time, it seems to be permanent, rather than a temporary matter involving a DMCA. Beahm himself has claimed he is unsure of why he was banned. However, others on Twitter state the reason could be very serious, and not because of a copyright claim, as some originally speculated.
Several weeks after the action was taken against his account, we still don’t know why Beahm was banned. His punishment is one of the highest-profile bans in Twitch history. It remains unclear if Twitch is planning to address the reason in more detail in the future. Likewise, we don’t yet know where he may head next; his Twitter profile link has recently been updated to point to YouTube, but there’s no indication of an official partnership with that platform or any other.
Why Was Dr Disrespect Banned From Twitch?
It’s unclear exactly why or how long Dr Disrespect will be banned. Following news of the ban, Dr Disrespect did not say anything publicly about the situation, and searching for his Twitch account yielded no results. However, on June 27, a day after news of the ban broke, Beahm broke his silence and posted an update on Twitter, addressing his fans. According to the streamer, Twitch has not provided him with any specific reason for the ban. Meanwhile, Monday’s temporary suspension of Donald Trump was accompanied by specific reasoning, with Twitch even citing specific violations of its “hateful conduct” policy.
Dr Disrespect’s Statement On His Ban
Regarding Dr Disrespect’s ban, Twitch has offered no specific explanation for the move publicly. Of course, this has left room for speculation. Some have suggested that it could be the result of a DMCA takedown (of which there has been a flurry recently). However, this would ordinarily result in a temporary ban, and there is no sign of that happening.
Beahm finally gave an interview to the Washington Post regarding his ban on July 16. He expressed incredulity about Twitch’s decision. However, his legal and publicity teams limited what he could and couldn’t answer. Legal action against Twitch is being considered, although it’s unclear if this is merely posturing or a route he actually intends to pursue.
“It was a total shock,” he said. “Imagine showing up to work and the doors are closed and you can’t get inside.”
Beahm later shared an ominous video on his Twitter account, backed by moody music. It wasn’t clear what purpose it served but it was his first tweet since late June. The timing roughly coincided with the round of interviews that were also published in mid-July.
Twitch’s Statement On Dr Disrespect’s Ban
When we reached out to Twitch for comment, we were given the same generic statement already offered to the wider community: “As is our process, we take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer has acted in violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service. These apply to all streamers regardless of status or prominence in the community.”
The Twitch Community Reacts To Dr Disrespect’s Ban
Dr Disrespect was banned from the livestreaming platform back in June 2019 for broadcasting from a public restroom at E3. The ban only lasted two weeks and saw a divisive response from the Twitch community.
According to esports reporter Rod Breslau, Dr Disrepsect’s ban is not related to a DMCA measure, and is in fact a permanent ban, rather than a temporary one. This was the first indication there could be something more serious going on than a simple copyright issue. Twitch is also giving refunds to those who had subscribed to his channel and his emotes are no longer on the site.
Breslau also shared a video from Beahm’s final stream that showed him struggling to speak, possibly because he knew what was about to happen.
Zach Bussey, who reports on Twitch happenings, indicated there won’t be a public statement shared by Twitch regarding the ban, but that he too has heard it is permanent.
Another streamer, Shannon Plante (AKA ShannonZKiller), indicated that she’s heard the Dr Disrepect ban is a permanent one, adding that the cause is “serious.” She offered no further specifics, saying she knows the reason for the ban but that she “cannot say” more. She does state that he is “done, and not just on Twitch.” At the time of this writing, his YouTube channel and Twitter account remain online, but Plante deleted her tweet.
Dr Disrespect’s ban comes not long after Twitch removed several other prominent streamers for alleged sexual abuse and harassment, including IamSp00n, BlessRNG, DreadedCone, and others. Earlier this week, Twitch said it would be issuing permanent suspensions following its investigation into these allegations. The accusations led to a Twitch blackout, with streamers staying off the platform for a day to encourage the streaming service to take action against abusers.
Giphy Removes Dr Disrespect GIFs
Popular GIF hosting service Giphy has also apparently removed GIF material featuring Beahm from its site. This is despite the reasoning behind the ban still not being made public.
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