Returning to YouTube on September 6, Guy Beahm, the streamer best known as Dr Disrespect, addressed the circumstances that led to his lifetime ban from Twitch in front of an audience of over 200,000 viewers, saying that he “didn’t send sexual messages to anyone” via Twitch’s Whispers messaging system and calling the former employee who leaked the allegations a “f**king rat.”
Beahm began his statement by saying that the terms of his settlement with Twitch placed a ban on all parties involved from speaking, an order that was in place until a “disgruntled employee” came forward with allegations about the reason for his suspension earlier this year. He also addressed YouTube’s decision to demonetize his channel, saying that he would be eligible to reapply for monetization on September 25th and that he intended to do so.
Then he quickly changed tack, going aggressively defensive, condemning the actions of those behind the initial leak of his suspension. “That was professionally determined,” Beahm said. “And you, knowing how black and white the internet is, decided, you fucking rat, to leak the reported reason Twitch banned me in 2020.”
Beahm also asked rhetorically whether the leaker knew the “legal definition” of sexting, which seemed uncomfortably relevant to Beahm’s defense. “Yes,” he said. “And yes, I used Twitch Whispers, but trust me, I didn’t sext anyone.”
“I interact with my community. I interact with other streamers,” Beahm said. “And through Twitch Whispers, I communicate with Twitch users. Conversations that ranged from gaming, gaming politics, content creation, random stuff. That was the extent of my communication with that Twitch user.”
This argument seems to hinge on a distinction between the age of majority in the United States (the distinction between a minor and an adult), which is 18 in most states and 19 or 21 in a handful, and the age of consent. The legal age of consent for sexual activity, which Beahm has repeatedly referenced, is only 16 in 34 U.S. states and 17 in six other states. “Twitch is making the decision to terminate my contract and ban me, admitting that they never investigated the age of consent in the jurisdiction where the user’s messages were sent and received,” he said, before shouting, “Fucking unbelievable!”
Beahm also denied accusations that he tried to meet up with a user at TwitchCon, saying, “I never had any intention of meeting up with this user. We never made plans to meet up at TwitchCon or anywhere else, and in fact we never met in person, ever.”
Beahm claimed Twitch found no legal wrongdoing in the exchange, something he has emphasized before, noting that he was never criminally charged, but that a conspiracy led by his former management partner led to his channel being suspended anyway. “The truth is they just wanted to cut Doc,” Beahm said.
Much of what Beahm said stands in contrast to a now-deleted statement he posted in June, in which he admitted to exchanging “Twitch Whisper messages with a minor in 2017” that were “at times excessively inappropriate.” You can argue the semantic differences between “inappropriate” and “sexting” as you see fit, but he made it clear that the other person involved was a minor at the time. Today, he’s moved on to addressing the legal age of consent.
The prepared speech seemed crazy (even for Beahm), but it’s not a modern tactic either: Instead of admitting or addressing his own role in the matter, Beahm threw the finger at everyone else — insiders, journalists, Twitch — and put a hefty emphasis on the strict legality of the case, as if the absence of criminal charges meant there was no wrongdoing.
While Beahm suggested there would be “repercussions for spreading lies” about him, it doesn’t seem like there are any in sight. He didn’t mention potential legal action against the leaker or Twitch, and suggested that as far as he’s concerned, the matter is behind him. “I won’t say anything more about it,” Beahm said. “Unless I have to, because believe me, I have more that I haven’t revealed.” He also suggested that he won’t publicly share the messages that led to his suspension.
“Everyone’s saying, ‘Show the news.’ What are we, second grade?”
I have reached out to Twitch for comment on Dr Disrespect’s statement. I will update if I hear back.
