Business partners are continuing to distance themselves from Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm following multiple reports that he engaged in inappropriate conversations with a minor on Twitch. The streamer himself has admitted to having conversations that “sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate” with an underage individual. The latest company to take action is YouTube, which has demonetized Dr Disrespect’s channel, which had over 4 million subscribers.
A spokesperson for YouTube confirmed in an email to Kotaku that the platform has “suspended monetization on Dr Disrespect’s channel for violating our Creator Responsibility policy.” The spokesperson added that the suspension applies to any existing channels owned by Beahm and any new ones he might create in the future. This decision came nearly a week after a former Twitch employee, Cody Conners, claimed on social media that the real reason Beahm was permanently banned from Twitch in 2020 was for sending sexually explicit messages to a minor.
The allegations have been corroborated by multiple sources, including The Verge, Bloomberg, and Rolling Stone. These reports allege that Beahm continued to send inappropriate messages to the minor even after she informed him of her age. Ryan Wyatt, YouTube’s former global head of gaming partnerships, also told Rolling Stone that rumors of Beahm’s inappropriate contact were the reason YouTube never offered him an exclusivity contract.
Beahm, who transitioned from Twitch to YouTube where his recent Elden Ring streams have garnered millions of viewers, has faced significant fallout. He has been dropped by the video game studio he co-founded, his sponsor Turtle Beach, his talent agency CAA, NBA2K, where he appeared as an in-game character, and the San Francisco 49ers, with whom he had previously collaborated.
Following Bloomberg’s report on June 26, Beahm released a statement sharing his “side of the story,” in which he confessed to messaging the minor but vehemently denied being a predator or pedophile. “I’m no fucking predator or pedophile,” he stated.
A spokesperson for Google elaborated on the decision to suspend Beahm’s monetization, saying, “Our Creator Responsibility Guidelines are clear that if a creator’s off-platform behavior harms our users, employees, or ecosystem, we may take action to protect our community, including by suspending monetization.” The spokesperson added, “While these behaviors are rare, they can cause widespread harm to the YouTube community, and potentially damage the trust among creators, users, and advertisers.”
Despite suggesting earlier this week that he might take an indefinite break from streaming, Beahm claimed in his statement that he would return in the future with “a heavy weight off” his shoulders. “They want me to disappear… yeah fucking right,” he said. If he does attempt to return to streaming, he will now have to find a new platform to monetize his content.
In the meantime, even former allies have begun to disown the 2017 Game Awards’ Trending Gamer of the Year. The fallout from these allegations has been swift and severe, reflecting the broader industry’s zero-tolerance stance on inappropriate behavior, especially involving minors.
The situation serves as a stark reminder of the responsibilities that come with being a public figure and the potential consequences of failing to uphold those responsibilities. As the gaming community continues to grapple with these revelations, the focus remains on ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all participants.
Source: Kotaku, The Verge, Bloomberg, Rolling Stone
