Guy Beahm, the popular streamer better known as Dr Disrespect, has released a lengthy statement regarding the recent allegations that have surfaced regarding his 2020 ban from Twitch.
It’s the most substantive response Beahm has ever released about the situation, which reignited last week after a former Twitch employee said on X/Twitter that he was banned from the streaming platform for inappropriate messages with a minor on a Twitch feature Whispers, 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.
BANNING TWITCH
Hello just wanted to give a quick heads up..
Let’s cut the dirty bullshit, since you know there’s no filter with me. I’ve always been upfront and honest with you guys about anything I can be upfront about, and I’m always willing to accept responsibility…
– Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) June 25, 2024
In the statement, Beahm admits that he did have “whispered messages with an individual minor in 2017.” (The word “small” was edited out of the original version of the post, but then added back).
“If there were real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely no,” he adds. “These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes veered too far toward being inappropriate, but nothing more.”
He goes on to say that no charges have been filed and reiterates that “nothing illegal happened.”
“Now, morally, I will absolutely take responsibility,” he says. “I should never have had these conversations to begin with. This is about me. This is about me as an adult, a husband and a father. This should never have happened. I understand. I’m not perfect and i’ll be good shit that was stupid.”
Beahm insists, however, that he is “no predator or filthy pedophile” and that despite a previously announced “extended break,” he apparently plans to continue broadcasting.
“They want me gone… damn it,” he concludes.
IGN has reached out to Twitch, which has not commented on the situation in recent days.
As for his departure from Midnight Society, Beahm says the decision for him to part ways with the studio was something he and the team reached “together.” Shortly after Beahm posted his statement, studio co-founder Robert Bowling released his own personal statement on X/Twitter, warning that it was not directed by a PR or legal department.
“If you inappropriately text a minor. I cannot work with you,” Bowling wrote. “Period. I promised to act only on the facts, and I did.”
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’t work with you.
Period.
I promised to act only on the basis of facts, and I did.
— Robert Bowling (@fourzerotwo) June 25, 2024
Gaming headset and accessory company Turtle Beach also announced earlier Tuesday, before Beahm posted his statement, that it would end its partnership with the broadcaster.
The situation surrounding Beahm’s four-year ban from Twitch caught fire last Friday, June 21, thanks to a post on X/Twitter by former Twitch account 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 assumed and later confirmed in reports by The Verge and Bloomberg that he was referring to the popular broadcaster when he wrote, “He was arrested because he was caught having sex with a minor in that existing time.Twitch whispers product He was trying to meet him at TwitchCon.
Conners’ post became massive news, shedding light on Beahm’s mysterious ban, which came down almost exactly four years ago. Twitch did not provide details on the reason for the ban, and Beahm himself claimed he was not initially informed why. He would go on to sue Twitch over the ban in 2021, and the legal dispute was settled in 2022.
In the days following Conners’ post, Beahm has released a number of statements, but none as substantive as the one he posted Tuesday (he claims he’s able to provide more information “now that two former Twitch employees have publicly disclosed the allegations” ). In previous statements, he continued to stress that “no wrongdoing was found” regarding his dealings with Twitch.
You can read Beahm’s latest statement in full below:
Photo credit: Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
Alex Stedman is a senior news editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she’s not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.