IShowSpeed causes one scandal after another and has become one of the most successful streamers worldwide. However, only on YouTube, as Twitch seemingly banned him permanently in 2021. Now the ban on the rude streamer has been surprisingly lifted.
What kind of streamer is he? The 18-year-old Darren “IShowSpeed” Watkins is known for his hyperactive personality. He regularly creates scandals. On YouTube, he gained increasing popularity in 2021. However, in December of the same year, he was indefinitely banned from Twitch.
However, this “permaban” did not stop him from drawing attention on YouTube with further escapades:
- in Fortnite he barked at a 6-year-old boy who was clearly on the verge of tears
- in Valorant he was banned after a sexist outburst
- in November 2022 he apologized for previous mistakes, saying that his behavior was “stupid and immature”
Recently, things calmed down a bit for the now 18-year-old after he was admitted to the hospital in the summer for severe headaches and facial swelling, and shortly thereafter accidentally exposed himself during a stream.
Despite all the scandals – or perhaps precisely because of them – IShowSpeed has continuously gained popularity in the years since his Twitch ban and was the biggest streamer on YouTube in 2022. Now his Twitch ban has been quietly lifted.
Twitch lifts IShowSpeed’s ban, but he still streams on YouTube
What is the story behind the unbanning? After almost 2 years, the unbanning of the scandal streamer went rather unspectacularly: The channel is simply available again and currently stands at 241,000 followers (as of: 13.10.2023).
The unbanning did not come out of nowhere: Dan Clancy, the CEO of Twitch, had already acknowledged in September the possibility of giving banned streamers a second chance. The reason why this particular streamer was chosen at this time is not known.
It is also unclear whether IShowSpeed intends to return to Twitch. So far, he has not taken advantage of his newfound freedom. On YouTube, over 20 million people follow him, a considerable reach. He likely wouldn’t want to jeopardize that lightly with a platform change.
Even though IShowSpeed’s unbanning was rather uneventful, it opens up exciting possibilities. After all, there are still other candidates who have been banned from Twitch for years and may now hope for unbanning.
The permanent ban of the great DrDisrespect, for example, remains a big mystery to this day. Now the question arises whether “Doc” could still return to Twitch after all these years.
