Former MMORPG streamer Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt was banned from Twitch after making troubling comments. Many praised his apology on YouTube, but in a post on Reddit, the streamer paints a different picture.
What is the apology about? In the night of October 14, 2024, Asmongold made dehumanizing comments about the Gaza War during a Twitch stream, which resulted in an uproar on social media and ultimately in a ban from the streaming platform.
Following this, the streamer released a roughly 20-minute video on YouTube, in which he apologized for his remarks and discussed his plans for the upcoming time:
- Asmongold stated that he had changed over the past two years, becoming increasingly mean and insensitive. In his comments, he sounds like a terrible person, and he no longer wants to be that person.
- The involuntary break will be used by the streamer to get his life in order and to work on himself.
- After that, he wants to return to streaming but be more positive, “laughing more with people than about them.”
The video received over 2.4 million views within a day. Many on social media deemed it authentic, finding the apology sincere, especially compared to other influencer apologies – or Asmongold’s own original apology on X, which included a curt “My bad.”
However, a post in the streamer’s subreddit raises doubts about Asmongold’s change of heart.
Asmongold says he has always been “an asshole,” but it has gotten out of hand in recent years.
Streamer claims to be reformed, but it looks different on Reddit
What kind of post is this? In his subreddit, Asmongold posted a message titled “Why apologize?” In it, he reiterated that he had become increasingly hostile and negative, creating a bad atmosphere in his streams.
However, the streamer then explains that upon his return, he will not be playing Dustborn, an indie game that some content creators have heavily focused on. He will also not promote the consulting firm Sweet Baby Inc., which he and others have blamed as a supposed “woke company” responsible for the death of games.
The crucial sentence then appears in a comment under his post. “Don’t worry. I will react to a DEI = DIE gaming video on my first day back streaming,” promises the streamer to a viewer (via Reddit).
DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, roughly translating to: diversity, equal opportunity, and inclusion. However, the abbreviation is a charged term in the culture war in the U.S. and is used in connection with discussions about “wokeness”.
Asmongold’s remarks can thus be understood to mean that the Twitch streamer has no intention of deviating from the content with which he had been increasingly negatively associated over the past two years. For instance, when he reduced the victory of a 26-year-old in the streamer of the year election to the fact that she was a woman.
Viewers are disappointed: “Just a better actor”
How is this being discussed? On X, formerly Twitter, there is discontent and disappointment regarding the Reddit post. One user writes disillusioned: “It only took 2 hours for my assumption that he would be a little less of an asshole to prove wrong. Well, you can’t blame me for giving him a chance.”
Another user responds: “I thought his apology was refreshing… But no, he’s just a better actor than others.” (via X)
However, others urge to wait and see how Asmongold actually behaves upon his return. The Twitch streamer Pirate Software writes in response to a screenshot of the Reddit post: “Pretty hardcore stuff and honestly just more of the same kind of behavior. The video was a much more modest and thoughtful approach. I’m curious to see how all of this develops when he is back. It’s up to him to improve.” (via X)
According to reports from Kotaku, Asmongold’s Twitch channel has been banned for 14 days. How the streamer will shape his content going forward will likely only become clear at the end of October. For many viewers who received the apology video well, the statements on Reddit may leave a sour taste.
For Asmongold, the involuntary break is now an opportunity to get his life in order, as there has been much amiss for a while, as he himself says. Just a few weeks prior, the streamer discussed his past in a surprising video and explained why he is the way he is.
