Streamer Rachell Valkyrae Hofsetter (29) has become the largest gaming streamer in the world on YouTube with Among Us. After promoting a line of skincare products two weeks ago that aimed to protect buyers from the blue light of monitors, she is now unwell.
What a botched advertising deal?
- The YouTube streamer Valkyrae promoted the product line “RFLCT” on October 19: These were skincare products that were supposed to protect against the blue light emitted by monitors or mobile screens.
- According to YouTube, the largest gaming streamer in the world stood behind the products with her face and name.
- She appeared as a “co-owner” of the brand and gave interviews in which she stated that the products fit a modern lifestyle, where one sits in front of monitors for hours and still looks healthy.
- Shortly after, she was harshly criticized for the deal. It was not scientifically proven that blue light had harmful effects on the skin. The streamer was accused of promoting snake oil and not having done proper research. For days, the topic was trending on social media.
Streamer suffers from trauma, goes to therapy
This is what the streamer says now: After a longer break, Valkyrae was back on YouTube on November 2. She says that she has suffered greatly from the oppressive situation in the past few days. Valkyrae explains that at one point she even thought her entire career was over in an instant.
She says she suffers from trauma and is now undergoing therapy:
“I was very depressed. I have depression. I felt really bad; I think I’ve retained mental damage from the whole thing. I’m sure of that. I was really lucky that I wasn’t sued, but I’m still in a really bad state. I know it’s only been two weeks, and I’ll get better, but it was a big mistake, and it put me in a really bad situation. I need to give myself time now.”
Valkyrae
This is how it turned out for her: As the streamer says, the brand RFLCT closed its doors on October 30. The products were pulled from more than 400 stores. For Valkyrae, it was a “clean break.” She says:
“I’m not perfect, and I’ve made many mistakes. I was incredibly naive and learned a lot. I will be much more cautious in everything I do from now on. That’s for sure. I am naive, impulsive, and too trusting.”
Valkyrae
Valkyrae says it’s crazy to find out how naive and stupid one can be. She no longer trusts herself. It just doesn’t work anymore.
She had to start streaming again, even if it might be too soon, to fulfill her contract with YouTube and fight against her own fears.
How does she seem when she says that? Valkyrae laughs several times while stating that she is traumatized, carrying mental scars, and going to therapy. One can suspect that she is under immense tension at that moment, which then releases. It doesn’t seem like she is joking or taking it lightly.
The segment starts around 14 minutes:
Valkyrae immediately gets teased in her first stream
This is how sensitively her friends handle the situation: In her first stream, Valkyrae was with her friend and Nintendo streamer Mizkif. She had previously expressed concerns about starting again. She said that while Mizkif is a good friend, he does everything for content and knows no boundaries.
The streamer took only a few minutes before teasing Valkyrae about her advertising deal by pretending to hold the product up to the camera, which startled Valkyrae quite a bit.
Shortly after, there was another action. Valkyrae told the others they were too “greedy” in “Mario Party Stars” and played too “aggressively,” after which she had to listen to the next hint about her supposed greed.
Mizkif belongs to the generation of successors of “Ice Poseidon” and would probably sell his own grandmother for a good gag. That might not have been such a good choice for a comeback into the streaming business.
Back then, the worst streamer was raging on Twitch; today, his heirs reign
