The streaming platform Twitch has banned the streamer Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm. According to several sources, the ban is permanent. His subscribers will receive their money back. There has not yet been a clarifying comment from Twitch about why the Twitch star was banned, but speculation is rampant.
This is the ban: When streamers are banned on Twitch, their channel is locked. Automatic services report this. The ban against Dr Disrespect was detected and tweeted by a bot yesterday at 21:01 our time.
This is how all Twitch bans are reported:
- from a short ban that only lasts a few hours, like xQc recently
- through multi-week bans for serious violations (Dr Disrespect urinating at E3)
- or even permanent exclusions from the platform for repeat offenders or behavior that borders on criminal (body painter is too naked).
Subscribers of Dr Disrespect get their money back
In this case, the ban seems to be serious.
As the site Kotaku reports, paid subscribers of Dr Disrespect are being compensated. They are getting their money back.
This indicates that Twitch has revoked Dr Disrespect’s partnership status, which would be very serious. Revoking partnership status does not happen for temporary bans but only for the most severe violations.
This is what Twitch says: Twitch does not provide any further information. They never do:
- They do not publicly say why a streamer was banned.
- Nor do they state how long a ban lasts.
Twitch’s official statement is that they take “appropriate actions” when they have evidence that a streamer violates community guidelines. This applies to all streamers, regardless of how prominent they are.
When information comes, it is only from the streamer themselves.
Allegedly Dr Disrespect himself does not know what is going on
This is what Dr Disrespect says: At the moment, the streamer is not saying anything himself. According to his friend, the streamer Tim The Tatman, Dr Disrespect has informed him that he does not know what is going on. He is talking to Twitch to find out why his channel was banned.
“He’s talking to Twitch to figure out what happened.”
TimTheTatman says Dr Disrespect is in talks with Twitch to try and find out why he’s been banned. pic.twitter.com/5BGpALWNPH
— DEXERTO.COM (@Dexerto) June 26, 2020
Dr Disrespect’s wife is known under the name “Mrs Assassin.” She thanked the fans for their support in an Instagram story (via instagram). It is overwhelming how much love, support, strength, and kindness flows from the arena.
The story appeared a few hours after the ban of her husband was announced.
In 2017, Disrespect took a longer break from Twitch: According to his own statements, it was because he was unfaithful to his wife and had become a man he did not want to be.
How long is Dr Disrespect’s ban on Twitch?
This is what the rumors say: The eSports journalist Rod “Slasher” Breslau reported on Twitter that Dr Disrespect is permanently banned. The ban has nothing to do with “DMCA” – so there are no copyright violations involved. Breslau learned this from “sources.”
However, the journalist does not know more, as he explains on Twitch.
A streamer, Shannon “ShannonZKiller” Plante, wrote in a tweet that she had also heard that the ban is permanent. The situation is “serious.” She says the “Doctor is done and not just on Twitch” – the tweet was later deleted.
As the U.S. site Kotaku reports, she also learned from “3 sources close to Twitch” that the ban is permanent (via kotaku).
Twitch gives streamer a big deal first – then comes the ban
This makes the ban so strange: Twitch just signed a multi-year exclusive deal with Dr Disrespect in March 2020. As the site Kotaku reports, Dr Disrespect is supposed to earn $10 million per year with the deal.
Nothing has actually happened in the last few days for which Dr Disrespect should be banned. At least, nothing has become known. However, there is a video from the end of Dr Disrespect’s last stream where he seems to be acting strangely.
In the video, he says: “We will get through this, Champions Club. I know it’s tough. Life is a bit strange right now. We will get through it, okay. Fuck.”
At the moment, Twitch is under pressure to take strong action. There have already been calls for the CEO of Twitch, Emmet Shear, to step down: he is not in control of his platform. However, it is completely unclear whether this situation is related to Dr Disrespect’s ban.
Update June 28, 14:43: After more than 30 hours, there is finally a statement from Dr Disrespect himself.
Dr Disrespect is a character. Behind the macho with the huge mustache is Guy Beahm. He rarely addresses fans as himself and explains what sometimes goes wrong as “Dr Disrespect.” After his ban at E3 2019, he spoke to fans:
Man behind Dr Disrespect apologizes for Twitch ban: Too much in character
