In 2023, the new streaming platform Kick went on a major shopping spree and poached several content creators from Twitch. A former employee is now criticizing an offer that was allegedly made to a sick female streamer.
Where does the information come from? On June 17, a former employee of the streaming platform Kick, under the name “ItsMelissaDude,” released a 20-minute video on YouTube, in which she criticized her former employer harshly:
- The former employee states that she resigned due to the “extremely hostile” work environment.
- She reports the use of derogatory terms (“slurs”) in the office and discriminatory behavior towards an autistic streamer.
- On X, she also shows emails in which she cites confusion about her working conditions and comments on her “parental obligations” as reasons for her resignation.
What was the offer about? Melissa’s description of an offer made to a cancer-stricken streamer caused particular outrage: “This particular streamer had recently gone public with her battle against cancer, so they decided to use this in their strategy to bring her over.”
At the time, it was said about the streamer: “We can bring her to Kick at a relatively low price and have her stream on Stake, because she probably thinks she is dying soon and will want to leave her family a little more money.” Stake is a platform for online gambling that is closely linked to Kick.
Although the former employee did not name names, viewers quickly speculated that the popular streamer Kyedae must be the one referred to. She had publicly disclosed her illness in March 2023, after having previously hidden it even from her fiancé.
Before his deal with Kick, xQc was number 1 on Twitch:
Kick star claims there was no offer
How is this being discussed? The discussion around the allegations also involved xQc. The former number 1 on Twitch signed a deal with Kick in June 2023, which many professional athletes would likely envy. Since then, he has been one of the big stars of the controversial streaming platform.
xQc claims he is “part of the team” at Kick and has inquired about the allegations. According to him, there has been no communication from Kick or Stake with Kyedae. He also denies other allegations.
However, the Twitch streamer has now spoken up herself.
Streamer says: There was one
What does Kyedae say? In a stream on June 19, 2024, the streamer confirmed that she received an offer from Kick, which she declined for “moral reasons.” While she cannot say for certain if she was indeed the one referred to by the former employee, Kyedae believes that no one other than her was publicly fighting cancer at that time.
While she finds it “strange” to say that one could get her for cheaper, she also says: “It doesn’t bother me too much. It really doesn’t matter because the platform is damn near dying.” Kyedae finds the former employee’s statements plausible, as there is “no reason for her to lie.”
Meanwhile, xQc is receiving heavy criticism for his statements from BruceDropEmOff. After several bans on Twitch, the streamer happily switched to Kick. However, he later returned to the purple platform and subsequently explained: His time at Kick was the worst year of his career.
