Streamer Guy "Dr Disrespect" Beahm has admitted that his 2020 Twitch ban was due to sending inappropriate messages to a minor on the now-defunct Twitch instant messaging service, Whispers. Multiple former Twitch employees have come forward to corroborate the allegations, allowing Beahm to share his side of the story, who claims to have been bound by a legal settlement previously.
In a lengthy Twitter post, Beahm shared a lot, which is worth reading in its entirety for the full context. The definitive proof many have sought since this story broke came from his own mouth:
"Were there Twitch Whisper messages with an individual minor back in 2017? The answer is yes. Were there real intentions behind these messages? The answer is absolutely not. These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more. Nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed, and I never even met the individual. I went through a lengthy arbitration regarding a civil dispute with Twitch, and that case was resolved by a settlement. Let me be clear: it was not a criminal case against me, and no criminal charges have ever been brought against me."
Beahm says that "from a moral standpoint, I'll absolutely take responsibility", then closes by stating: "If you're uncomfortable with this entire statement and think I'm a piece of sh*t, that's fine. But I'm not fucking going anywhere. I'm not the same guy that made this mistake all those years ago. I'm taking an extended vacation with my family, as mentioned on stream, and I'm coming back with a heavy weight off my shoulders. They want me to disappear... yeah f*cking right."
Overnight, longtime sponsor and headphone manufacturer Turtle Beach revealed it had cut ties with Beahm in a statement provided to IGN. Yesterday, it was announced that developer Midnight Society, which Beahm co-founded, had investigated the situation and decided to move forward without him.