Timeline of Dr Disrespect’s Twitch Ban

At one point, Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm was one of the most-watched and most popular streamers on Twitch. But a sudden and unexplained ban in June 2020 saw Doc removed from his longtime streaming platform.

While the reason for the ban was originally unknown, new details have come to light. As of June 2024, after years of silence, the situation has undergone multiple developments, with even Beahm himself confirming the reason for the ban.

How it all started – June 2020

It all started when Twitch banned Beahm on June 26, 2020, prior to a scheduled stream. In a statement to Shannon Liao In 2020, the streaming platform vaguely alleged that Beahm had violated the site’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, noting that the policies were generally applicable. “As is our process, we take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer has violated our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service,” Twitch said. “These apply to all streamers, regardless of their status or prominence in the community.”

This wasn’t Beahm’s first ban. He had previously been suspended from Twitch after taking his camera crew into an E3 bathroom. Doc’s ban also came at a time when a significant number of streamers were being suspended for DMCA violations. But given the severity of Doc’s punishment, it’s unlikely that this was the case for him.

While Doc saw a successful transition to YouTube, the streamer made it clear that his forced move to a new platform came at a price. The former game developer said on stream that he was only making a quarter of his previous earnings on Twitch, and that the vague nature of his ban had led to strained relationships with former sponsors like EA and Activision.

The Doc declares his intention to litigate – August 2021

In an August 24, 2021 stream, Beahm revealed that he knew the reason behind his permanent ban and planned to sue Twitch for reputational damage. “A lot of people are like, ‘Do you know the reason?’ I know the reason now,” the former Streamer of the Year said. “I’ve known the reason for months. I’m just going to say this now, champs, there’s a reason we’re suing Twitch.”

While Beahm made his stance against Twitch public, often referring to the site as “the purple snake,” the livestreaming platform failed to acknowledge the current situation.

The ‘legal dispute’ comes to an end – March 2022

On March 10, 2022, Beahm announced that his legal dispute with Twitch had come to an end. In his ominous statement, he said, “I have resolved my legal dispute with Twitch. No party admits to any wrongdoing.” Now that he has “moved on” from the situation, Doc made it clear that he had no intention of returning to Twitch.

Allegations Resurface – June 2024

On June 21, 2024, former Twitch employee Cody Conners posted on X (formerly Twitter) about how an anonymous streamer was banned from the platform after “sexting with a minor in the then-existing Twitch Whisperings product.” He went on to claim that this streamer had attempted to meet the minor in question at a TwitchCon event.

Beahm responded to the allegations, denying any wrongdoing. On June 22, he tweeted that “this has all been investigated and resolved” and that nothing illegal had occurred.

Midnight Society Says Goodbye to Dr Disrespect

However, during a June 24 broadcast, Midnight Society, the gaming studio co-founded by the streamer, released a statement saying it was cutting ties with Beahm. “We assumed he was innocent and began speaking with the parties involved,” the statement read. “And in order to uphold our principles and standards as a studio and individuals, we had to take action. For this reason, we are terminating our relationship with Guy Beahm immediately.”

That same day, Beahm, who was streaming on YouTube when the Midnight Society announcement was broadcast live feeds around the world, said he was feeling “a little tired” and burned out. He ended the stream and suggested he would take an extended break from streaming.

“Maybe it’s time to start something new, something different,” Beahm said. “Challenge those creative senses, a desire to explore other areas, if you will. But I think first of all I had a planned vacation, and I think I might extend that, as of now.”

On June 24 and 25, two separate reports were published by The Verge and Bloomberg respectively, citing more sources who reiterated the claims against the streamer. The sources in the reports remained anonymous.

In both reports, sources confirmed claims that Beahm was banned from Twitch for messaging a minor that, among other things, asked about the minor’s plans for TwitchCon. Bloomberg’s report specifically labeled the messages sent as “sexually explicit.”

Dr. Disrespect admits sending “inappropriate” messages to a minor

On June 25, Beahm confirmed in a statement on X that he had sent “inappropriate” messages to a minor. However, in the same statement, he denied any legal wrongdoing.

“Were there Twitch Whisper messages with an individual minor in 2017?” Beahm wrote. “The answer is yes. Was there any real intent behind these messages, the answer is absolutely not. These were casual, consensual conversations that sometimes verged on the inappropriate, but nothing more. Nothing illegal happened, no photos were shared, no crimes were committed, I never even met the individual. I went through a lengthy arbitration process regarding a civil dispute with Twitch and that matter was resolved by settlement. Let me be clear, this was not a criminal case against me and no criminal charges were ever filed against me.”

Dr Disrespect returns to streaming, denies any legal wrongdoing

During a livestream on September 6, Beahm claimed that he had used the word “underage” in his June 25 statement to mislead reporters. In the same stream, he further denied sending sexually suggestive messages to anyone and retracted his earlier admission.

“Do you even know what the legal definition of sexting is?” Beahm said. “I do. And yes, I’ve used Twitch’s Whispers, but trust me, I was not sexting anyone. You also said the word ‘underage’ and I even made sure to highlight that word (and) edit it out in my statement just to make sure these so-called ‘journalists’ would pick it up.”

Beahm also claimed that Twitch’s Trust and Safety Team said the messages exchanged between him and the individual did not constitute sexting. Additionally, Beahm alleged that Twitch banned him in 2020 because the platform wanted to pay “two desirable, profitable, and expensive streamers” following the shutdown of Twitch’s rival site, Mixer.