The Twitch community has been hit by an earthquake the last week or so. Accusations of abuse, assault and even rape are flying left and right and you don’t know who’ll be next on the list. Amid all of this DrDisrespect – an iconic Twitch figure, suddenly disappeared from the platform. Why?
Why was DrDisrespect banned on Twitch?
Long story short: DrDisrespect did not disappear. He got banned. The first news about the situation followed a few hours later through Rod "Slasher" Breslau’s Twitter:
Sources: DrDisrespect has been permanently banned from Twitch
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) June 26, 2020
Why the hell was the Doctor kicked out of Twitch was on everybody’s lips but no answers followed. Twitch kept it as corporate as they could with their official statement and clarified practically nothing:
"If we have evidence that a streamer has violated our community guidelines or terms of use, we always take action. These measures apply to all streamers regardless of their status or notoriety in the community".
DrDisrespect himself did not help clear the air. The streamer stated he's not been given proper reasoning for the ban and thanked for his fans' support, but that's it.
Champions Club,Twitch has not notified me on the specific reason behind their decision... Firm handshakes to all for the support during this difficult time.-Dr Disrespect
— Dr Disrespect (@drdisrespect) June 28, 2020
The whole thing gives out a vibe that it’s bigger than it seems. Former Twitch employee ShannonZKiller claims to know why DrDisrespect was banned but doesn't want or is not allowed to tell, adding that he is “done” not only on Twitch, but as a whole. Scary stuff.
For now, speculation is all we mortals have at our disposal. Some “evidence” is found on DrDisrespect’s last stream where this happens:
Dr DisRespect last stream!1:58 he pulls out his phone and sees whatever he sees and then his mood completely changesEnding he seems to know its over. pic.twitter.com/Yt4wfM7mUx
— KEEM (@KEEMSTAR) June 27, 2020
Is the sudden mood swing a result of bad news from Twitch? We don’t know, but it sure gives out an impression that it indeed is.
With all the allegations in the Twitch community that are made overwhelmingly public, the secrecy in which all of this is developing is making it all the more suspicious. One begins to question what type of misconduct can lead to such a reaction if assault and rape allegations are seemingly treated much more lightly at the same time, or at the very least a lot more public.
EarlyGame will of course follow the development of this story as it unfolds, so don’t stray too far away.