• Dr Disrespect, previously one of the most famous streamers on Twitch, spoke out for the first time since he was abruptly banned from the platform permanently last month.
• In several interviews on Thursday, he addressed what has been going on since the move, but insisted he still does not know why he was banned and has never been told.
• While he was tight-lipped about his next steps, he did say he has a number of plans in the works but does not want an exclusive streaming deal and has not committed to a platform or service.

Dr Disrespect Speaks Out

In a series of interviews on Thursday, popular former Twitch streamer Dr Disrespect spoke publically for the first time since being permanently banned from the platform nearly three weeks ago.

Guy Beahm, known online as Dr Disrespect was one of the biggest streamers on Twitch with over 4 million followers and had recently signed an exclusive multi-year extension deal to keep streaming on the platform in March.

However, on June 26, it was reported that the prominent streamer had been permanently banned from Twitch. Twitch, for its part, did not confirm the ban but responded with a vague statement to the media.

“As is our process, we take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer has acted in violation of our Community Guidelines or Terms of Service,” the company’s statement read. “These apply to all streamers regardless of status or prominence in the community.”

The next day, Dr Disrespect seemed to confirm the rumors in a tweet to his followers, known as the Champions Club.

“Champions Club, Twitch has not notified me on the specific reason behind their decision,” he wrote. “Firm handshakes to all for the support during this difficult time.”

After that, he did not say or post anything for three weeks. Now, Dr Disrespect has finally broken his silence, first giving an interview to the Washington Post and then PC Gamer before speaking to a few other outlets.

Questions About Twitch Ban

While Dr Disrespect did provide some insight into what he has been doing since the ban in the interviews, he did not speak to the reasoning behind it. Though that, at least in part, appears to be for legal reasons. 

According to the Post, when asked about the subject, “he frequently followed advice from his legal counsel to remain silent.” When pressed on the matter in the interview with PC Gamer, which published the full transcript of the conversation, he was interrupted by his publicist, who redirected the question.

However, aside from legal reasons, the streamer also did not provide many answers about what prompted the ban because he still does not seem to know those answers himself.

“Honestly, we just don’t know,” he told the Post. “It was a total shock. Imagine showing up to work and the doors are closed and you can’t get inside. You’re going, ‘What’s going on?’ And you’ve been told you’ve been fired. But you haven’t been told the reason why. We just weren’t given an answer. … It was the worst feeling.”

“I’ve been dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety,” he added. “You know, my wife and I both, this is our livelihood. We worked really hard to get to this point. … Let’s just say I’ve felt all of the emotions that you could possibly feel.”

Notably, in both the interviews with the Post and PC Gamer, Dr Disrespect did address some of the theories around his ban and his last stream. Both noted that there has been a lot of speculation around his final steam, where at the very end he breaks character and becomes very serious. 

“Life’s weird right now, I— We’ll, we’ll get through this, okay? And uh— Fuck,” he said, before cutting the stream.

As a result, many fans theorized that he had just found out about the ban. However, Dr Disrespect told both the Post and PC Gamer that the remarks had nothing to do with his ban and that he was just talking about the state of the world.

In reality, Dr Disrespect explained, he first learned about the ban when he was watching a friend’s stream and noticed that some of his creator features were missing. He sent an email to Twitch, which he said responded by telling him he was banned, but never explained the reason why. 

Past Controversies

Both outlets also talked about the fact that Dr Disrespect has been the subject of several controversies.

Those included offensive jokes he has made in the past, and an incident where he walked into a public men’s bathroom while live streaming at the 2019 E3 gaming convention, which ultimately resulted in him being suspended temporarily from Twitch.

“I’ve been very transparent with those around me and my community,” he told the Post. “If anybody knows the Doctor and who I am, you know, I’ve stepped up and taken full responsibility each and every time. And I’ve learned from those mistakes.”

In more current examples, PC Gamer also pointed to the fact that he has recently had discussions about the coronavirus and conspiracy theories linking it to 5G. In his final stream, he also talked about David Icke, a conspiracy theorist who was recently kicked off both YouTube and Twitter for spreading conspiracies and anti-Semitic claims. 

When asked if those incidents ever resulted in Twitch warning him or saying anything, Dr Disrespect said they had not. PC Gamer followed up by asking if he thought it was the reason for his ban, to which he responded, “I don’t think so. In fact, I—” but he was cut off by his publicist, who warned him that they were “getting really close to dangerous territory here.”

PC Gamer also noted that Twitch has recently been banning a lot of people who have been accused of sexual harassment and other toxic behavior, and asked Dr Disrespected whether he knew if his ban might have been the result of similar allegations.

“Listen, I’m not interested in engaging crazy speculation,” he answered. “I’ve seen all the theories, I’ve seen all the possible conspiracies, and it’s just like, I’m just not interested in engaging that type of stuff. I have a great community of loyal fans and I’m totally focused on getting back and delivering great, entertaining content and that’s where the focus is.”

Next Steps

As for his next steps, Dr Disrespect was largely tight-lipped on that matter as well, though he did offer some insights and told PC Gamer that his relationship with Twitch was 100% over.

“Obviously, for legal counsel, I have to be careful here. But I can say however, that I will not be returning to Twitch, so, I mean, that’s it,” he said, adding that he is considering taking legal action against the platform.

He also told the publication that he is still trying to figure out exactly what his return will look like, and when asked if he is eyeing a specific platform, he said he was not.

“We’re just focused on the Doc’s return,” he said. “We haven’t made any decisions on platforms. We’re not interested in looking for an exclusive or any of that stuff. All the cards are on the table.”

PC Gamer noted that in a follow-up email after the interview, Dr Disrespect  clarified that he is “considering streaming independently on his championsclub.gg website, in addition to other big options like YouTube and Facebook.”

Additionally, in both interviews, Dr Disrespect emphasized the importance of his community and doing what is right for them.

“We’re excited to take the next steps,” he told PC Gamer. “And I’m really focused on the community for now. We’ve got lots of fun stuff planned, lots of projects that are in the works.”

However, when asked about specifics, he responded, “You’re going to have to tune in to find out. That’s part of the fun. I think that’s one of Doc’s things is doing these cool projects and the big surprise elements that are involved. Whether it’s directly through the stream or a combination of social media and the stream but, fans should expect Doc 3.0.”

Though notably, he also did tell the Post that the TV development deal he had landed earlier with SkyBound Entertainment has not been affected by recent events.

“Listen, we’re gonna see,” he continued. “We’ve been working really hard. We’re ready to go. You know, we’re excited to take those next steps.”

Following the widespread coverage of his interviews, Dr Disrespect tweeted for the first time since June 27, sharing a non-descript video set to music.

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