One of Twitch's leading streamers, Guy 'Dr Disrespect' Beahm has been banned from the platform with no explanation as to why.
He's the latest in a string of streamers to be banned from Twitch, following multiple accounts of sexual assault allegations made against several creators. However, Beahm's dismissal does not seem to be connected.
Beahm has been banned from Twitch before, most notably for vlogging inside a bathroom during last year's E3. The ban lasted two weeks, and Beahm's channel was up and running again in no time.
This latest ban, rumoured to be permanent, also seemingly marks an abrupt end of a two-year contract Beahm signed with Twitch back in March.
What we know
Twitch made a vague statement following the ban, as reported by CNN's Shannon Liao: "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. These apply to all streamers regardless of status or prominence in the community.”
The Twitch community is buzzing with rumours and analysis after watching the final few minutes of Beahm's most recent stream.
In those minutes, an event plays out in real-time off-camera while Beahm is streaming. Around four minutes before it ends, he holds his hand up to someone else in the room. Beahm later flinches, before looking to either side of him and exclaiming "f*ck" before abruptly ending the live broadcast.
It's unclear as to when Twitch and/or Beahm's team will make a statement regarding the ban. Twitch also sent out refunds for all of Beahm's current subscribers, and has removed all of the streamer's emotes from the platform.
Beahm's wife put out an equally cryptic update on Instagram, thanking fans for their support during this time, but did not go into any details.
A couple of the brands that Beahm is affiliated with were quick to remove ties to him, but some have been restored today. Beahm's affiliate page on the Razer website was taken down temporarily but has now been reinstated. He was also temporarily removed from the banner image on MTN DEW Game Fuel's Twitter account, but that image has been reuploaded too.
That in mind, it's not unreasonable to presume that this may be some sort of PR stunt in order to generate buzz for an upcoming announcement. We'll have to wait and see.
