Controversial YouTube content creator and Kick streamer Adin Ross received some high praise from Mark Wahlberg during his recent appearance at a high-profile sporting event. This vote of confidence for the polarizing internet celebrity arrived shortly after Twitch banned Adin Ross for the eighth and final time in February 2023.Following his permanent removal from the platform where he first made it big, Ross moved to streaming on Twitch rival Kick, in addition to continuing to post YouTube videos. On April 22, the streamer attended the Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia boxing match at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The fight did not go as he hoped, causing Adin Ross to lose thousands of dollars on a bet with Kai Cenat, another popular content creator and his frequent collaborator. Yet Ross still got something out of the event, as he ended up being seated immediately behind Mark Wahlberg. The duo even interacted ahead of the fight, with the 22-year-old YouTube star being the one who struck up the conversation by introducing himself to Wahlberg, as seen in some newly surfaced footage from the event. Their brief exchange of pleasantries concluded with Wahlberg labeling himself as a "fan" of Ross's work, to which the streamer replied with an "appreciate you, bro."
While some of the streamer's fans on social media seemed impressed with Wahlberg's remark, not everyone appears convinced that the 51-year-old Hollywood veteran had any idea who Adin Ross was. Some people reacting to this interaction suggested Wahlberg "wouldn't even touch Adin's hand" if he knew who he was meeting, as one Twitter user put it. Others speculated the actor was simply going through the motions during their brief conversation.
Others still shared a more cynical perspective, positing that the idea of Wahlberg being familiar with Ross wouldn't be that outrageous, given their shared history of racist behavior allegations. His former platform previously pointed to the streamer's unwillingness to moderate hateful chat conduct, including racist speech, as the reason behind Adin Ross's Twitch permaban.
Regardless of whether Wahlberg was simply being nice or not, the popular Kick streamer was still visibly excited to meet the famous actor. With Adin Ross recently revealing his struggles with opioid addiction, it's possible he relates to Wahlberg, who himself often spoke about struggling with drug use in his youth. Time will tell what's next for the controversial content creator, although his removal from Twitch does not seem to be impacting him much. Ross is already one of the biggest Kick streamers by most metrics, including peak viewers and active subscribers.
Source: 9ightwing/Twitter, BodegaLyfe/Twitter, Vanity Fair