Summary
- Dr Disrespect deleted the tweet in which he admitted to exchanging inappropriate Twitch Whispers messages with a minor.
- The statement had around 125 million views in the days leading up to its removal.
Herschel Beahm IV, better known as Dr Disrespect, has deleted his lengthy tweet in which he admitted to exchanging "inappropriate" messages with a minor. The now-removed statement previously saw him clarify the circumstances that resulted in his permanent ban from Twitch in 2020.
The tweet itself wasn't shared out of the blue, but was prompted by former Twitch staffer Cody Conners claiming Dr Disrespect was banned from the platform for "sexting a minor" via Twitch Whispers, a now-defunct messaging feature. Three days following that June 22 accusation, Dr Disrespect posted a lengthy statement on Twitter that saw him admit to having "conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate" with an "individual minor." He said these exchanges happened in 2017, three years prior to his Twitch ban.
Dr Disrespect Makes Change to Social Media Page Referencing Infamous Twitch Ban Tweet
Dr Disrespect makes an unusual reference the infamous tweet confirming the circumstances leading to his permanent Twitch ban.
Dr Disrespect Deletes His Twitch Ban Statement
Some seven weeks later, the streamer deleted the infamous tweet on August 13 or 14, as first noted by Dexerto. What exactly prompted the move is unclear. Dr Disrespect's admission of exchanging inappropriate messages with a minor had around 125 million views a few days prior to its removal. This turn of events also isn't the first occasion on which the streamer revisited his June 25 tweet, as he originally edited it to remove the mention of a "minor" prior to editing it back in shortly after posting.
As things stand right now, the streamer's only remaining public acknowledgment of the controversy is a June 22 tweet in which Dr Disrespect denied any wrongdoing related to his permanent Twitch exit. That statement also saw him point out how he settled with the Amazon-owned streaming service in early 2022 and had the rest of his contract paid out following the ban, implying that the settlement would not have been possible if Twitch was able to find concrete evidence of illegal activity.
But that implication is not necessarily accurate, as Twitch's obligations toward the streamer would depend on the specifics of their contract, which was never made public. A late June 2024 report from journalist Rod Breslau claimed that Twitch reported Dr Disrespect to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which would suggest the company did find evidence of some kind of wrongdoing.
The 42-year-old YouTube star deleted the statement in which he admitted to exchanging inappropriate messages with a minor mere days after changing his Twitter header to a photo depicting that admission as bait. The now-deleted tweet also saw Dr Disrespect insist that he will be back to streaming before long, but without committing to a concrete comeback attempt timeline. The controversy has so far resulted in multiple sponsors and partners cutting ties with the streamer.