Jenna loses Twitch partnership following racist DM scandal

Twitch has revoked popular streamer Jenna’s partnership with the broadcasting platform, after a series of old messages containing racist and homophobic slurs from her Discord channel came to light on social media on January 13.

The personality became the center of a controversy after racist and homophobic messages sent on her private Discord server—some of which dated back to 2016, and as recently as December 2019—were made public on /r/livestreamfails.

The thread hit over 30,000 upvotes, and landed on Reddit’s front page before being deleted by moderators. Jenna responded soon after with an apology, and released a second just days later admitting what she did was “incredibly wrong.”

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Now, 16 days after the initial release of the messages, Twitch has made the move to strip Jenna of her partnership on the Amazon-owned platform. She is still able to stream, but she will have no partner or affiliate benefits.

“I was unpartnered on Twitch today. I understand and respect their decision, and I am happy they are standing against hate,” the 21-year-old said, after confirming the news. “It brings me joy I am in a community that will protect the oppressed.”

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Jenna also added a message directed at Twitch, suggesting she was aiming to return to the partnership program in the future: “ If you allow me, I will regain your trust, and the community’s, with my future actions.”

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Those sentiments echoed a similar message from Jenna when she was first “blindsided” by the initial Reddit post. The streamer, who boasts more than 263,000 followers, added she wanted to make the most of this “life-changing experience.”

“I am truly grateful for this… because it has caused me to open my eyes to the reality of my harmful words and behavior. I truly do care for people, and I genuinely am sorry if I ever hurt anyone with my words,” she said on January 17.

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“I want people to simply exist in peace without feeling unaccepted, misunderstood, or that they aren’t loved. I hope that this change in myself and my community will help these goals be reached.”

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Jenna has yet to officially confirm whether she’ll be remaining on Twitch after losing her elite status, though it appears she’s staying put for the time being considering she wants to “prove herself” to the Amazon-owned platform once more.

The de-partnered personality hasn’t returned with a livestream since the DMs were first leaked, and has given no indication when she may return. She has still been active on Instagram, however, where she boasts 228,000 followers.