Sykkuno finally responds to “poor baiting” accusations amid Twitch leak backlash
Twitch: SykkunoSykkuno has moved to quash claims he’s “poor baiting” his Twitch fans following a wave of online backlash aimed at the popular star that was originally sparked by revelations he earns upwards of $1.1 million a year from his booming streaming career.
On October 6, the Twitch backend code was compromised.
No Twitch streamer was left spared by the site’s monster data leak that spilled out onto the internet earlier this week; thousands of stars had their account codes and total Twitch earnings unveiled in the 135GB data drop.
Among them was Sykkuno, who — along with outspoken political streamer Hasan — has been copping the brunt of the outrage from the Twitch community.
According to a holdout few of the Twitch star’s 3.7m followers, Sykkuno has been “poor baiting” them. They believe he was pretending to make less than he actually does to rake in subscriptions, donations, and followers. These accusations reached a fever pitch when the 29-year-old had his average monthly earnings ($79,846) aired in the high-profile 4chan leak.
On top of that, they claim he lied about missing bill payments.
Now Sykkuno has responded; he flatly denied ever trying to “bait” his Twitch fans to earn more, stating he’s “just a guy who wants to play games with friends.”
Twitch: SykkunoThe ongoing outrage directed at Sykkuno all started from one place — a popular meme often trotted out in his loyal community that suggests his family’s water bill was super high, forcing the 29-year-old into a life of streaming.
Sykkuno took aim at that joke and a recent Twitch clip circulating the web.
“What’s happened here,” he explained in an October 7 stream, “is that someone took a five-second clip out of context and tried to make it like I was saying I was poor or something. Five seconds before that clip you can literally see me saying that I’m not poor. I say that I can afford anything I want to buy.
“I don’t know what kind of landlords you guys have, but if I didn’t pay they’d kick me out. I thought it was obvious it was a joke, and I hope you guys know that.”
Sykkuno continued, explaining that he always tried to be as open with his Twitch fans as possible. He claimed he never hid anything or lied about his financial status. In fact, the stream from which the clip had come was actually him talking openly about his earnings, and how he has been making “good money.”
He then changed his tune; he’s worried fans might change their opinion of him, he admitted, over the Amazon leak.
“No matter how much money I make, I still want the same thing, you know? I’m just a dude that started streaming to try and make friends, have fun, and play games. I don’t want to act rich. I stream to play games. Yeah, I could afford fancy stuff, but I don’t care. It’s surprising people think that’s a bad thing.
He continued: “Not wanting to flaunt how much you’re making isn’t a bad thing. Doesn’t matter how many subs I get, how much I make. I’m still just the dude playing games. I don’t need fancy stuff to be happy.
“Maybe people think that’s scammy, but yeah. I’m just the same old dude that wants to play games. Chilling with everyone in chat and with my friends.”
One person who clearly hasn’t changed their view on Sykkuno, whether his Twitch earnings are public knowledge or not, is fellow streaming star and close friend Rachell ‘Valkyrae’ Hofstetter.
Before Sykkuno had even addressed the leak on his stream, the 100 Thieves co-owner had leaped to his defence. She said, “If you’re genuinely hating on Sykkuno for the water bill meme, that’s on you. Isn’t it obvious he was trolling? There are actually people that believe he’s poor baiting.”
Valkyrae has since urged any Twitch star caught in the crossfire over the leak to consider swapping to YouTube, where she has been streaming since a 2020 move.