Why was Dr Disrespect banned on Twitch? Everything you need to know
Dr DisrespectStreamer Dr Disrespect was permanently banned from Twitch in June 2020, with the reason behind the ban not being given by Doc until nearly four years later to the day.
An ex-Twitch employee claimed that a streamer was banned from the platform for sending a minor inappropriate messages on June 21, 2024, leading many to believe Dr Disrespect was the one being referred to. The streamer would admit to this a few days later.
Dr Disrespect, also known as Guy Beahm, was the self-proclaimed ‘Face of Twitch’ before being removed from the site. He was one of the most-followed streamers on the platform at the time, and he still has a huge following on YouTube.
Here’s everything we know about the most high-profile and controversial ban in Twitch history, including Dr Disrespect’s response to the allegations made against him.
Twitch: Dr Disrespect Dr Disrespect banned from Twitch
Dr Disrespect’s account suspension took place on June 26, 2020, and it was reported to be a permanent ban at the time.
Soon after, Twitch sent the following statement to Dexerto: “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.”
Outside of Twitch stating that Beahm had “acted in violation” of Community Guidelines, no explanation was given as to what he had done.
This came just after the steamer signed a multi-year contract with the Amazon-owned company in March 2020 to keep him on the site for the foreseeable future.
Dr Disrespect breaks silence on Twitch ban
On the evening of June 27, 2020, a day after his suspension from Twitch, the streamer finally broke his silence with a statement on Twitter: “Champions Club, Twitch has not notified me on the specific reason behind their decision. Firm handshakes to all for the support during this difficult time.”
Champions Club,
— Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) June 28, 2020
Twitch has not notified me on the specific reason behind their decision… Firm handshakes to all for the support during this difficult time.
-Dr Disrespect
At the time, however, he did not say how long the ban would last or if it was permanent. To this day, Twitch still hasn’t confirmed a reason.
Twitch community reacts to the news
As reports began to come out that alleged that the streamer’s ban from Twitch was permanent, Beahm’s close friend and collaborator Timothy ‘TimTheTatman‘ Betar reacted to the news during a live broadcast. “When I was talking to Doc, all he said was that he was talking to Twitch to figure out what happened,” he said.
Reporter Slasher later updated everyone on what he knew as well.
“Look: for several hours now I have been told from credible sources the reason DrDisrespect has been banned,” he wrote. “However, due to the importance and sensitivity around the subject, I have refrained from going on it. I don’t feel comfortable with it currently.”
His reluctance to share the reason and Doc himself claiming he had been given no reason, led to Slasher’s post coming under scrutiny at the time.
Twitch refunds Dr Disrespect subscriptions
Hours after the Doc had been banned, viewers began to report that Twitch had refunded their subscriptions to his channel, as well as removing his emotes from the platform.
Twitch have cancelled subscriptions to Dr Disrespect's channel and are sending out refunds. His emotes are also no longer available.
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) June 27, 2020
ℹ️ – https://t.co/osXf7poTTF
Here's the email sent out to all subs: pic.twitter.com/YPBkzoV7nP
This was a significant indicator that his ban was in fact permanent, as temporary suspensions typically do not result in subscriptions being refunded.
Mrs Assassin speaks out
Dr Disrespect’s wife, known as ‘Mrs. Assassin’, spoke out through an Instagram story late on June 26, thanking fans for their “love, support, strength, and kindness.”
While the post didn’t reveal anything further, it was the first time anyone had heard anything from within Doc’s camp. Mrs. Assassin has often been featured as a character during his livestreams.
Doc’s last stream
Social media was sent into a frenzy when footage from Beahm’s last stream was uploaded to YouTube and sparked confusion.
In the clip, the streamer suddenly goes quiet and says “I appreciate everyone watching today. We’ll get through this Champions Club. I know it’s tough, life’s weird right now. We’ll get through this okay. And uh…f**k,” before abruptly ending his broadcast.
(Segment starts at 7:35)
Dr Disrespect moves to YouTube
Amid the uncertainty of the ban, Doc went live for his first YouTube stream on August 6, 2020, and confirmed he would be moving to the platform.
However, he didn’t actually say anything or show his face, instead just playing seemingly random sound-bites of himself over a static backdrop featuring one of his graphics.
Then, the next day on August 7, he actually went live for the first time on YouTube to over 500,000 viewers. He still had a big audience despite the Twitch ban, and he’s remained on YouTube ever since.
Dr Disrespect sues Twitch over his ban
During a livestream on August 23, 2021, the Beahm claimed that he was taking legal action against Twitch as a result of his ban in 2020.
Doc also stated that he’s known about the reason for his ban for some time now, and is making no bones about his attitude toward the situation.
“There’s a reason why, and I’ll just say this right now champs — there’s a reason why we’re suing the f**k out of ’em, ok?” he said. “I don’t know how else to put it, the amount of damages, and you just don’t… nah.”
While Beahm has never given an exact reason for his ban, he has hinted that it had to do with the significant amount of money he was set to receive for his multi-year deal with the site.
“Imagine the Navy going in there and getting rid of you, just out of nowhere,” Doc told a viewer in September 2020 after they asked about the situation. “And then bringing in three new cadets. Because you know what, they say ‘man, even though he’s going to turn Master Chief, that’s a big, huge salary.”
On March 10, 2022, Dr Disrespect announced that legal proceedings had ended with neither party admitting to any wrongdoing, wording very similar to how he responded to allegations made on June 21, 2024.
He also confirmed in a follow-up tweet at the time that he would not be returning to Twitch.
Dr Disrespect responds to allegations from ex-Twitch employee
On June 21, 2024, Dr Disrespect noticed rumors were spreading online about his Twitch ban and the reason he was kicked off the platform.
As seen below, Cody Conners posted: “He got banned because got caught sexting a minor in the then existing Twitch whispers product.”
There was no evidence to support the allegation in the initial tweet, nor has there been any concrete information related to the rumor posted online thus far.
It was then reposted by Jake Lucky and other X accounts. Conners added: “Case closed, gang.”
Jake seriously… I get it, its a hot topic but this has been settled, no wrongdoing was acknowledged and they paid out the whole contract.
— Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) June 22, 2024
However, it was not long before Doc fired back.
“Jake seriously… I get it,” he said. “It’s a hot topic but this has been settled. No wrongdoing was acknowledged and they paid out the whole contract.”
In addition to that, a respected across the gaming industry, Rod ‘Slasher’ Breslau, who reported at the time that he knew the reason Dr Disrespect was banned, said: “I didn’t lie.”
I didn't lie
— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) June 22, 2024
Dr Disrespect has since made another statement, one that doesn’t directly deny any of the allegations, but that claims he did “nothing illegal.”
Listen, I’m obviously tied to legal obligations from the settlement with Twitch but I just need to say what I can say since this is the f*cking internet. I didn’t do anything wrong. All this has been probed and settled, nothing illegal, no wrongdoing was found, and I was paid.”
Dr Disrespect confirms reason behind Twitch ban
On June 25, 2024, Dr Disrespect confirmed that the reason for his Twitch ban was a result of him sending DMs to a minor through Twitch whispers, and that the ban served in 2020 was a result of those actions.
“Were there twitch whisper messages with an individual minor back in 2017? The answer is yes. Were there real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely not,” Doc claimed.
“These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more.”
He’d go on to confirm that this is why Twitch banned him in 2020 and that he plans to return to streaming, though he hasn’t revealed when he’ll be coming back.
Back in 2017, Dr Disrespect infamously broke character to reveal that he’d been unfaithful to his wife and would be taking time off. It’s not clear yet if the two incidents are related.
Midnight Society, the game studio Dr Disrespect co-founded, chose to cut ties with him over this information. Robert Bowling, one of the founders, called out the Doc directly in the wake of this information being made public.
“If you inappropriately message a minor. I can not work with you. Period. I promised to only act on facts, and I did.”
Streamers who were close with Dr Disrespect like NICKMERCS and TimTheTatMan have also spoken out against Beahm’s actions in their own response videos.
Nick labelled his actions “inexcusable and unacceptable”, while Tim said he “could not support” Dr Disrespect if he sent those messages knowing he was talking to a minor.
Four years after the initial ban was served, the details behind Dr Disrespect’s Twitch ban were finally revealed from his perspective. However, Twitch have yet to address the ban beyond the court case that got settled in 2022.