On June 21, the gaming community was rocked by allegations of sexual misconduct against prominent livestreamer Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm. It was revealed that Beahm’s alleged misconduct had been an open secret in the industry for some time.
This revelation shed light on the reasons behind Beahm’s mysterious ban from Twitch in 2020, a ban that had remained unexplained despite rampant speculation among his fans and critics.
Former Twitch account director Cody Conners implied in a tweet that Beahm was banned for allegedly sexting an underage user through Twitch’s internal messaging system. On June 25, Beahm admitted to having inappropriate contact with a minor, describing the conversations as casual and mutual but occasionally crossing the line.
This confession came after four days of intense discourse within the online gaming community, where speculation and debate about the allegations were rife.
The gaming community’s reaction included claims that Conners had ulterior motives for revealing the misconduct, ranging from personal gain to ideological reasons.
Despite the controversy, more sources have corroborated Conners’ claims, including reports from The Verge and Bloomberg, highlighting that Beahm’s success was built on a shaky foundation of secrecy. Conners, now working in audio setup design for content creators, has not commented further on the matter.
Amid the allegations, a screenshot from Twitch’s internal reporting system marked Beahm’s behavior as inappropriate, although its authenticity remains unverified. A former Twitch staffer suggested that the level of detail in the screenshot would be difficult to fabricate without insider knowledge.
This added to the credibility of the claims against Beahm and pointed to a broader issue of misconduct within the platform.
In response to the revelations, many of Beahm’s sponsors and business partners severed ties with him. Beahm announced plans to take a vacation with his family and hinted at a return on YouTube.
His past behavior, including livestreaming from a restroom, accusations of racism, and infidelity scandals, had already hinted at his propensity for controversy.
The recent admission of inappropriate messages with a minor has now become the most significant blemish on his career, aligning with a pattern of reckless behavior that Twitch had previously overlooked.
