Dr Disrespect, the popular streamer known as Herschel "Guy" Beahm IV, has acknowledged engaging in inappropriate online communication with an underage individual, confirming the reason behind his 2020 Twitch ban. This admission follows a Twitter statement by former Twitch employee Cody Conners alleging that Dr Disrespect was banned for "sexting a minor."
The four-year-old ban, which led to a lawsuit and subsequent settlement with Twitch in early 2022, has finally been explained. Beahm initially denied wrongdoing, but later issued a comprehensive statement on June 25th, admitting to inappropriate conversations via Twitch Whispers (a now-defunct private messaging feature) with a minor in 2017. He clarified that while the interactions were inappropriate, there were no intentions of meeting the minor, directly contradicting Conners's claim that a TwitchCon meetup was the aim. This statement garnered millions of views within a short time. Criticism arose from an initial omission of the term "minor" in his tweet, which was subsequently corrected.
This revelation also impacted Dr Disrespect's involvement with Midnight Society, the game development studio he co-founded. While Midnight Society announced the termination of their relationship with him on June 24th, citing adherence to their principles, Beahm described the decision as a mutual one. He offered apologies to the studio's staff, his community, and his loved ones.
Despite these events, Dr Disrespect intends to return to streaming after an "extended" but temporary break. He rejected accusations of predatory behavior circulating online, stating he is returning with a sense of relief.
