Disturbing Details Of Dr. Disrespect's Twitch Ban Have Finally Come To Light

Back in 2020, fans were floored when Herschel "Guy" Beahm, better known as Dr. Disrespect, disappeared from popular streaming platform Twitch. With over 4 million followers, he was one of the platform's biggest stars, but just like that, his account was scrubbed with no warning. It wasn't until now that the reason behind his abrupt disappearance had come to light — and it's more than just petty streamer drama.

Dr. Disrespect's ban came hot on the heels of signing a lucrative two-year exclusive contract with Twitch, reportedly worth eight figures. "To me, it's pretty shocking, and it's very obviously life-changing, rewarding," he told The Verge. Just two months later, Twitch launched a sweeping purge of streamers accused of harassment and sexual misconduct. Despite no allegations being made against Dr. Disrespect at the time, with Beahm telling CNN that it was "disheartening to see my name" be caught in the crossfire, he had no idea why he was given the boot. "It was a total shock. Imagine showing up to work and the doors are closed and you can't get inside," he admitted to The Washington Post. "You're going, 'What's going on?' And you've been told you've been fired. But you haven't been told the reason why. We just weren't given an answer... It was the worst feeling."

Dr. Disrespect eventually managed to make a comeback on YouTube, but the burning question remained: Why was he banned from Twitch? Finally, in June 2024, a former Twitch employee revealed the reason — the ban was due to Beahm's alleged "inappropriate" communication with minors.

In the years following his Twitch disappearance, Dr. Disrespect fought to regain his former glory. But his efforts took a nosedive when Cody Conners, a former Twitch employee, revealed the truth about his ban on X (formerly Twitter). "He got banned because got caught sexting a minor in the then existing Twitch whispers product," he wrote. Another former Twitch employee from the trust and safety team corroborated this to The Verge, confirming his previous use of the now-defunct Whispers messaging app to plan a meetup with a minor at TwitchCon.

Dr. Disrespect, for his part, initially issued a brief, dismissive statement: "I didn't do anything wrong, all this has been probed and settled, nothing illegal, no wrongdoing was found, and I was paid." Days later, he followed up with a lengthier explanation, claiming he was initially restricted from speaking out. It was also then that he confirmed that he indeed exchanged messages with a minor in 2017 but insisted they were "casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more." Acknowledging his lapse in judgment as a husband and father, he admitted, "I should have never entertained these conversations to begin with," he said. "It should have never happened." 

Despite no criminal charges, Dr. Disrespect was dropped from Midnight Society, a studio he co-founded. "In order to maintain our principles and standards as a studio and individuals, we needed to act," they said in a statement. "For this reason, we are terminating our relationship with Guy Beahm immediately."