Guy Beahm, better known as the streamer Dr Disrespect, has confirmed that his 2020 lifetime ban from Twitch was the result of texts between him and a minor which he admits "leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate."
Beahm's statement, posted to Twitter, comes just one day after he was ousted from Midnight Society, the game development studio he co-founded in 2021. He said the decision was made "collectively," and that he agreed to do so because he doesn't want to "want jeopardize the culture we have carefully crafted."
His removal from the studio came just a few days after former Twitch employee Cody Conners claimed Beahm's ban, the reason for which had never previously been revealed, was the result of "sexting a minor" through Twitch's Whispers messaging system. In his initial response, Beahm did not directly deny the claim but instead insisted that he "didn't do anything wrong," and offered as proof the fact that he was paid out by Twitch in a settlement.
Now he has confirmed that interactions with a minor led to his ban, although he disputes the exact nature of the messages.
"Were there Twitch Whisper messages with an individual minor back in 2017? The answer is yes," Beahm tweeted. "Were there real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely not. These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more.
"Nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed, I never even met the individual. I went through a lengthy arbitration regarding a civil dispute with Twitch and that case was resolved by a settlement. Let me be clear, it was not a criminal case against me and no criminal charges have ever been brought against me."
Beahm said he was previously unable to comment on the matter but is now free to do so because of the information already shared by two former Twitch employees. He made no mention of the age of the person he was corresponding with in his statement, nor did he indicate whether he was aware of the age at the time the incident occurred, but said he accepts "moral" responsibility for the incident, and that "it should never have happened." He also denied the allegation that he was intentionally preying on minors.
THE TWITCH BANHello, I'd like to make a quick statement..Lets cut the fucking bullshit, as you know there's no filter with me. I've always been up front and real with you guys on anything that I can be up front about, and I'm always willing to accept responsibility... which…June 25, 2024
"I'm no fucking predator or pedophile," Beahm wrote. "Are you kidding me? Anyone that truely knows me fucking knows where I stand on those things with those types of people."
Beahm also insisted that he's not going away permanently: "I'm not the same guy that made this mistake all those years ago. I'm taking an extended vacation with my family as mentioned on stream and I'm coming back with a heavy weight off my shoulders."
Be that as it may, it seems clear that Beahm will not be returning to Midnight Society in any capacity. Shortly after his statement was posted, Midnight Society co-founder and studio head Robert Bowling tweeted, "If you inappropriately message a minor, I cannot work with you. Period."
Beahm's full statement on his Twitch ban is below.
THE TWITCH BAN
Hello, I'd like to make a quick statement.
Lets cut the fucking bullshit, as you know there's no filter with me. I've always been up front and real with you guys on anything that I can be up front about, and I'm always willing to accept responsibility... which is why I'm here now.
First and foremost I do want to apologize to everyone in my community as well as those close to me, my team, and everyone at Midnight Society Game Studio.
A lot of people have been left in the dark about what happened yesterday with midnight society and I, and we made the painful decision collectively, to have me step down. Our team is full of incredibly talented and good people that have high career ambitions and families and i'd never want jeopardize the culture we have carefully crafted.
Everyone has been wanting to know why I was banned from twitch, but for reasons outside of my control, I was not allowed to say anything for the last several years. Now that two former twitch employees have publicly disclosed the accusations, I can now tell you my side of the story regarding the ban.
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. These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more. Nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed, I never even met the individual. I went through a lengthy arbitration regarding a civil dispute with twitch and that case was resolved by a settlement. Let me be clear, it was not a criminal case against me and no criminal charges have ever been brought against me.
Now, from a moral standpoint I'll absolutely take responsibility. I should have never entertained these conversations to begin with. That's on me. That's on me as an adult, a husband and a father. It should have never happened. I get it. I’m not perfect and I’ll fucking own my shit. This was stupid.
Now, with all this said, don't get it fucking mistaken, I’ve seen all the remarks and labels being throw around so loosely. Social media is a destruction zone. I'm no fucking predator or pedophile. Are you kidding me? Anyone that truely knows me fucking knows where I stand on those things with those types of people. Fuck that. That's a different level of disgust that I fucking hate even hearing about. Don't be labeling me as the worst of the worst with your exaggerations. Get the fuck outta here with that shit.
But I think I've said what I needed to say regarding the ban itself. That's it. That's why twitch made the decision in 2020.
To my team, community, industry friends that have supported me, I apologize, I wish I could've said all this sooner. You guys have always showed me and my family love and support throughout all these years we love you guys like you can't imagine. I have the fucking best community and circle. If any of this has made you uncomfortable, I get it. You don't have to support me anymore but just know you have always been greatly appreciated.
But trust me when I say this...to all my haters that live and breath social media with zero real life experience, I don't give a fuck about you.
Finally, if you're uncomfortable with this entire statement and think I'm a piece of shit, that's fine. But I'm not fucking going anywhere. I’m not the same guy that made this mistake all those years ago. I'm taking an extended vacation with my family as mentioned on stream and I'm coming back with a heavy weight off my shoulders. They want me to disappear... yeah fucking right.
