High-profile Twitch streamer Herschel “Guy” Beahm IV (better known as Dr. Disrespect) has been banned from the livestreaming platform yet again. And this time, it may be permanent, rather than a temporary matter involving a DMCA.
It’s unclear exactly why or how long Dr. Disrespect will be banned. Dr. Disrespect has not said anything publicly about the situation, and searching for his Twitch account pulls no results. Twitch itself has offered no specific explanation for the move, although some have speculated that it could be the result of a DMCA takedown (of which there has been a flurry recent), which may only result in a temporary ban.
We’ve reached out to Twitch for comment, but were given the same generic statement Twitch already offered the wider community: “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.”
Dr. Disrespect was banned from the livestreaming platform back in June 2019 for broadcasting from a public restroom at E3. The ban only lasted two weeks and saw a divisive response from the Twitch community.
According to esports reporter Rod Breslau, Dr. Disrepsect’s ban is not related to a DMCA measure, and is in fact a permanent ban, rather than a temporary one.
Sources: DrDisrespect has been permanently banned from Twitch
— Rod “4475 SR & Immortal peak” Breslau (@Slasher) June 26, 2020
Sources: it is not DMCA
— Rod “4475 SR & Immortal peak” Breslau (@Slasher) June 26, 2020
Zach Bussey, who reports on Twitch happenings, indicated there won’t be a public statement shared by Twitch regarding the ban, but that he too has heard it is permanent.
I’ve just been informed that there will be NO public statement made by Twitch – but the corporate communication team is responding to press inquiries.
This is a big one folks. I think Doc is gone. #TwitchNews— Zach Bussey (@zachbussey) June 26, 2020
Official Twitch Statement:
“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.”— Zach Bussey (@zachbussey) June 26, 2020
Another streamer, Shannon Plante (AKA ShannonZKiller), indicated that she’s heard the Dr. Disrepect ban is a permanent one, adding that the cause is “serious.” She offered no further specifics, saying she knows the reason for the ban but that she “cannot say” more. She does state that he is “done, and not just on Twitch.” At the time of this writing, his YouTube channel and Twitter account remain online.
From my own sources: Doc is indeed done, and not just on Twitch. I know why and cannot say. But this is serious.
— Shannon (@ShannonZKiller) June 26, 2020
This ban comes not long after Twitch removed several other prominent streamers for alleged sexual abuse and harassment, including IamSp00n, BlessRNG, DreadedCone, and others. Earlier this week, Twitch said it would be issuing permanent suspensions following its investigation into these allegations. The accusations led to a Twitch blackout, with streamers staying off the platform for a day to encourage the streaming service to take action against abusers.
In related news, two Ubisoft executives were suspended as the company continues its internal investigation into recent misconduct allegations. A day prior, Ubisoft released a statement about these allegations and its response to them, stating its commitment to “taking any and all appropriate disciplinary action” if necessary.
