The biggest scandal in gaming right now, explained

• A top game streamer admitted to messaging a minor in 2017.
• That's why the Amazon-owned Twitch platform mysteriously booted him in 2020, Dr Disrespect said.
• Brand partners and his own game studio have cut ties.

Exactly four years ago today, one of the biggest stars on Amazon-owned Twitch was mysteriously booted from the video game streaming platform.

The company didn't reveal much about the reason why at the time. But the mysterious circumstances surrounding the ban have now been revealed.

On Tuesday, that streamer, Guy Beahm — better known by his "Dr Disrespect" persona — shared why. He'd sent messages "that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate" to a minor over Twitch in 2017, he revealed in an explosive statement on X.

"Were there twitch whisper messages with an individual minor back in 2017? The answer is yes," Beahm wrote, referencing the "Whisper" direct messaging product on the platform. "Were there real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely not."

The revelation sent shockwaves throughout the gaming world and led to swift repercussions as multiple companies severed ties with the content creator, known for his online streams playing "Call of Duty" and other games that draw millions of views.

Beahm moved to YouTube after his Twitch ban — though he's never announced a formal streaming contract with YouTube, and he's been critical of the platform over the years.

On his livestreams, the 42-year-old Beahm wears a black mullet wig, and has cultivated the brash persona of Dr Disrespect as "the most ruthless, athletic competitor in video game history," per his Instagram profile.

So why did this all come to light now?

Beahm's statement confirming his messages to a minor comes days after a former Twitch employee said on X that an unnamed streamer, widely believed to be referring to Beahm, had been "caught sexting a minor" and "trying to meet up with her at TwitchCon" — a convention hosted by the Amazon-owned platform.

In the days that followed the Twitch employee's social media post, The Verge and Bloomberg separately reported that Beahm had been banned from the platform for messaging a minor.

'Nothing illegal happened'

In his statement, Beahm denied being a predator or pedophile.

"Nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed, I never even met the individual," he wrote.

Beahm also said he'd settled a civil suit with Twitch over the ban. A spokesperson for Twitch did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment ahead of publication.

The fallout from the reports and Beahm's post has been swift.

Midnight Society, a game development studio he cofounded in 2021, announced on Monday it had terminated its relationship with Beahm following its own investigation into the matter.

"If you inappropriately message a minor," Midnight Society studio head Ryan Bowling wrote on X, "I can not work with you."

Beahm confirmed he was leaving Midnight Society in his own statement, but vowed not to "disappear," saying he would return after an extended vacation with his family "with a heavy weight off my shoulders."

Beahm did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

Former brand partners are distancing themselves

Since his Twitch ban, Beahm has been active on YouTube, where he counts 4.7 million subscribers and streams games like "Elden Ring" or "Call of Duty: Warzone."

YouTube did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.

A spokesperson for CAA, the talent agency to which Beahm signed in 2019, told Business Insider, "He is no longer a client of ours and he hasn't been for some time now."

Other brand partners have distanced themselves from Beahm in the wake of his admission.

Gaming headset maker Turtle Beach told IGN it would not be continuing its relationship with Beahm. A spokesperson for the San Francisco 49ers, another former partner, told Digiday it would not work with Beahm going forward.