How the Dr Disrespect scandal sent the gaming industry’s whisper network into overdrive

When allegations of sexual misconduct by Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm went public in June, the news shocked many fans of the prominent gaming creator. But to industry insiders, last month’s scandal was simply the culmination of a years-long, behind-the-scenes conversation about Beahm’s brand safety issues.

Reports that Beahm had inappropriately messaged a minor via Twitch’s internal chat service in 2017 have been corroborated by Rolling Stone, Bloomberg and The Verge, as well as a statement tweeted out by Beahm himself. The exact nature and extent of that misconduct is unclear, though Beahm acknowledged that it had involved “inappropriate” conversations with a minor.

What is clear, however, is that many workers and observers within the gaming industry became aware of the alleged misconduct soon after Twitch banned Beahm following an investigation in 2020. Although many of the individuals involved in the investigation were prevented from speaking publicly about it due to non-disclosure agreements, word of the sexual misconduct nature of the ban was implicitly clear to many Twitch employees, who were familiar with the reporting and banning process even if they were not privy to the specific details of Beahm’s case. Twitch has not responded to Digiday’s requests for comment.

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