We were all shocked last year when Twitch permanently banned prominent streamer Dr Disrespect (Herschel Beahm IV) from streaming on the platform. No one knew why Twitch banned him, not even the Doc himself. What also added to the confusion was the timing of the ban. It came right after he signed a multi-year deal to stream exclusively on Twitch. Twitch kept the ban close to the vest for the longest time, but after a recent stream, Beahm revealed he knows why Twitch banned him, and he’s taking legal action.
Dr Disrespect is taking Twitch to court
On August 23rd, Beahm talked about the ban and his plans moving forward during one of his usual streams on the Dr Disrespect YouTube channel. First reported on by Dexerto, Beahm revealed the ban left him with a “rollercoaster of emotions,” giving him waves of immense anxiety. He then revealed he’s known for months why Twitch banned him.
“There’s a reason why I don’t talk about it, I can’t talk about this kind of stuff,” Beahm said on stream. “A lot of people ask ‘Do you know the reason?’ Yeah, I do know the reason why now. I’ve known for months now.”
He declined to tell his chat why Twitch banned him because he wants to take Twitch to court.
Why sue?
While the potential lawsuit is still new news, Beahm talked about the challenges the ban caused him with networking and marketing. After his ban, the Dr Disrespect brand undoubtedly took a huge hit. Though the streamer has built his brand back up on YouTube, it seems he’s still trying to recover from the ban.
We’ll likely learn more about the lawsuit when the Doc officially files to sue Twitch. While we know little, if Beahm’s able to win whatever lawsuit he has in mind, it could set a precedent for streamers banned without a clear explanation.
Image courtesy: Dr Disrespect