Dr Disrespect returns to streaming to angrily deny sending explicit messages or images to minors

Guy Beahm, better known as Dr Disrespect, returned to YouTube to angrily deny allegations that he sent explicit messages or images to minors. In a lengthy statement, he said he “shouldn't even be banned from Twitch”. In the lengthy statement, he called the messages “teasing” and claimed the user was “over the legal age of consent”.

Beahm reacted visibly upset to allegations that he sent inappropriate messages through the platform's Whispers feature. He took aim at the media outlets that reported on the allegations, claiming it was a coordinated campaign against him. He also claimed that Cody Conners, the former Twitch employee who originally revealed the reasons for Beahm's ban on Twitch, was “not even involved in the process” in a rant in which he claimed the case was “professionally handled.” (Disclosure: Conners briefly worked at IGN in 2011)

“You know, you don't know shit and that was clear from your tweet,” Beahm claimed. “You had no idea about my dispute with Twitch. You said I was banned from Twitch for sexting minors via Whispers messages? Do you even know what the legal definition of sexting is? I do. And yes, I used Twitch's Whispers, but I didn't sext anyone.”

He continued to deny that he met the person he messaged at TwitchCon. “To be clear, I never intended to ever meet this user. We never planned to meet at TwitchCon or anywhere else, and in fact, we never met in person.”

Beahm's message came during his first stream since June, which took place on YouTube and was titled “The Truth,” in response to claims that he was banned from Twitch for sending explicit messages to minors via Whispers in 2020. A former Twitch employee told Rolling Stone in June, “There was no confusion. Messages sent after this was confirmed were no less graphic and sexually explicit in nature than before, and I think more so than the categorization 'leaning too far toward inappropriate' suggests.”

In a statement originally posted on X/Twitter after the initial allegations, Beahm acknowledged that the messages had appeared but said, “I'm not perfect, but I'm not a sex offender” and that “nothing illegal happened.” This followed his firing from Midnight Society, the studio he co-founded, which happened shortly after Conners went public on X/Twitter. The statement was subsequently deleted. This was the original statement.

The Twitch ban

Hello, I would like to say something briefly about this.

Let's stop the damn nonsense, as you know I have no filter. I have always been open and honest with you when it comes to being open and I am always willing to take responsibility… that's why I am here now.

First of all, I would like to apologize to everyone in my community, as well as to those around me, my team, and everyone at Midnight Society Game Studio.

Many people were left in the dark about what happened with Midnight Society and me yesterday, and we have collectively made the painful decision to let me step down. Our team is full of incredibly talented and good people who have big career ambitions and families, and I would never want to jeopardize the culture we have carefully built.

Everyone wanted to know why I was banned from Twitch, but for reasons beyond my control, I was not allowed to speak out for the past few years. Now that two former Twitch employees have come forward with the allegations, I can tell you my side of the story regarding the ban.

Were there any Twitch whispers involving a single minor in 2017? The answer is yes. Was there any real intention behind those messages? The answer is absolutely no. They were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes veered too far toward inappropriateness, but nothing more. Nothing illegal happened, no images were shared, no crimes were committed, I never even met the person. I went through a lengthy arbitration process regarding a civil dispute with Twitch and that case was settled through a settlement. Let me be clear, there was no criminal case against me and no criminal charges were ever filed against me.

From a moral standpoint, I take full responsibility. I should never have had those conversations in the first place. That's on me. That's on me as an adult, a husband, and a father. It should never have happened. I understand that. I'm not perfect, and I own my damn shit. That was stupid.

Now, having said all that, don't get me wrong, I've seen all the comments and labels that are thrown around so casually. Social media is a destruction zone. I'm not a fucking predator or a pedophile. Are you kidding me? Anyone who really knows me knows how I feel about these things and these people. Fuck it. This is another level of disgust that I don't even fucking hear about. Don't label me the worst of the worst with your hyperbole. Get out of here with that shit.

But I think I said what I wanted to say about the ban itself. That's all. That's why Twitch made this decision in 2020.

To my team, community, and industry friends who have supported me, I apologize. I wish I could have said all this sooner. You have always shown me and my family love and support over the years. We love you like you can't imagine. I have the best damn community and circle of friends. If all of this makes you uncomfortable, I understand. You don't have to support me anymore, but just know that you have always been very appreciated.

But believe me when I say: To all my haters who live for social media and have no real life experience: I don't give a shit about you.

And finally, if you feel uncomfortable with this whole statement and think I'm a piece of shit, that's fine. But I'm not going anywhere fucking. I'm not the same guy who made that mistake all those years ago. I'm going on an extended vacation with my family as mentioned on the stream and I'm coming back with a heavy weight off my shoulders.

They want me to go away… yeah, damn it, exactly.

Apparently in response to the Rolling Stone article, Beahm said, “They reported all of this based on leaks from two former Twitch employees, one of whom was allegedly on the Trust and Safety team. If these anonymous sources worked on the Trust and Safety team at the time of my Twitch ban in 2020, then you would hope they were telling the truth, but apparently that's just too much to ask. If these former Trust and Safety team members — and I know exactly who they are, by the way — actually had firsthand knowledge, then they conveniently left out the following: First, Twitch's Trust and Safety team, the same employees who decided to ban me, admitted internally that the Whispers were not sexting. And second, Twitch's Trust and Safety team, the same employees who decided to ban me, admitted internally that the Whispers did not constitute child sexual abuse material.”

Beahm claimed that neither he nor the recipient of the messages were interviewed and the case was not referred to law enforcement. He claimed that his former Twitch affiliate manager, whom he did not name, was partly responsible for his suspension.

He continued, “I'll say it again: Neither I nor the Twitch user exchanged sexually explicit messages or images. Cody Conners and these other anonymous sources are trying to make it seem like I exchanged sexually explicit messages with this Twitch user. That never happened. I even intentionally used the word 'inappropriate', and look at how it's been defined by everyone, champs, right? Including these defamatory articles… We're talking about allegations Twitch made against me as a half-hearted justification for their actions to suspend and shut down my channel. Allegations Twitch made without even doing any legal analysis of whether the whisper messages were illegal.”

Ultimately, Beahm did not apologize and during the stream mocked the suggestion to release the messages he sent to the public, saying, “Are we in second grade?”

IGN has reached out to Twitch for comment. Beahm's YouTube channel remains monetized, but he says he plans to reapply on September 25.

Kat Bailey is IGN's Director of News and co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? DM her at @the_katbot.