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YouTube sensation Darren "IShowSpeed" found himself in yet another controversy after shouts of racism were thrown against the streamer. For those unaware, Darren was present at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar to watch the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash between Portugal and Switzerland.
While live streaming, he confronted an Asian man wearing an Argentine kit. While speaking, he kept greeting him by repeating the word, "Konnichiwa," which means "hello" in Japanese. However, the unknown individual said that he was Chinese. This was followed by Speed trying to imitate their language by uttering incoherent words.
The clip soon went viral, causing a major section of the internet to vilify the 17-year-old for being "racist" towards the Asian man. In response, IShowSpeed has also shared a video on his socials.
Is IShowSpeed racist? Here's what the creator had to say
Speed took to his Twitter account to post a minute-and-a-half-long video of himself explaining the situation. In the video, he stated that he had no intentions of being racist and was unaware of the individual's ethnicity, which prompted him to greet him in Japanese.
IShowSpeed declared:
"I wasn't being racist to him. I promise you! I've seen him. I thought he was Japanese, so I said, 'Konichiwa.'"
Furthermore, he said that he was simply trying to say his "nickname" that was given to him by Chinese fans. He stated:
"When I found out that he was Chinese, you know, I tried to say the nickname they call me in Chinese. I was just literally talking to a Chinese person, earlier today, at 433, and they said they love me. And I love Chinese people, so I tried to say (a Chinese word), like, this is a nickname that they call me in China. I promise you."
Speed reiterated that he was not a racist by adding:
"If it came off as racist, I promise you, I did not mean it that way. You know? I got adrenaline pushing. I'm making content. Loud streaming. I'm at the World Cup, watching Ronaldo play. Adrenaline pushing. I'd seen him with an Argentina shirt and you know, I just wanted to say, 'What's up,' to him. You know, I love other races. I really didn't mean to come of as racist."
The YouTuber's explanatory video was subject to multiple scrutinies within the online community. This is not the first time that the streamer has faced severe criticism.
In 2021, during an e-date stream on Adin Ross' channel, IShowSpeed was seen making derogatory and violent remarks towards a female participant. In response, Twitch permanently banned him.
IShowSpeed is known for his over-the-top and outlandish reactions, with some clearly engendered to create engaging content. Among his shenanigans include the streamer knowingly calling any Asian player in FIFA 'Son', the Tottenham Hotspur South Korean forward, or accrediting North Korea as Son's country.
As stated earlier, the online community was left divided after IShowSpeed's latest controversy. While there remains a major section of fans who believe that Darren's conduct has no malicious intent behind it, many have stated that the streamer crossed some lines yesterday. Here are some of the reactions:
It remains to be seen if IShowSpeed will make any further comments on the racist allegations.
