Pokimane's desperate attempt to erase her past is haunting her present in ways nobody imagined

Imane "Pokimane" is among the biggest stars on Twitch, but her desperate attempt to erase her past is haunting her present in ways nobody imagined. Her 2022 began on a bumpy note, with a 2-day ban from the streaming platform followed by a hate-raid by a fellow streamer JiDion.

As the content creator deals with hate online, its perpetrators find different ways to tarnish the prim and proper image Imane maintains. Within the two months of this new year, several clips from Imane's past have returned to haunt her. These include one where she said the n-word on stream and one where she was allegedly doing hard drugs while live.

Adding to this rising trend, YouTuber "TheQuartering" threatens to take the streamer to court over her copyright strikes on his videos. TheQuartering's content has been deemed "toxic" in the past and includes several videos taking jabs at Imane.

What could be seen as an attempt by Pokimane's legal team to remove traces of her past, controversial self may backfire on the Twitch star.

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A brief history of Pokimane's most infamous controversies

Pokimane's current status as one of the most liked and popular streamers directly results from her strategically erasing her past controversies. However, the agitated internet community took it upon themselves to resurface some clips from her past.

In light of their circulation, let us briefly look at the main controversies that brought Imane to the fore.

1) The "simp" controversy

Simp is a colloquial slang derogatory term referring to men "who are viewed as too submissive toward women, especially online personalities, from whom they hope to achieve some kind of romantic attention for their efforts".

Before Twitch's ban of the word, simp was most regularly used to define a follower of Pokimane. This reputation was built by the copious amounts donated to the streamer. She has, since then, enforced a $5 cap on her donations.

Several YouTubers accused Imane of taking undue advantage of her obsessive viewers. Keemstar, ItsAGundam and Leafy were the most notable critics of this, going as far as alleging that Imane did not disclose her relationship status to keep reigning over her viewers.

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2) Pokimane x ItsAGundam

In May 2020, Imane got into a feud with YouTuber “ItsAGundam” after he mocked a Pokimane fan. He made fun of the fact that a fan had willingly donated $1000 to the streamer, despite being around four months late on his rent.

Imane went on a rant against the YouTuber and the video's sponsor, Ridge Wallet. The internet soon stood against her, criticizing her against a small content creator's sponsor. Furthermore, she was also accused of encouraging her viewers to leave derogatory comments on ItsAGundam's videos.

The two content creators have since reconciled and moved past their differences.

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3) Keemstar's fued with Pokimane

Daniel "Keemstar" is one of the most brazen and controversial personalities on the internet. In 2020, Keemstar was critical of Imane and her "simps".

Keemstar came out to support ItsAGundam and called Imane “fake and pathetic”. He claimed that she hides that she has a boyfriend not to lose online support. Similar claims were made by Calvin “Leafy” Lee Vail, who was eventually banned permanently from YouTube after posting multiple videos mocking Imane and her fans.

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4) Pokimane's n-word and drugs clips

Recently, an old clip of Imane saying the n-word slur has surfaced online. There is still some debate about whether the streamer did say the N-word on the livestream. However, most people believe that the streamer did indeed say it.

Similarly, a clip showing Imane doing drugs while live is also circulated on the internet. While the streamer clarified that the substance was not drugs, haters on the internet are lobbying to have her banned on Twitch due to these instances.

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Pokimane's current status regarding drama

The new year has not been kind to the creator as she finds herself surrounded by drama.

While the Imane and JiDion's controversy seems to have been resolved, the feud also roped in famous streamer Ninja and his wife, Jessica Belvins. Their status amidst the former two's resolution remains uncertain.

The continuing rise in old, controversial clips being circulated may severely affect the star streamer. Imane recently announced the end of her contract with Twitch while marking February 8 as the day for her announcement about her plans.

If Twitch deems it fit, it may decide to renegotiate any renewed deals with her or may completely take the deal off the table. Imane's attempt at damage control is evident in the copyright claims administered by her legal team to TheQuartering.