Revisiting Kai Cenat's 2023: Number one streamer on Twitch, inciting riot in New York, controversies, and more

Kai Cenat had an eventful 2023, rapidly rising in popularity to become one of the top five streamers on the platform. Kai is currently ranked fourth among the top streamers on Twitch, as per twitchtracker.com, and has a following of more than eight million.

Kai Cenat's 2023 involved the streamer accomplishing greatness, such as winning the Streamer of the Year award at the Streamy Awards and becoming the most-subscribed streamer on Twitch. However, the year was not without its troubles for the streamer, as he found himself in controversies such as being charged for inciting a riot in New York.

This article explores the ups and downs that the streamer's career faced in 2023.

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Recapping Kai Cenat's 2023

1) Becoming the "number one streamer" on Twitch

Kai Cenat's popularity rose as he became the most subscribed streamer on Twitch on February 28, 2023, with over 306,621 subscribers at its peak. In 2023, he received the title of Streamer of the Year at the second rendition of the Streamer Awards and was also nominated for the same category by The Esports Awards.

However, this is not the first time he has won accolades for his streaming prowess, winning the Streamer of the Year award at the 12th Streamy Awards held in 2022. He was nominated for the Breakout Streamer category at that time as well.

After looking at his channel's statistics on TwitchTracker, Kai Cenat realized that he had become the most subscribed streamer in the world. The streamer then stated:

"I'm the number one most-subbed in the world! Whoa, let me check. You're lying, you're lying, you're lying. I am?! I'm going to check right now! TwitchTracker. No, if they're saying anything, it got to be true."

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2) Being charged with inciting a riot in NYC

On August 4, 2023, Kai Cenat was in New York City, his hometown, for a console giveaway. However, things became tense when the throng who had assembled to meet with the streamer began throwing rocks at the police while other groups began fighting among themselves.

Clearly, the organizers had miscalculated the crowd turnout, as many fans flocked to Union Square. As things turned rowdy, cops arrested Kai Cenat and led him away from the overwhelming crowd. According to AP News, the episode made global headlines because the streamer was accused and charged with inciting a riot.

NYPD spokesperson Jeffrey Maddrey stated in a press release certain individuals in the gathering had been throwing rocks and bottles at the police and that to clear the park, arrests were made. Upon being asked about the possible charges being levied, the spokesperson stated:

"We are in contact with the influencer, I have our legal team here. I'm about to have a discussion with the commissioner Caban in a little bit and we will take a decision... We will discuss with our legal team about inciting a riot and other charges."

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3) The Jovi Pena incident

At the start of 2023, Kai Cenat became part of the accusations made by TikTok star and X user Jovi Pena. The accusations alleged that she had been a victim of s*xual assault at the New Year party hosted by Kai.

Explaining the event in a series of posts on X, she wrote that Kai recommended her to spend the night in one of the house's rooms rather than travel since it was safer. However, according to the charges, a "complete stranger" entered the room while she was sleeping and "brutally r*ped" her until she awoke.

She further claimed that when asked, Kai stated that he did not know the individual, but after further investigation, she discovered that the man and Kai had been friends for many years.

Kai Cenat responded personally to the claims, claiming that he went immediately to the police and "nowhere else":

"As soon as this was brought to my attention, I didn’t go nowhere else but the police. I went to my legal team and I went to the police. I'm not playing. I'm not beating around. This is a serious topic. Let’s go to the police. Let's figure this out. You feel what I'm saying?"

The man in question, Richy "Jiggy," responded to the allegations by posting a video of the supposed encounter, which was later removed. He refuted the charges and indicated that he has opted to remain silent thus far since his counsel has instructed him to do so.

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4) Other controversial events

Kai Cenat was involved in a number of controversies in 2023. He held the 7 Days In Simul-jail live stream, in which the streamer spent seven days locked in a simulated "jail" environment along with a group of celebrities, including comedian and actor Drew "Druski" and Offset from the hip-hop group Migos.

The stream marathon lasted from October 27, 2023, and continued for seven consecutive days, ending on November 3, 2023.

However, the streamer was at the receiving end of criticism as many touted the stream as an attempt to "glorify jail." Many people believed that Kai's portrayal of the jail environment as enjoyable would have a negative impact on his big following, which was primarily young males.

In a series of screenshots that X user @PLZHELPKARDY posted on October 11, 2023, contentious streamer Bruce "BruceDropEmOff" was also purportedly shown disparaging Kai Cenat's acting abilities while discussing Kai Cenat's role in the short film Global Pursuit.

In addition, he called American rapper Lil Yachty homophobic and disparaged streaming sensations Adin Ross and Cheesur with a vulgar epithet.

After this, netizens noticed that the two had unfollowed each other on social media, and Kai directly addressed the controversy during a livestream on October 13, 2023. He stated:

"I don't want to be your friend no more. I don't want to be associated with you no more. I don't... I don't give a f**k what you got going on. Because it is dangerous to have a n***a like that in my circle."

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Kai Cenat had a mishap already as 2024 began, with the streamer's pet goldfish passing away only a few days after he had acquired it. The passing away of the fish in such a short period of time caused the streamer's fanbase to become divided regarding his ability to care for pets.