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YouTube Gaming star Darren "IShowSpeed" has become one of the most popular content creators in the streaming world. His popularity skyrocketed this year as he surpassed 10 million subscribers on his primary YouTube channel.
Before moving to YouTube, Darren was a popular Twitch streamer but was indefinitely banned from the platform after appearing on Adin Ross' e-dating livestream and making suggestive comments towards a female content creator.
This article examines IShowSpeed's controversial suspension and his subsequent response to the community.
Why was IShowSpeed banned on Twitch? Reason explored
IShowSpeed made a guest appearance on Kick streamer Adin Ross' popular e-dating broadcast on December 12, 2021. The latter introduced the former to TikTok personality Ashaley "Ash Kash."
While conversing, Darren put forward a "psychological question" and inquired:
"I got like, a psychological question. Okay? Say, we're the last two people on Earth and we had to reproduce to make the world continue. Would you reproduce with me?"
After Ash Kash responded with a no, IShowSpeed made some suggestive remarks and stated:
"Who's going to stop me? Who's going to stop me?! If we the last two people on Earth, who's going to stop me?! You're not stopping me! If we're the last two people on Earth, who's going to stop me?"
Timestamp: 01:40
Adin Ross stepped in and urged the YouTuber to stop. He stated:
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on! Hold up. Chill out. Take a deep breath."
Darren admitted his fault and attempted to restart the interaction. He stated:
"My fault. Oh, I'm tripping! Oh, I'm tripping, I thought I was on Omegle. Yo... oh s**t! Oh, bro, my fault. Hey, you know what? Let's start over, okay? My fault, okay?"
The Ohio native took to Twitter two days later, on December 15, 2021, and shared a screenshot of an email he received from Twitch. It was revealed that the streamer had been banned from the platform, on the grounds of "s*xual coercion or intimidation." An excerpt from the email read:
"Reason: s*xual coercion or intimidation. Targeting another person with statements that are intended to coerce or intimidate them into performing a s*xual act."
Twitch also stated how long the suspension will be in effect, saying:
"Suspension length: Indefinite. Your suspension will not be automatically lifted. Access to our services may only be restored upon successful appeal."
Sky Sports removes their association with IShowSpeed after controversial misogynistic clips resurface
Darren visited the United Kingdom in November 2022 and was invited to Craven Cottage for a Premier League match between Fulham and Manchester United. He later met up with Sky Sports News reporter Geoff Shreeves on November 13.
However, just a few days after the viral interaction, Sky Sports removed IShowSpeed from their official social media handles after his past controversial and misogynistic videos resurfaced.
IShowSpeed responds to past misogynistic comments, says he's "learning every day"
In a note document shared on Twitter on November 19, 2022, the YouTube icon stated that he was just 16 years old when he made the comments. He claimed that it was a "huge mistake" and stated:
"I'm 17 years old. I was 16 when that happened and made a huge mistake. It was stupid and immature. I immediately realized and apologized. I will continue to work on myself as I navigate the world, growing up online. I recognize that I have a responsibility to set an example to those who follow and support me."
The address concluded with him adding:
"I'm learning every day and totally own the mistake I made."
Other suspensions
In addition to Twitch, IShowSpeed has also been suspended from YouTube on a few occasions. On July 23, 2022, he was temporarily banned from the platform after violating community guidelines. Initially, he took to Instagram to notify his audience:
"I'm banned guys, goodbye."
On the same day, he posted a minute-long video to his YouTube channel titled "last message." He displayed the official email he received from the Google-owned platform and provided details about his ban:
"I got a message for everybody, y'all. So... peace out, y'all. Goodbye. You know, they gave me a strike from the last stream. The one stream where I played the (Minecraft) Jenny Mod and... you know, the thing popped up and I didn't know it was going to pop up. So, now they gave me a strike, man! So... I'm going off YouTube, y'all. So, peace out, man! I love y'all, boys, man!"
IShowSpeed's most recent YouTube suspension was recorded on February 28, 2023, when he was livestreaming The Best FIFA Football Awards 2022. He addressed the community in a short video, and revealed that his channel had been suspended due to "spam and deceptive practices."
IShowSpeed apologized for his antics and stated:
"I just want to let y'all know, I love y'all, bro. I got strikes for, 'Spam and deceptive practices,' and spam policies. I did something very dumb. I didn't know that... I just didn't know that it was copyrighted, and now, I guess I got to mess my actions. I apologize, y'all. Just hurts a lot. But I'm gone. I love y'all, bro!"
On October 11, 2023, IShowSpeed's indefinite Twitch ban was finally lifted. However, at the time of writing, he had not hosted a livestream on the Amazon-owned platform.
