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Gaming streamer Herschel “Guy” Beahm, also known online as Dr Disrespect, has been fired from his gaming company “effective immediately” after the company “became aware of an allegation” against him.
The decision by the Midnight Society – which Beahm co-founded – comes four years after he was abruptly kicked off the streaming platform Twitch, where he had a huge following.
The reason for its removal was never made clear. The Amazon-owned platform simply stated that it would intervene whenever users violated the rules.
In a social media post, Beahm denied any wrongdoing but admitted to sending messages to “a single minor” in 2017.
“Was there any real intention behind these messages? The answer is absolutely no,” he wrote in a post on X, calling them “casual, mutual conversations that sometimes veered too far toward the inappropriate.”
“Nothing illegal happened, no images were shared, no crimes were committed, I didn’t even meet the person,” he said.
“To be clear, there was no criminal proceeding against me, and no charges were ever brought against me.”
However, he apologized to his “community and colleagues” for his actions.
“I take responsibility for this as an adult, husband and father… this should never have happened,” he wrote.
Abrupt exit
Beahm’s departure from Twitch made headlines because it was so abrupt – and largely unexplained.
In 2020, the platform told the BBC: “We take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer has violated our community guidelines or terms of service.”
Since his Twitch ban, he has been streaming on YouTube and has over 4.7 million subscribers.
On Monday, Midnight Society posted on X (formerly Twitter): “On Friday evening we became aware of an allegation against one of our co-founders (sic) Guy Beahm aka Dr Disrespect.”
It continued: “We assumed he was innocent and began talking to the parties involved. And in order to uphold our principles and standards as a studio and as individuals, we had to act.”
The studio did not elaborate on the allegations.
Tech news portal The Verge reported that two former Twitch employees had accused Mr. Beahm of inappropriate behavior.
BBC News has contacted Midnight Society, Twitch and YouTube for comment.
The character Dr. Disrespect is popular with fans for his frenetic playing style and his aggressive – sometimes rude – comments.
He is snappy and boastful towards his rivals, but also tends to make digs at his fans, who enjoy being made fun of by him live.
In a livestream on Monday, shortly before the announcement of Midnight Society, Mr. Beahm hinted that he would be taking an extended break.
He spoke of being exhausted and “burnt out” and was considering “stepping back” from his business ventures.
He did not directly address the allegations, but said it might be time to try something new.
