- Popular video game streamer Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm was banned from Twitch in June after livestreaming various public restrooms at the biggest gaming event of the year.
- Beahm apologized for bringing cameras into the bathrooms at E3 and characterized the incident as a lapse in judgement.
- The Dr. Disrespect channel has nearly 3.5 million followers and reappeared on June 25th. Teasers on social media suggest that Beahm will return to streaming on July 8th.
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Nearly one week after his channel was unbanned by Twitch, Guy "Dr. Disrespect" Beahm has apologized for livestreaming video footage of public restrooms at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3).
Dr. Disrespect is one of the most popular video game personalities in the world and boasts nearly 3.5 million followers on Twitch. The character is easily recognized by his signature mustache, mullet, and sunglasses and Beahm took his show on the road for the first time to livestream his trip to E3 in June.
On June 11th, the first day of E3, Beahm had more than 60,000 viewers watching as he toured the show. His camera team entered multiple bathrooms and filmed other event goers without their permission. The situation raised legal concerns about public consent and the potential broadcast of underage people using the restroom.
Dr. Disrespect
Even after Dr. Disrespect stepped into this stall, the cameras kept livestreaming.
Twitch suspended Dr. Disrespect's channel the same day, and it remained inaccessible for two weeks. Fans noticed that the channel had returned on June 25, but Beahm has not broadcast since being suspended. Videos shared to the Dr. Disrespect social media feed suggest that the channel will return to streaming on July 8.
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On July 1, Beahm issued a public apology for streaming E3's bathrooms, and characterized the situation as a lapse in judgement. He said the Dr. Disrespect production team was too focused on "authenticity" during their first real-life stream and did not consider the legal repercussions of bringing live cameras into bathrooms.
You can read Beahm's full statement below:
This was my first IRL stream as the Doc and if it's not obvious by now, one of the things I try to stay true with is authenticity. Real life personas are so difficult to pull off, especially in today's society. Doc is edgy, highly opinionated, cocky, etc. and that certainly adds to the difficulty in staying authentic without offending anyone on a deeper, personal level.
When we were walking around filming at E3, we clearly weren't thinking about the laws/repercussions of filming in the bathroom because honestly, it wasn't in our mind frame at the time. We were sort of 'all in' with the Doc livestream experience and capturing the E3 event through the character. We were so into the E3 IRL journey that we became a little blind in what's ok and what's not ok. We had no ill intentions and I feel that was pretty obvious if you watched the entire thing.
We wanted to capture an adventure, unfortunately we took that adventure into the wrongs areas unaware of the legalities surrounding it. On behalf of the Dr Disrespect brand, I apologize for this.
I've sat back and absorbed a lot of opinions on the incident and the aftermath. I think those that have followed me for years outside of the character, even before Twitch, know what kind of person I am. I have an incredible support system from family, friends, business partners, community and following. I'm very lucky to be considered an influential person in this entertainment space. Believe me, I don't take it for granted.
We are working on a lot of things (that take time) that will hopefully continue to elevate the brand and gaming entertainment as a whole into the main stream space. I have a ruthless passion for creativity, for entertaining people, making people laugh, growing new tools and tech etc. This incident was a step back, but like anything, we learn, become stronger, and move forward. If you follow the brand or myself, I hope you continue to stay with me on this vision.