Energy drink company G Fuel ended its sponsorship of internet drama reporter Keemstar after claims that he influenced another YouTuber who died by suicide
- After an explosive "Content Nuke" video by Ethan Klein about Daniel "Keemstar" Keem criticizing the YouTube drama reporter's conduct, Keem announced his longtime sponsorship with energy drink company G Fuel ended.
- Keem said he "walked away" from the gaming and esports energy drink brand after an outpouring of hate overwhelmed G Fuel's recent social media posts, which spawned from h3h3Production's Klein.
- Klein's "Content Nuke" criticized Keem's reports on fellow YouTuber Etika, who died by suicide in June 2019 after turbulent appearances on DramaAlert, Keem's flagship YouTube channel.
A prominent, longtime sponsorship in the Youtube gaming community has ended after an explosive video attacked Daniel "Keemstar" Keem's conduct as an independent YouTube drama reporter and host of "DramaAlert," his flagship YouTube channel with more than 5 million subscribers.
The infamous, controversial drama arbiter landed in hot water this week after rival YouTuber Ethan Klein of h3h3Productions made a "Content Nuke" video in the style of a 2016 "Content Cop" Keemstar takedown by YouTuber iDubbbz.
Klein accused Keem of lying about Klein committing felony fraud and accepting profits from video game company Starbreeze Studios to fight a prominent copyright infringement complaint. Klein spoke to Starbreeze's Global Brand Director on-camera to dispute Keem's claim and brought forward other examples of Keem's controversial behavior and journalistic practices.
One of Klein's repeated points was that G Fuel – a gaming and esports energy drink company with prominent gaming personality sponsorships – continued to sponsor Keem, despite these ethical questions and controversial feuds. Keem was a longtime G Fuel partner who had his own discount code and cotton candy energy drink flavor, and G Fuel has also recruited other personalities, including members of esports group FaZe Clan, who have similar sponsorships.
In his response to Klein, titled "H3h3 lies," Keem announced that he was no longer sponsored by G Fuel. Keem said he "walked away" from G Fuel after Klein questioned the sponsorship, spawning hate comments and requests to drop Keem on G Fuel's recent social media posts.
Klein questioned Keem's interviews with Etika, a YouTuber who battled mental illness before his death by suicide in 2019
Keem plans to release another response video to Klein's "Content Nuke" addressing even more of Klein's arguments, but he released one response entirely focused on his involvement with Desmond Amofah, a gaming YouTuber known by Etika online who died by suicide in June 2019.
In "Content Nuke," Klein explored Keem's relationship with Amofah prior to his death. Keem hosted a number of DramaAlert segments with Etika, including one episode when he interviewed Amofah shortly after he was discharged from a mental health facility he had been taken to by police officers.
Klein criticized Keem for what Klein suggested was egging on Amofah. At one point, Keem hypothetically asked Amofah to consider jumping off a building. Klein pointed out that weeks later, Amofah disappeared before being found by authorities and pronounced dead.
In "H3h3 lies," Keem accused Klein of blaming him for Amofah's death, although Klein never specifically blamed Keem for causing Amofah to die by suicide. In a follow-up tweet, Klein wrote "I most certainly did not blame keemstar for etikas [sic] death. I think he created an extremely toxic environment for him and others."
But Keem said the implication that him telling Amofah to consider jumping off a building his death equated to Klein saying Keem "killed Etika." In his defense, Keem showed public statements from Amofah's former girlfriend and a message Keem says he received from Amofah's mother shortly after Amofath's death. Both seemingly said Keem was not to blame for Amofah's death.
Keem also argued that Klein's video was not being received positively in the YouTube community, but Klein's video currently has a much higher like-to-dislike ratio than Keem's does. Neither Keem, Klein, nor G Fuel responded to Insider's request for comment by publication.
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