UPDATE: Dr Disrespect teases return?
In a video posted to Twitter, Dr Disrespect appears to suggest an imminent return — or something, at least.
In it, we see nothing more than a silhouette from a distance set in a cyberpunk-style alley, which zooms in. Accompanying it is a song, in which the lyrics appear to be sending a message:
It's out of my hands
but I'm still in control
it's out of my hands
you can never take away the power of my soul
This adds credence to comments made on social media that the interviews released earlier are part of an elaborate PR stunt — something that wouldn't be a surprise to Dr Disrespect fans.
We're still waiting for more answers, but we imagine something will come soon. Whether that's Doc's return or Twitch speaking out. nobody knows.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
To this day, nobody outside of Twitch knows why Guy "Dr Disrespect" Beahm was banned from Twitch on June 26. Not even the streamer — perhaps best known for his Call of Duty plays — himself.
What's perhaps even more confusing is the fact that just a few months earlier, in March, he'd signed an exclusivity deal with Twitch said to be worth upwards of $10m. Given he is one of the most popular streamers on the Amazon-led platform, with almost 4.5 million followers, that this decision was taken without any kind of trasnparency is baffling.
However, Twtich are known for not revealing the specifics behind their decisions when it comes to bans, and now the man himself has revealed to the Washington Post that he still hasn't been informed — more than two weeks after his only communication on the matter.
"Honestly, we just don’t know," he mentioned in his interview with the WaPo. "It was a total shock. Imagine showing up to work and the doors are closed and you can’t get inside. You’re going, ‘What’s going on?’ And you’ve been told you’ve been fired. But you haven’t been told the reason why.
"We just weren’t given an answer... It was the worst feeling."
In a lengthy interview with PC Gamer, Beahm revealed that despite the ban, he's looking forward.
"While it's unfortunate that I'm off Twitch, we're definitely working behind the scenes on what a Dr return might look like." He also mentioned that an exclusive deal with another platform is off the table.
"In terms of the specifics around that, we're not interested in exclusive at this point. We're exploring our options and, honestly, just can't wait to get back into character soon. We have a lot to do, and I'll be wherever fans want me to be."
For now, the silence is in part enforced by the legal complications of the matter given the size of the deal in place.
Twitch are known for their whimsical and inconsistent approach to suspending and banning streamers, and in this case will likely have to prove that Beahm broke its terms and conditions post-signing if they want to avoid any financial repercussions.
In his interview with PC Gamer, he was asked about a stream shortly before his ban in which he discussed the opinions of conspiracy theorist David Icke, and shared a video by the controversial Dr. Thomas Cowan linking the virus to 5G cell towers.
While controversy is part of Beahm's brash personality on-camera, he claims to have had no communication with Twitch about that particular stream, believing it isn't the cause of his ban. Just as he was about to elaborate further in the interview, his publicist seemingly interrupts and reminds him of the legal ramifications of saying too much.
He then also deflects from a question about the ban being linked to the recent wave of sexual abuse claims on social media.
Speculation has been rampant online ever since the ban, with the final moments of Beahm's final stream being somewhat uncharacteristic.
He switches to watching a Roblox video — a game doesn't fit his 'Violence, Speed, Momentum' catchphrase — and remains silent for seveal minutes.
He then seemingly checks his phone, and his entire demeanour changes. Informing his audience that "we'll get through this," he then mutters an expletive before cutting abruptly to his end movie.
With Beahm claiming not to know why he was banned, all eyes are sure to be on Twitch — if they even choose to speak out on the matter.
In the meantime, the man and marketing machine known as Dr Disrespect is preparing for "Doc 3.0."
Images: DrDisrespect on YouTube.
