As arguably the largest streaming platform, Twitch has seen its fair share of controversies over the years. Multiple streamers inhabiting the largest streaming platform have faced suspensions and bans, with some claiming unjustified reasons.
To make things worse, Twitch has contributed to the drama repeatedly.
Whether by not revealing the ban motive or acting biased toward certain streamers, some of the platform’s decisions are rather questionable. Still, the ban hammer is definitive, and many streamers can’t or won’t come back even after years of the incident.
This list includes banned Twitch streamers that eventually returned and a few that did not.
Top 8 Infamous Banned Twitch Streamers
xQc
With five bans on his record, xQc is no stranger to Twitch’s timeouts. On one occasion, the biggest streamer on the platform received a DMCA strike and a consequent ban for broadcasting the Olympics.
He had it coming, but not when he got his first ban back in 2019.
That one time, the Canadian streamer fell for one of the oldest and most punishable offenses for any live streamer — he clicked on a pornographic link.
Being on the receiving end of Twitch’s banning system multiple times did not stop xQc. He’s still the most viewed streamer on the platform, breaking records and putting out content incessantly.
Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel takes the first spot by proving that no matter how successful you are, Twitch doesn’t forgive.
Dr. DisRespect
Twitch works in mysterious ways, often banned for tribal reasons. This statement was never clearer than that time when Dr. DisRespect fans woke up to find that the “Ultimate Gamer” had received a ban. The reasons were unknown, even to the streamer himself. Twitch would not budge.
Dr. DisRespect started streaming on YouTube, and his loyal base followed suit. Still, Twitch’s ban affected the streamer’s income, relationship with sponsors, and reputation.
A year after his permanent suspension from the Amazon owned platform, Doc revealed he was suing Twitch when he learned the reason for his ban.
The legal battle continued until 2022, when Dr. DisRespect announced that the dispute was over. “No party admits to any wrongdoing,” he said. Currently, Doc shows no intention of returning to the platform that banished him for seemingly unfair reasons.
Pokimane
Impressively enough, Pokimane had managed to stay on good terms with Twitch since the start. Her spotless record had no ban history at all, a testament to her quality as a live streamer. Unfortunately, the Moroccan’s impeccable streak came to an end in 2022.
While broadcasting Avatar: The Last Airbender, the streamer received a strike and her first ban on the platform.
Pokimane’s ban would lead to even more drama in the Twitch world. She returned a couple of days later, and a controversy ensued with other streamers like JiDion.
JiDion
Famous for pranks and skits, JiDion amassed a decent following as a Twitch streamer. It was his excessively loyal fanbase and poor decisions that ultimately got him banned from the platform.
During one of his regular streams, JiDion asked his followers to raid another widely popular streamer: Pokimane.
Pokimane had recently returned from a ban herself when she got ambushed by JiDion’s viewers. It began as a prank attempt to spam ‘L+Ratio’ comments in Pokimane’s chat, but it soon became an uncontrollable beast.
Massive abuse and harassment prompted Pokimane to end the stream earlier than expected, unable to deal with the pressure.
The raid and violation of anti-harassment policies would not go unpunished.
Twitch initially banned JiDion for 14 days, which eventually turned into a permanent expulsion from the streaming platform.
Destiny
Political commentary is always controversial, and Destiny was perhaps the undisputed leader in this area. He continuously pushed the boundaries of Twitch’s ToS with his guest selection, often inviting people already banned from the platform.
Still, these offenses were nothing compared to what eventually got him banned. In one of his usual broadcasts, Destiny had controversial right-wing political commentator Nick Fuentes on his stream for a debate.
This action was the final nail in the coffin, as Twitch decided to ban the political commentator and variety streamer indefinitely.
Alinity
As one of the most controversial streamers on the purple platform, Alinity has found herself in trouble on more than one occasion.
However, it was an accidental nip slip that led to a 24-hour ban on Twitch.
She was quick to address the situation by erasing the VOD, but the widespread screenshots taken by viewers proved to be decisive. Truth be told, Alinity showed resilience by coming back shortly after and staying out of trouble with good behavior ever since.
Ice Poseidon
Swatting is a practice in which an unknown caller falsely reports another individual, and the police interrogate or detain them. Ice Poseidon became a victim of this prank and paid the consequences greatly.
The year was 2017, and Paul ‘Ice Poseidon’ had a flight to board. He had leaked the flight information inadvertently, and the internet’s worst side would not let it slide.
An unknown viewer falsely reported a bomb threat to the police, with Ice Poseidon as the primary suspect. Soon, the police escorted the streamer, and Twitch banned him shortly after.
ZilianOP
A streamer bound to a wheelchair because of a life-changing disability tries to make it big on an online streaming platform. It’s the ultimate underdog story, as proven by the massive community that followed and donated money to ZilianOP during his live stream career.
Everyone wanted him to succeed until the façade came crashing down. Unaware of the still-active camera, ZilianOP stood up from his wheelchair and walked to grab something. Few other moments are as iconic as this one — not only on Twitch but in the internet’s history.
Banned and exiled, ZilianOP has kept a low profile since his deceivingly Twitch career. And yet, some still debate whether his disability was real or not.
Final Words
Love it or hate it, Twitch has not hesitated to ban well known streamers under the belief that they breached the site’s rules. These actions have led to significant departures from the purple platform to other streaming platforms like YouTube.
In any case, we can’t deny that Twitch provides entertainment, albeit for the wrong reasons sometimes.
