3 streamers who were banned because Twitch thought they said the homophobic F-word

Twitch streamers often have to be careful about what they say on stream due to the unedited and unscripted nature of the medium. However, being careful sometimes isn't enough, as the platform has sometimes banned streamers over things they didn't even say.

This has been a big topic of discussion lately, particularly in the Valorant community. Today, we look at a few streamers who have been banned from Twitch for using the homophobic F-word despite not actually saying it.

Note: This article reflects the opinions of the writer

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FaZe Shanks and 2 other streamers who were banned by Twitch over alleged homophobic slurs

1) PROD

Popular Valorant streamer PROD was banned from Twitch in late July for alleged hateful conduct on stream.

The ban stemmed from his use of the phrase "f*** it" on stream. This was flagged by a moderator on Twitch, who apparently misheard the phrase as the homophobic F-word.

In the clip, viewers can hear PROD repeat the phrase while pronouncing it strangely. This explains how it could have been misinterpreted as a slur. Given the context, it is unlikely that he would randomly say a homophobic slur on stream.

Nevertheless, the ban was upheld. The incident brought attention to a strange trend of Valorant players being banned from Twitch over misheard homophobic slurs.

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2) FaZe Shanks

Ryan "Shanks" is a professional Valorant player for FaZe Clan. A day before PROD's suspension, Shanks was hit with a nearly identical ban. He also said the phrase "f*** it" during a Valorant stream, resulting in Twitch banning his account. However, he was unbanned a day later.

Unlike PROD, Shanks has a history of having his Twitch account banned for no apparent reason. Back in 2021, when he was with NRG, the Valorant pro was banned minutes after starting what was supposed to be a 24-hour stream.

Shanks was given no explanation for the ban, but it seemed to be for an indefinite amount of time. Although, perhaps coincidentally, he also said the phrase "f*** it" during the stream.

The 2021 ban was upheld for months, and Shanks had to stream on YouTube Gaming in the meantime.

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3) SEN Zellsis

Professional Valorant player Jordan "Zellsis" was banned from Twitch yesterday. He seemed as surprised as anyone else, expressing his shock at the automated StreamerBans tweet announcing his account suspension.

After receiving an email from Twitch explaining the punishment, he revealed that the reason given for his ban was for "hateful slurs or symbols" on stream. He explained to his Twitter followers that he said the phrase "f*** it" during his stream, which was likely misheard and misinterpreted as a homophobic slur.

The Valorant community has rallied around the Sentinels player, tweeting out #FreeZellsis in hopes of getting Twitch's attention. It seems to have worked, as Zellsis was unbanned from the platform half a day later.