5 big streamers who have had controversial pasts

Thanks to the widespread availability of high-speed internet and the proliferation of mobile devices, the streaming industry boasts a large number of popular streamers who are beloved by their communities for their talent and willingness to provide their opinions on current issues at the forefront of a global debate. However, since popular content creators have a large and often impressionable audience, the behavior of streamers can be controversial at times.

Sometimes, these include but aren't limited to making offensive or insensitive comments, engaging in toxic behavior towards other players or members of the community, or engaging in actions that violate the rules and guidelines of the platform they're streaming on. Such unwarranted behavior generally has severe consequences, including being banned from platforms, losing sponsorships, and damaging their reputations and careers.

That being said, some streamers are more likely to be caught up in controversies or drama than others. From being overtly toxic on stream and organizing hate raids to using racial slurs, many fan favorite streamers have been able to move beyond their controversial pasts to establish themselves as the biggest content creators in the world.

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5 streamers who have made it big despite their controversial pasts

5) Tyler1

Starting off the list is none other than a personality that many fans consider to be League of Legends' poster child for toxicity, Tyler "loltyler1." Fairly iconic for his rage-induced toxic streams, Tyler blurred the lines between what was socially acceptable entertainment and outright anger.

After having had enough of his excessive flaming, trolling, and intentional feeding in-game, as well as engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct towards other players, Riot Games finally decided to perma-ban Tyler from its servers in 2016.

Despite this massive impediment, Tyler continued to stream on Twitch and gained a large following for his entertaining and often controversial content. During his self-described "variety streamer arc," Tyler made a lot of amends and even shed light on how he worked to improve himself, eventually getting unbanned in 2018.

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4) Pokimane

Arguably one of the most recognizable content creators and the sixth most-watched female streamer in 2022 on Twitch, Imane "Pokimane" is certainly no stranger to controversy.

The most notable occasion involved her saying the N-word live on stream during one of her early days as a streamer. The clip went viral on social media in 2018 and put Pokimane in a real stitch as she was on the receiving end of numerous negative responses. Even after publicly apologizing on Twitter, several fans remain unsure if Imane can be forgiven for her use of the racial slur.

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3) Summit1g

Having an opinion and sharing it with scores of followers can, in fact, be very dangerous, as Jaryd "Summit1g" has learned on many occasions. The former CS: GO pro has often found himself in the middle of controversy for a multitude of reasons, such as using sexist language on stream, propagating toxic masculinity, and, the staple habit of every gamer, being toxic while losing.

The most recent controversies stem from Jaryd's 'hot takes' on the recent slew of sexual assault allegations that were being leveled against multiple popular content creators at the time.

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2) xQc

No list of controversial streamers can ever be complete without mentioning the 'face of Twitch' himself, Felix "xQc" Lengyel. From being banned for stream sniping at a Twitch Rivals event to his usage of homophobic slurs that cost him his career as a professional Overwatch player, Felix has experienced his fair share of controversies over the years.

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1) Sodapoppin

Co-owner of OTK, Thomas "Sodapoppin" has been a part of many a controversy over the years. In addition to being filmed on camera saying the N-word multiple times, Thomas was most recently banned from Twitch for his usage of the term 'Blackface' as a joke while creating a character on his livestream. With his 'edgy' persona, this isn't the first instance where the popular streamer was labeled as being insensitive or offensive.

Following his two-week ban on Twitch in April 2022, viewers have been fairly vocal about the need for him to be held accountable for his words and actions.