Why was True Geordie banned on Twitch?

Twitch streamer and YouTuber Brian "True Geordie" was suspended on Twitch this morning. Although this is the Twitch partner's first ban, it could prove to be a lengthy one. No official reason has been given so far, but the suspension is likely due to an insensitive joke directed toward Muslims, which has already resulted in two brands backing out of sponsorships with Geordie.

The English content creator rose to prominence due to his video rants about his favorite Premier League team, Newcastle United. He is also known to be a vocal critic of Andrew Tate, a former professional kickboxer turned highly controversial influencer.

Tate recently announced his conversion to Islam, which Geordie believes was insincere. While questioning Tate's religious conversion on stream, he made an Islamophobic remark that reinforced stereotypes about Muslims committing acts of terrorism. He has since apologized for the comment on his YouTube channel, but the apology has not shielded him from the consequences.

"I made a joke in questioning that newfound faith of his, that conveniently comes at a time when he needs as many supporters as he can get. It was a stupid joke."

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True Geordie likely banned over Islamophobic comments

YouTuber and streamer True Geordie received a ban from Twitch, and although the reason and duration of the ban are currently unconfirmed, an insensitive joke made on his stream is the likeliest reason.

The Newcastle native has been in an ongoing feud with Andrew Tate, with Geordie being highly critical of the former kickboxer's opinions on women. The war of words between the two influencers has boiled over to the point where Tate has expressed interest in fighting Geordie.

In one of his streams, True Geordie discussed Tate's recent conversion to Islam, making jokes and questioning the sincerity of Tate's beliefs. Shortly after, he took things too far, making an Islamophobic comment that reinforced stereotypes linking Islam to terrorism. He suggested that if Tate wanted to prove that he was Muslim, he should blow himself up in an act of terrorism.

Tate, who has been banned from major social media platforms due to his offensive takes on women, fired back at Geordie, claiming his comments were an attack on Muslims as a whole.

"He’s not very smart. He’s stupid. Now, after me converting to Islam, he made a piece on one of his podcasts saying I’m not true in my conversion, and then insulted all Muslims."

True Geordie posted an apology video on his YouTube channel, which has nearly two million subscribers. In the video, a tearful Geordie apologized to people offended by his comments but still characterized his statement as a joke. He described his words as idiotic and attributed them more to his distaste for Andrew Tate than any sort of prejudice against Muslims. He also claimed that he didn't want Tate to harm himself and that he didn't believe in any form of religious stereotypes.

"It was one of those off-the-cuff remarks I made with a total lack of thought, and I used an unrealistic stereotype to take aim at someone who seriously dislikes me. Obviously, I don’t believe that’s what Muslims actually do. It was a very stupid thing to say."

True Geordie has received a massive amount of backlash from viewers and business partners alike. Before today's Twitch ban, two of Geordie's sponsors, Gym Shark and PokerStars, ended their partnerships with the YouTuber while issuing statements condemning his words. It remains to be seen what further consequences the YouTuber faces.