Pokimane's 5 biggest controversies of 2023 

Twitch superstar Imane "Pokimane" is known for her Just Chatting live streams and the several games she plays on her broadcasts. With over 9.4 million followers, her channel is the most-followed female-led account on the platform.

Despite the huge and loyal fanbase, she often finds herself embroiled in controversy due to her hot takes. In this article, we will explore the five biggest incidents in 2023 where Pokimane was part of such situations.

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Calling a critic "broke boy" and 4 other controversies involving Pokimane in 2023

1) Calling out Dexerto replies and Asmongold

When prompted by a user in chat about Kick, Twitch's rival platform, Pokimane stated, "Kick makes Twitch money."

She further explained her statement by mentioning Kick uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Twitch is owned by Amazon.

"You don't understand that Kick makes Twitch money. Like, Kick is using Twitch's services. And if Twitch really wanted, they could just stop giving these services to Kick. But right now they're just sitting back like, 'Thanks, I guess?'... Well, AWS is Amazon and Twitch is Amazon, so, in a way it is."

After the statement was posted on Dexerto, the following comments criticized the streamer, calling her "salty."

Fellow streamer and commentator Zack "Asmongold" also commented by responding to her take:

Imane proceeded to respond to the criticism and called out Dexerto for its "misogynistic" comment section while also name-dropping Asmongold.

Imane calls out the comment section of Dexerto and Asmongold. (Image via Imane/X)

She stated on her Alt X account that whenever she says something, it is construed as "wrong, hate, salty, etc." However, this is not the case for Asmongold, who seems to generally receive positive replies for his comments.

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2) Dm'ing Valkyrae for congratulating xQc on his $100 million Kick deal

In a stream on YouTube, streamer Rachell "Valkyrae" talked about how Pokimane reached out to her when she made a post on X congratulating Félix "xQc" and Kick for their $100 million non-exclusive deal, as she thought it was "like a win-win situation for both parties."

As per Rachell, Imane reached out to her and expressed her surprise at the former "publicly supporting it." Valkyae stated that she considered it a "weird situation."

Valkyrae enjoys gambling; however, according to her, the problem begins when streaming the activity, which may inadvertently influence those susceptible to addiction or minors.

Netizens had mixed reactions after learning that Pokimane reached out to Rachell, stating:

Comment byu/WhyIsMyP00pGreen from discussion inLivestreamFail

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3) Saying it would be "cringe" if she accepts contract from Kick

Imane was asked in June 2023 by a viewer in her livestream chat if she would move to Kick if a $10 million contract was offered. The Canadian-Moroccan celebrity immediately declared that she would not accept the offer as it would compromise her "morals and ethics":

"Nope! No. It's not because I got, like, $10 million. It's just because... I'm good as I am. Why would I compromise my morals and ethics for more money when I have money?"

Further, she stated that it would be "cringe" for her to stream on Kick, considering her outspoken stance on gambling. For reference, Kick is a streaming platform backed by stake.com, which itself is a gambling site.

This take led to several mixed reactions from users, with support and criticism for both parties:

Comment by from discussion inLivestreamFail

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4) xQc calls Pokimane "loser" for liking tweets about Twitch gambling ban

Félix "xQc" went off at Imane after the latter liked a post on X stating that xQc is "still so mad at her," as Pokimane was an instrumental voice in establishing the recent partial ban on gambling on Twitch.

Pokimane had also stated to her viewers recently at that time, without particularly mentioning anyone's name:

"One of the things that the past week or two has shown me is that there are some people who just seem to have a bias against me because of my standing against gambling and that's totally fine. That's their prerogative. But I just want everyone in my chat to know,you guys don't need to talk about them."

In response, xQc clarified that he was not angry with her and thought Sliker was primarily to blame for Twitch blocking stake.com. Regarding his personal preference for gambling-related content, he stated:

"What happened those days gave me the biggest contract of my life and quadrupled my net worth and increased my world settings by 100x."

Further, while referring to individuals who were criticizing him for his $100 million Kick deal, he stated:

"There's only one type of person that sees these things as a failure and it is losers who do that. It opened new doors and new opportunities and I'm thankful for that I don't have any regrets over that any day."

Netizens reacted, with some stating that xQc "isn't a happy guy," while others stated that one who is not happy at another's success "is quite literally a loser":

Fans react to the feud between the two. (Image via xQc Clips)

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5) Myna snacks controversy

Pokimane found herself in hot water after addressing those who were criticizing her newly launched snack brand, Myna Snacks, for their Midnight Cookies, which were described by many as expensive. At $28, the Midnight Cookies are the only item available for purchase on the website.

There are four packs in the cookie box, as per Imane, and each bag costs $7. She confronted the critic, saying that she was aware that calculating was difficult for an "idiot" and calling the critic a "broke boy":

“When people are like ‘Oh my god, $28 for cookies?’. It’s four bags, that’s $7 per bag. I know math is hard when you're an idiot but, look if you're a broke boy just say so. Anyway!”

Pokimane faced backlash almost immediately, with many calling her statements "stupid" and "disrespectful."

Fans condemned Imane for her response to the situation. (Image via Asmongold Clips/X)

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Twitch star Félix "xQc" recently expressed shock when fellow streamer Imane "Pokimane" stated that his criticism of her controversial Myna Snacks' Midnight Cookies is "none of my business."