Accused groomer and serial offender Ryan Haywood is reportedly planning a return to Twitch, a move that has sparked mass outrage online.
The 40-year-old actor and online personality was a notable member of American entertainment company Rooster Teeth until October 6th, 2020. This was when he announced his departure in a now deleted Twitter post.
His departure coincided with numerous allegations of sexual malpractice, manipulation, and grooming levelled against him by several victims.
The official statement by Rooster Teeth claimed he had violated the company’s Code of Conduct. But the internet was convinced his decision was spurred by the multiple allegations that have since been compiled as a Google Document.
Now, two months later, a recent post by a Twitter user has triggered mass outrage online, after she shared a post by Ryan Haywood, where he seemingly hinted at a return to Twitch:
Twitter refused to buy into these claims and slammed his recent note, which they perceived as a woeful attempt at garnering empathy and support.
With a possible return to Twitch looming, several members of the online community took over Twitter to condemn the news.
Twitter reacts to Ryan Haywood’s potential return to Twitch
During his time at Rooster Teeth, Ryan Haywood was involved in animation, livestreams, podcasts, and also oversaw their gaming division, The Achievement Hunter.
Having worked extensively with them for nine years, he started streaming on his own Twitch channel, called SortaMaliciousGaming, in 2016. He currently has around 134k followers.
Despite taking a two-month hiatus from social media, his misdeeds are still fresh in the minds of people. They strongly believe that therapy and an attempt at rebuilding his life is not enough to absolve Ryan Haywood of a string of severe accusations.
In light of his rumored return to Twitch, several people have voiced their displeasure online, with notable streamer Alfredo calling out all those who have been defending Ryan Haywood:
“You’re not welcome my dude, you’re not! I’ll say it loud for people in the back, f**k those people and f**k Ryan Haywood.”
Alfredo was not the only one to condemn all those defending Ryan Haywood, as Twitter soon got flooded with a barrage of messages:
With the #BanRyanHaywood hashtag gaining prominence with each passing day, Twitch finds itself on a rather slippery slope yet again.
If the company allows him to return, it will undoubtedly bring Twitch policy and TOS under intense scrutiny, and rightly so. A majority of the online community does not want an accused groomer and predator to run free on what they project as a “safe, inclusive environment.”