Why was Disguised Toast 'canceled' for his "problematic past?" Revisiting the Twitch streamer's controversy

Earlier this month, popular Twitch streamer Disguised Toast discussed with Valorant streamer Tarik how he was 'canceled' in 2021. Just like then, the Offline TV member was quite critical of people who had tried to get him 'canceled' on Twitter.

This article briefly summarizes the events that led to that controversy for those who may either be unaware of the drama surrounding Jeremy Wang, aka Disguised Toast.

Trigger warning: Mention of sxual assault, pdophilia, racism, and ableism.

Looking for Crossword hints & solutions? Check out latest NYT Mini Crossword Answers, LA Times Crossword Answers, and USA Today Crossword Answers

Disguised Toast was deemed problematic in 2021

As a major content creator in the industry for more than seven years, Wang has gradually become a figurehead. His recent procurement of a Valorant roster and friendship with fellow Twitch streamer Tarik are reasons he is still so popular among fans.

For longstanding supporters of the streamer, the controversy from 2021 is probably something they remember. Here is a quick recap of the scandal for newer fans who learned about the issue when Disguised Toast discussed it in early February in discussion with Tarik.

In May of 2021, many allegations were levied against the Offline TV member, including accusations ranging from calling him a p*dophile to an advocate of r*pe. With such a big personality on public trial, it naturally attracted a lot of attention.

A good summary of all the allegations may be found in Disguised Toast's Twitlonger, dated May 2, 2021, where he addressed the issues raised about his "problematic past," which primarily point to what he calls "edgy" jokes.

Instead, the online movement that sought to cancel him used an amalgamation of different accusations to help paint a bad picture. Below are some of them, as described by him in the Twitlonger.

Allegations about assault, rpe, and pdophilia

One of the most explosive accusations to come out of the controversy was the one that claimed that Disguised Toast condoned assault and r*pe. While addressing it, the creator expressed regret, calling the label 'r*pe advocate' unfair. However, he did accept that what he has said on a stream may have been misconstrued by some:

“I do recall saying something along the lines of "if a girl says no, just keep asking till she gives in" - as in keep bothering a girl if she turns you down. And obviously, I hope people have enough social understanding to see that it was sarcastic..."

He notes that the proclamation to keep pestering a girl was made in the presence of two female streamers, who he knew would push back and correct him. Toast also mentioned how he backtracked on the statement shortly after using it to clarify his stance:

“For this particular conversation, I also remember not finishing my sentence and immediately backtracking on it because I realized in the moment that some people might take it the wrong way since I didn't properly convey it. I recognize that r*pe and s*xual assault isn't something to joke about..."

As for the p*dophile allegations, Disguised Toast refuted them handily by recalling why it had happened. The accusations come from what he once drew while playing Pictionary on stream for the prompt "illegal." The drawing insinuated a p*dophilic act, drawing the ire of some who interpreted it as his support of the crime.

Agreeing that it might seem tasteless and a product of his "edgy" humor, he nonetheless explained that using it as an example of something illegal was sure because he thought it was terrible:

"The prompt was "illegal," I'm pretty sure it's clear that even with the worse opinion of me, people can recognize that I'm saying pedo = bad."

Allegations about racism and ableism

Disguised Toast had to deal with a lot of people calling him a racist. The allegations take two forms. Those who think he has been intentionally racist on stream, and those who think he is racist in private. The streamer has addressed both of these separately.

The incident, which sparked initial allegations of him being racist, was apparently due to an out-of-context clip from a Don't Laugh challenge where he read an offensive joke from a website. In his Twitlonger, Disguised Toast claimed that the reason he read the racist joke was to get a reaction from the participant, and while it may be tasteless, it doesn't make him a racist:

"It's an offensive joke I made to get a reaction from the participant. Trying to educate me that it's offensive has no weight because we all knew it was offensive, that's why it was censored. Is it tasteless, sure you can say that - but it doesn't make me a racist."

Another incident used as ammunition by those who want to cancel him is a comment he made on a podcast with political streamer Destiny. Disguised Toast claimed that most streamers hide their actual personalities and only portray their "good" side to the public while hiding their more "distasteful" side.

This was assumed by many to indicate that Jeremy was racist when he was not streaming, but again he rebuked them, saying:

"When I say I make racial jokes off-stream, this does not mean I walk around the OTV house dropping slurs left and right. It means occasionally, say we are discussing the next member of OTV, I would say "ARE THEY ASIAN? BECAUSE WE ARE TOO ASIAN. WE SHOULD DIVERSIFY WITH A WHITE/BLACK GUY!"."

The ableism allegations stem from the alleged use of the r-word on stream, an accusation that he has vehemently opposed, claiming that he deliberately avoids using that word even though some other creators do.

It is clear from Disguised Toast's steady popularity that the attempts to cancel him almost two years ago did not work. Here's a full breakdown of the incident from 2021 as the news broke for more context.