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Darren “IShowSpeed” is one of the biggest streamers on YouTube, with over 38.4 million subscribers. His travel and gaming streams are globally popular, and on certain occasions, even government officials have shown interest in his content. Despite his success, Darren is no stranger to controversies and has had his fair share of regrettable moments in his career.
The streamer has faced bans on Twitch and YouTube throughout his career. He has also faced criticism for alleged toxic behavior and fake copyright strikes.
On that note, here are five controversial moments that IShowSpeed may want to erase from history or at least people's memories.
Top 5 most controversial IShowSpeed moments
1. Permanent ban from Twitch for “s*xual coercion”
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On December 12, 2021, Darren appeared on Adin Ross’ e-dating broadcast and met TikTok personality Ashaley “Ash Kash”. The streamer asked if the two of them were the last two people on earth, would she be willing to reproduce with him to “make the world continue.”
Ashaley said no, and IShowSpeed responded to her saying:
"Who's going to stop me? Who's going to stop me?! If we the last two people on Earth, who's going to stop me?! You're not stopping me! If we're the last two people on Earth, who's going to stop me?"
Twitch permanently banned the streamer for “s*xual coercion and intimidation.” Darren apologized for his actions and said he would continue to work on himself.
2. IShowSpeed was banned from Valorant for toxicity
During a YouTube broadcast in April 2022, Darren met a female player in Valorant who criticised his gameplay. The streamer became agitated and yelled at the teammate, saying:
“What? What, b*tch! Is a b*tch talking to me? Is a female talking to me? Am I tripping? Time out, is a female talking to me? Is a f**king female talking to me? Get off the f**king game and do your husband's dishes. Shut up! F**k you!"
Sara Dadafshar, who was a Game Producer at Riot Games at the time, permanently banned the streamer from Valorant. Darren responded with an apology to his fans and said he was “completely wrong” in the situation.
3. The streamer made a “Deez Nuts” joke at a restaurant
On April 23, 2023, IShowSpeed hosted a livestream where he went on a live date with someone at a restaurant. During the broadcast, the streamer initiated a conversation with a waitress and asked:
"Can I get a... can I get a pair of deez? (Waitress asks him to explain) Deez nuts. Yeah? Oh. Okay, all right. Can I get a... sea of deez? Sea of deez nuts around?"
The streamer then asked if the waitress would reproduce with him if they were the last people on earth. It was the same question that led to his permanent ban on Twitch, and he repeated it despite apologizing for the joke in the past. His comments led to online backlash, but Darren never responded to the criticism.
4. IShowSpeed accidentally flashed his genitals on stream
Darren was playing Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach during a livestream on August 17, 2023, when a horror scene made him jump from his chair. The streamer accidentally showed his private parts. The moment is famously known as the “IShowMeat” incident on the internet.
The streamer quickly realised his mistake and deleted the broadcast from his stream. However, it was too late, and clips from the broadcast had already gone viral. The streamer’s father posted his song I Show The Meat, joking about the situation, and got over 9.8 million views.
5. Kirsche accused IShowSpeed of copyright striking smaller creators
On December 9, 2024, VTuber Kirche, who has over 44,000 followers on Twitch, accused Darren of copyright striking smaller creators. She made a post on X, claiming:
"Imagine winning streamer of the year when you copyright claim smaller creators' videos for reacting to 30s of your content."
Popular gaming YouTuber Act Man also made similar claims in 2023 and accused the content creator of false copyright strikes. He called Darren a “scammer” in one of his videos, but never received a response from the creator.
In other news, Kai Cenat was left shocked after Rihanna texted him live on stream. The singer forwarded a viral clip from his stream and said she loved it.
