Johnny Somali seemingly admits he will stop his controversial content if he is "sent to prison"

Johnny Somali speaks on facing prison sentence (Image via X/@johnnysosmally)

Controversial streamer Johnny Somali, real name Ramsey Khalid Ismael, is currently facing a host of charges in South Korea that could see him face prison time. Yesterday (April 1, 2025), Somali sat down for an interview, during which he opened up about various topics, including his mental health and his ongoing legal case.

Somali is currently streaming on a livestreaming platform called Powerchat.live. During the interview, he was asked when he would stop his controversial content. To this, he replied:

"I think when I'm sent to prison, I'm gonna be like, 'Ugh.' If, if...and I think at that point there's no more Johnny (Somali) left."

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Controversial IRL streamer Johnny Somali explains his so-called nuisance content

Johnny Somali is currently facing numerous charges in South Korea. He is often regarded as a controversial streamer due to his online antics. Recently, he discussed his so-called "nuisance content":

"It's the life we living, and the live we chose. Even when I went back home, even when I came back from Japan, I was in solitary confinement. I was like, itching, I'm bored...it makes life more interesting, in a way."

Somali also spoke about "sacrificing" his mental and physical health. He also referred to a recent assault incident (the streamer was punched during an IRL stream):

"I'm sacrificing mental health, I'm sacrificing physical health, you saw two days ago, somebody punched me in the back of my head. I feel like I'm ageing myself quicker."

The interviewer asked him whether he would see his experience in South Korea as a lesson learned if the charges were dropped. Somali replied:

"Yeah, sure. This is definitely the last time I'm gonna go to a country and look for how to go viral. The first time I got on to the Korean TV, I was excited. I was like, 'This is my fourth country and I'm in the news. This is dope.' But then it turned to be sour, very quickly."

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Johnny Somali originally went to court facing four charges — two counts of obstruction of business and two violations of the Minor Crimes Act. Recently, he was hit with an additional charge related to his alleged deepfake antics.

According to YouTuber Legal Mindset, Johnny Somali could face a maximum sentence of up to 17 years in prison. However, since this is the highest possible penalty, any prison time he receives will likely be less. His trial is still ongoing.

About the author

Shreyan is an esports and gaming journalist at Sportskeeda, focusing on streamer content. He holds a Master's degree in English Literature, and journalism was the most logical next step for him. Although titles like FIFA 08 and GTA San Andreas acted as the catalyst for his love of video games, the exponential growth of the streaming community also propelled his interest in the genre. He also has a prior work experience of 2 years.

Shreyan considers factual and accurate content to be the most important as a creator and a reader. He ensures this by double checking every piece of information in his articles and sourcing it from streamers directly rather than depend on third parties. His works have caught the attention of the heavyweights, with the PR team of Sidemen (a YouTube group he’s been following since his teenage days) and Chess.com reaching out to him for sending exclusive press releases.

Shreyan would love to drop into the virtual world of FIFA/EA FC and explore it further but, he would recommend playing Red Dead Redemption 2 to gaming skeptics for its top-tier gameplay, story and characters. During his downtime, he enjoys balancing his interests in reading, watching films and sports, and of course, playing video games.

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Edited by Ripunjay Gaba