Pokimane catfishing controversy explained as Twitch streamer Shelbo claims they are getting married

On February 26, 2025, clips from a relatively small streamer named Shelbo (Shelbo99 on YouTube) went viral on social media for his claims of being engaged to famous Twitch streamer Imane "Pokimane." For context, Imane has maintained she was single earlier this month, and Shelbo's claims have caused many in the community to raise concerns for his mental well-being.

The general consensus in the community appears to be that Shelbo is being catfished by someone posing as Pokimane because he has claimed on his latest broadcast on Twitch that he has been talking to Pokimane on X. He started the stream by claiming that they were going to get married and even said they would livestream the wedding:

"I know [Pokimane] likes to keep up her image saying that she is single, but I am in a relationship with her. We're going to be meeting up soon and, we are engaged guys. We're engaged. That's why we definitely need to discuss things, we will be getting married soon, very soon. And we will definitely stream it and let you guys know."

As per YouTube videos posted by the streamer, he claims to have been in a relationship with Pokimane since October 26, 2024. Since then, he has allegedly sent around $5,500 to whom he believes is her. In his latest stream, he talked about sending her money and justified it by claiming that he loves her:

"She asked me for $70, I gave it to her. I've been giving her money ever since. You might be wondering, wait a minute, why are you giving her money? Well, here is the reason, I love her. I don't care if she has money or not. I would treat her like a natural woman, respect her and treat her with love and dignity."

Later on, he says he sent her more money:

"I gave her $1500, and in return, I was able to speak with her and talk with her. That's not the reason I gave the money, but I wanted to give her $1500. I later on gave her $4000, just 'cus just 'cus."

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A look at Shelbo's YouTube account and claims of dating Pokimane

He publicly claimed to have been in a relationship with Pokimane for the first time in a YouTube video posted on December 3, 2024. Since then, he has given various updates to his situation, even posting videos about being hospitalized a few weeks ago. Notably, he has claimed that doctors were using witchcraft to hinder him at the time.

As mentioned, stuff like this, coupled with the fact that he has been giving money to the scammer has led many to come to the conclusion that he needs professional help. Twitch streamer Roflgator posted on r/LivestreamFail, claiming Shelbo was beyond reasoning.

"Im not sure anyone can really convince him to get help. He is convinced witches are trying to destroy his life and he is cursed and that he used to have a big channel but it vanished and all memory of it was erased like men in black" - said Rolfgator

Shelbo himself posted a video on YouTube titled I'm being held back by witchcraft while wearing a hospital gown. The video is also quite uneventful as most of it contains him talking to another person who was trying to make him stop filming inside the hospital.

In more recent videos, Shelbo has continued to claim that he was not only dating Pokimane but that they were engaged. On February 25, 2025, he uploaded a video about looking at prospective rings for their marriage and even shared a photo of the ring that he claimed he would buy. In a later video, he also talked about finding a venue for the wedding.

Photo of the ring he says he would buy (Image via Shelbo99/YouTube)

Pokimane has not addressed this situation with Shelbo. She is currently in France and went viral after one of her clips was shown on the news, causing her to make a long statement about misinformation.