Popular Twitch streamer DrDisrespect announced on his channel today that he plans to take time away from livestreaming to focus on his family.
"I have a beautiful family, and a wife, and kid. And I want to be transparent that I've been unfaithful," said a visibly distressed DrDisrespect. "I apologize to you guys, and my sponsors, and Twitch. This is not who I am, this is not what I represent. That's it."
A character of Guy Beahm, a former designer for Call of Duty: WWII studio Sledgehammer Games, SocialBlade lists DrDisrespect as the 16th most popular channel on Twitch, with more than 1.4 million followers on the platform. His sponsors include Razer, Turtle Beach, GFUEL, ASUS Republic of Gamers, and chair maker Need For Seat.
Known for his over-the-top macho identity and boastful catch phrases reminiscent of a WWE character, DrDisrespect exploded in popularity in 2017 in parallel with the growth of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, which he plays regularly. Last week a mixture of gaming press and public voters selected him as the recipient of the Trending Gamer award at The Game Awards.
Update: Following publication of this story, we received this comment from NetEase, a Chinese company that was sponsoring an event that DrDisrespect was due to participate in. The statement reads:
"After recent events, NetEase and DrDisrespect have mutually agreed that he will not be taking part in the Rules of Surivival 'Hunt the Streamer' event on the 17th with 29 other streamers at DrDirespect's request. The event was to let players enjoy the battle royale with their favorite streamers, giving them the chance to win up to $30,000. With DrDisrespect's absence, his time-slot during the event will be replaced by a streamer soon-to-be announced. Any questions can be directed to us if any outlets have any questions about the event."
