YouTube has officially suspended monetization on the channel of popular streamer Guy Beahm, known as Dr Disrespect, amid ongoing reports about his 2020 ban from Twitch and alleged sexually explicit messages to a minor.
“We have suspended Dr Disrespect’s channel from the YouTube Partner Program following serious allegations against the creator,” a YouTube spokesperson stated to IGN. “This action means the channel is no longer able to monetize on YouTube.”
YouTube explained that Beahm’s suspension was due to violating their Creator Responsibility policy, which allows for action if a creator’s off-platform behavior harms users, employees, or the ecosystem. This includes suspending monetization and prohibiting the creation of new or alternate channels during the suspension.
The suspension of Beahm’s channel was noted after users on social media pointed out the absence of monetization features, such as paid memberships. This follows a week of new details emerging about the circumstances of Beahm’s Twitch ban in 2020.
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Last Friday, former Twitch employee Cody Conners posted on X/Twitter that Beahm was banned from the platform nearly four years ago for “sexting” a minor via Twitch’s Whispers feature and attempting to meet up with them at TwitchCon. While Conners did not name Beahm, reports from The Verge and Bloomberg confirmed that he was indeed referring to Dr Disrespect, providing further corroboration.
A Rolling Stone report on Thursday added that another former Twitch employee stated Beahm knew the minor was underage and continued to send sexually explicit messages. The report also quoted Ryan Wyatt, former global head of gaming partnerships at Google, who mentioned that YouTube Gaming did not offer Beahm a contract due to the rumors surrounding his Twitch ban.
In response, Beahm issued a lengthy statement on X/Twitter on Tuesday, admitting he messaged a minor via Twitch Whispers in 2017 and that the messages “sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate.” He asserted that “nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed,” and referred to his 2021 lawsuit against Twitch over the ban, which was resolved in 2022.
Despite multiple requests for comment, Twitch has remained silent on the recent revelations. Today’s statement is YouTube’s first public comment on the matter since Beahm began streaming on their platform several years ago. Beahm last streamed on Monday, mentioning he would take an extended vacation but stated he would return in his Tuesday statement.
While it is rare for YouTube to take such de-monetization actions against a large channel like Beahm’s, it is not unprecedented. Similar actions have been taken against other popular creators, including Russell Brand, David Dobrik, and James Charles.
This suspension adds to the ongoing fallout from the allegations and Beahm’s Twitch ban. Previously, partners and sponsors such as Turtle Beach, 2K, and the San Francisco 49ers severed ties with the streamer. Midnight Society, the game studio co-founded by Beahm, also terminated its relationship with him.
