Controversial video game streamer Guy “Dr Disrespect” Beahm is officially joining Rumble, the right-wing streaming platform online personalities like Russell Brand go to when no one else will have them. The “alt-tech” platform announced the former Twitch star will receive equity and be an advisor despite admitting earlier this year to having “inappropriate” conversations with a minor several years ago.
“As part of an agreement that includes equity with milestones as a majority of its compensation, Dr Disrespect will provide exclusive content to Rumble Premium for his ‘Champions Club’ community,” the company’s November 25 press release reads. “Dr Disrespect will also lead Rumble Gaming, acting as an advisor and helping to build the Rumble Gaming community.”
Beahm’s first stream on the new platform will take place on December 2. The move comes a month after YouTube rejected Beahm’s initial request to have his channel partnership reinstated after it was demonetized over the summer due to past misconduct that got him banned from Twitch in 2020. The new deal says nothing about exclusivity, so it’s possible Beahm, know for playing Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, Elden Ring, and other games for millions of followers, will still stream there from time to time.
Rumble is a video platform founded in 2013 as an alternative to YouTube that gained prominence in 2020 following the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic and an anti-vaccine “truther” movement that sprung up around it. The company counted Gawker killer Peter Thiel, Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) co-head Vivek Ramaswamy, and Vice President-elect JD Vance among its past investors.
It’s also been a refuge for Russell Brand and other online personalities shunned from traditional forums for allegations of sexual misconduct or other social misdeeds. Donald Trump influencer Laura Loomer went viral earlier this year for eating dog food during one of her Rumble livestreams. “Rumble is designed to be the rails and independent infrastructure that is immune to cancel culture,” founder Chris Pavlovski wrote earlier this year. “We are a movement that does not stifle, censor, or punish creativity and believe everyone benefits from access to a neutral network with diverse ideas and opinions.”
Rumble’s newly acquired, damaged brand fits the bill. After reporting broke earlier this year that Beahm had been banned from Twitch back in 2020 for messages exchanged with a minor on the platform, the Trending Gamer of the Year winner at The Game Awards 2017 admitted to “inappropriate” contact but maintained that nothing illegal ever happened. He lost his advisory role at the game studio he co-founded, was cut loose from various sponsorships, and was eventually demonetized on YouTube. The platform did not respond to a request for comment about whether that decision would ever be reversed in the future.
In his first YouTube livestream back after acknowledging the allegations, Beahm ranted about how everything that had befallen him was part of a conspiracy by his enemies to defame his reputation and undermine his success. “Rumble is in a new era, and I’m laser-focused on expanding into two categories: gaming and crypto,” Pavlovski said on Monday. “Dr Disrespect will give a much-needed injection into our gaming category.”
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