MitchJones unbanned from Twitch after racist slurs, loses subs

Olivia Richman Published 22/10/2019

IRL streamer Mitch “MitchJones” Jones may have been unbanned for Twitch, but it was at the price of his status as a partner on the broadcasting platform.

MitchJones excited his 415,000 Twitch followers on October 21 by returning to the platform after being banned from Twitch for 30 days. But his fans quickly noticed that his sub button had been removed, indicating that MitchJones was no longer a Twitch partner.

Twitch does not often explain why they revoke partnerships, but not many are shocked by their decision. Throughout MitchJones’ eight years as a streamer, he’s caused a lot of controversy and has earned many suspensions for his actions.

MitchJones suspended for revealing racist DMs

The IRL streamer was most recently suspended on September 22 for showing private messages on stream where he’d used a racial slur.

“As most of you can see I’ve been banned. It’s a 30-day ban and I am on very thin ice right now. I will be changing the way I stream when I come back. I love you all and I am going to do better,” he said on a since-deleted tweet.

MitchJones then stated that he has to “build something better” after another streamer told him to have stricter chat rules and more mods.

Still, MitchJones never addressed the actual issue, which is what had actually gotten him suspended: using racist language. This is something that didn’t get past some fans.

“You really need to address what you said specifically,” one person responded on Twitter.

Another marveled at how the streamer never offered an apology or explanation regarding the use of racial epithets. Others felt he was avoiding the actual situation by blaming his chat room instead of taking responsibility for himself.

While many have judged MitchJones for his recent behavior, it’s been his dramatic antics that most fans keep coming back for on his live streams.

Three months ago, MitchJones was live streaming in public when a woman demanded he put his phone away. After some back and forth where the streamer refused to stop filming himself, the pedestrian attempted to take his phone from him.

In the end, MitchJones ended up leaving the restaurant after he told the woman she wasn’t being recorded.

“Look, we weren’t doing anything to you. We weren’t. But that’s okay,” he called back into the establishment as he walked out. “We’re going to Chili’s.”

Twitch’s shaky stance on racist language

While many were glad to see MitchJone’s lose his partnership over his racially-charged messages, others were quick to point out that other Twitch streamers have not suffered the same fate for similar offenses.

Most recently, the more politically correct Twitch streamer BadBunny was accused of using racist and homophobic language on Discord by fellow streamer Steven “Destiny” Bonell. The tweet has since been deleted as Destiny’s Twitter account was suspended soon after the altercation.

But his post included four screenshots, which BadBunny claimed were altered or fake. In all, there were almost 375 uses of the word “faggot.”

Not only was BadBunny exposed for saying homophobic things, but using racist language as well.

Instead of acknowledging the offensive language, BadBunny told her Twitch and Twitter followers that the photos were doctored. She even provided a screenshot of a friend searching for these on the same Discord, but another streamer came forward with video footage of BadBunny’s Discord messages.

“You want to be accepted by the left so bad? Please explain these,” they said, providing a link to the videos.

Some of the Discord messages in the videos include BadBunny saying “go on National Geographic and watch videos of black people in their natural habitat” and “NO RETARD.”

So far, Twitch has not taken any action regarding the allegations. It could simply be because BadBunny didn’t use this language directly on her stream, unlike MitchJones. But many feel that she’s getting special treatment. Or that Twitch is, at the very least, inconsistent in their rulings.

Popular Fortnite streamer Turner “Tfue” Tenney made headlines in September for using racial epithets on stream, a clear violation of Twitch’s community guidelines.

Although Tfue was banned in 2018 for racist language, Twitch remained mysteriously silent this time around. Many speculate that it’s because this would be Tfue’s third strike, which often means a permanent ban from the platform.

Of course, Tfue is one of their largest streamers so the gaming community felt Tfue was immune to the ruling thanks to the money he brings in for Twitch every time he streams.

Either way, it was much different from the treatment MitchJones faced, which was a 30-day suspension and a loss of his partner status. Despite the demotion, MitchJones is already back to streaming.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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