Ninja refuses to eat on stream during Ramadan to support Muslim fans

Olivia Richman Published 14/05/2019

When streamers are not playing games, they’re often snacking on camera. It’s one way to stay awake and remain fueled for streaming marathons, which can last longer than eight hours.

But Tyler “Ninja” Blevins has vowed to switch off his camera while he eats during Ramadan, which lasts until June 6 this year.

The professional streamer and Fortnite personality was munching on snacks throughout a recent stream when one Twitch user said, “Bruh, I’m fasting.”

In response, Ninja immediately turned off the camera.

“Sorry to the people who are doing Ramadan,” Ninja said. “I’ll make sure to hide my screen when I eat for the rest of Ramadan.”

Ramadan is a Muslim celebration that’s first observed by fasting sunrise to sunset from May 6 to June 3. This is also a time of year when the days start getting quite longer, which makes this part of Ramadan quite difficult. But Ramadan is considered the most joyful month of the year, and it ends with Eid al-Fitr, the breaking of the fast.

And for the past few days, Ninja has stuck to his word.

A fan recently clipped a touching moment during Ninja’s Fortnite stream with Dennis “Faze Cloak” Lepore and Benjamin “DrLupo” Lupo. When the two big name streamers asked Ninja what he was eating, Ninja refused to respond.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said. “Dude, Ramadan is going on right now. I don’t want to talk about food. It’s why I’m hiding my cam.”

Muslim fans have been grateful for Ninja’s small gesture of hiding his munching. Many took to Twitter to share their appreciation for Ninja. Some Muslims said that not many people would think to do something like this.

“Mad respect,” one fan said. “I don’t care if he is the best player or not. He has to be the best streamer right now. I know it doesn’t bother a lot of Muslims if he eats or not. We stan Ninja.”

Ninja doesn’t have the cleanest past up to this point. Last year, Ninja used a racial epithet while rapping to Logic’s “44 More” in a part of the song that didn’t include that slur in the original lyrics. This incident came after Ninja doxxed a Twitch viewer for using the same racial slur against him.

And nobody can forget the cringe of his New Year’s Eve stream, when everyone in New York City refused to floss with Ninja live.

But all of these incidents don’t take away from the kind gesture Ninja has been sticking to all month. As one of the most popular Twitch streamers and a major influencer, showing public support for the Ramadan is a huge deal for his Muslim fans.

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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