Nudity, animal sex, and anime: A full history of xQc Twitch bans
Despite sometimes being labeled a troll and perhaps even toxic, former Overwatch League star Félix “xQc” Lengyel hasn’t really gotten into too much trouble as a streamer on Twitch. But when he has, it’s been for some pretty weird stuff.
Playing a variety of games, most recently including a lot of chess, xQc has amassed over 3 million Twitch followers. He gets tens of thousands of viewers per stream, most of which run for 10 hours or longer.
While xQc is an insane Winston player, he is often found in the Just Chatting section these days, providing commentary on various YouTube videos and memes while interacting with his viewers. This is also where most of his run-ins with Twitch have originated.
xQc banned for showing porn
xQc was banned on Twitch for three days in July 2019, for streaming a pornographic video while broadcasting live. The video, called “SFW Porn,” is a known YouTube video that features innocent comic drawings placed over what was explicit and graphic pornography.
While the photos were covered up, someone watching his live stream decided to closely study the video frame by frame until they finally found some skin. Upon closer inspection, the viewer found a small section of a man’s penis that wasn’t covered up by the drawing. In response, xQc was reported and then suspended from Twitch.
At the time, xQc was given a notification about the ban and was still able to stream the day before his suspension started. He used the stream to tell his fans what happened. While this seemed unusual, more people were focused on the special treatment given to Natalia “Alinity” Mogollon. Around the same time, she had accidentally shown a photo of a penis, one that was not obstructed by drawings or anything else. She wasn’t suspended.
xQc banned for anime nudity
xQc was banned in February for sexually suggestive content when he purposely revealed the breasts of an anime woman in an adult puzzle game, Strip 4: Classmate Study. An optional pop-up appeared while xQc was playing, tempting him to take off her bra. Instead of closing the window, xQc clicked “okay,” unblurring the anime character’s breasts.
xQc was given a three-day suspension for going against Twitch’s community guidelines, which state “sexually suggestive content is prohibited.” While a lot of his fans joked that the ban was “worth it,” most agreed that xQc deserved the punishment since it seemed like he had purposely exposed the anime woman’s top.
Despite his fans agreeing with Twitch’s actions, xQc still appealed to Twitch. The streaming platform denied his request, explaining in a screenshot email that “sexually explicit” and “adults-only” games are prohibited. The strike remained on his account.
I wanted to update everyone yesterday but it was unclear and I wanted to appeal and have a chance to explain myself. I did but it didn’t matter, we’re tanking the whole thing. Things are a little different than I expected but ultimately it was my fault. We’ll roll when we’re back pic.twitter.com/RR85ZalIiK
— xQc (@xQc) March 2, 2020
xQc banned for lewd animal content
For the third time in less than a year, xQc was recently banned for suggestive content.
Once again, xQc was burned by a viewer. This time, the follower sent a commonly used Nintendo GameCube loading animation meme. This one ended with a sudden clip of two gorillas involved in intercourse. Even though xQc immediately closed the video, it was already too much for Twitch to handle and he was banned for 24 hours.
HAHAHAHHA pic.twitter.com/marm5kJgww
— Arthium (@muihtra) June 2, 2020
“BANNED FOR 24 HOURS, SHOWED A GORILLA SUPPOSEDLY FUCKING ANOTHER FOR ABOUT A SECOND BY ACCIDENT. NOTHING TO SEE HERE, MOVE ALONG. ENJOY YOUR DAY,” xQc tweeted in all caps.
In a follow-up tweet, xQc admitted he was “confused” by Twitch’s decision considering the “nature” and “length” of the explicit clip. He lamented that nobody on his live stream had thought anything of the incident and had understood that it was a meme. Still, this time xQc declared that he wouldn’t fight the punishment.
xQc’s latest suspension was met with more outcry about Twitch’s inconsistent punishments. Popular female streamer Imane “Pokimane” Anys had accidentally shown nudity around the same time, and hers was of the human variety. Instead of a ban, Pokimane received a warning email. This was something xQc’s Twitter followers immediately brought to his attention.
warning is deserved, sorry to anyone who didn’t wanna see that on stream.
— pokimane (@pokimanelol) May 23, 2020
i’ll be even more careful in the future, but i’m glad it made for a good meme lmao ???? pic.twitter.com/t2NxgxPEBM
But back to xQc, the streamer now has three strikes against him when it comes to sexually suggestive content. Twitch infamously permabans streamers who have three strikes against their account. While xQc may not have avoided his short suspensions all these times, it seems that he’s being given special enough treatment that he’s avoided having his account permanently banned from the platform.
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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