Pokimane sees backlash for comment on Depp vs Amber Heard trial
Many popular content creators, including Felix “xQc” Lengyel, have started to live stream reactions to the ongoing Johnny Depp versus Amber Heard trial, realizing how many viewers the highly-publicized case is bringing in. Imane “Pokimane” Anys recently jumped on the controversial trend with an “unbiased” watch party of her own, but was later blamed for taking sides.
The Depp versus Heard case has been trending across social channels, on Twitch, and within the media for the past few months. Amber Heard wrote an article about an alleged abusive relationship years ago that people quickly figured out was concerning popular actor Johnny Depp. Heard’s public discussion of Depp’s alleged abuse led to the actor losing some financial opportunities, causing him to go public with his own side of the story.
In Depp’s version of events, Heard is the alleged abuser who not only attacked him on multiple occasions but also verbally abused him and pooped in his bed. While Depp has since shared audio recordings of arguments that do show Heard in a negative light, the case has largely been a he said, she said situation where the general public is left wondering who the aggressor actually is.
At this point in the public trail, many have started to side with Depp which has led to quite a bit of discussion about “toxic femininity” and men in abusive relationships. With the majority of the public supporting Depp, Pokimane most likely felt comfortable enough to share her own opinion on Heard on Twitch and Twitter. But the popular streamer soon faced backlash for her take.
Pokimane deletes tweets after fans scorn her for siding with Johnny Depp
During a recent stream, Pokimane decided to watch the trial like other popular streamers, titling the broadcast “UNBIASED WATCH PARTY.” But during the stream and then later on her Twitter, Pokimane made it clear that she was on Johnny Depp’s side.
On stream, Pokimane questioned if Amber Heard was truly “protecting her abuser” as her lawyers claimed. Some in the streaming community took offense to Pokimane calling Heard a liar and mocking her during the “unbiased” live stream.
In a since-deleted tweet, Pokimane commented on Heard’s photos showing alleged physical abuse from Depp. The meme format Pokimane chose clearly implicated that Heard was lying about the abuse. Whether this is true or not, fans felt that Pokimane shouldn’t be making jokes about possible domestic violence.
A lot of the streaming community pointed out that Pokimane herself has been the victim of sexist harassment and mistreatment, making it all the more shocking that Pokimane was willing to make fun of Heard. Some even conjectured that Pokimane was trying to please her “lonely incel hetero” male audience despite being bullied by them for years.
The Pokimane tweets also brought up a bigger discussion about Twitch streamers using the onoing trial as entertainment. No matter which celebrity involved is guilty, many felt that using a serious court case about physical and emotional abuse as “entertainment” was inappropriate. Others felt that streamers shouldn’t be giving their opinions on a domestic violence situation in that type of environment.
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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