Rooster Teeth's Ryan Haywood plans Twitch return after accusations
Accused groomer and sexual abuser Ryan Haywood is preparing a return to Twitch because the controversial streaming platform never actually banned his account despite an array of accusations made against him.
Once a member of Rooster Teeth, Haywood was fired after multiple accusations against him appeared online. Many of the accusations included Haywood having sexually explicit conversations with minors and then distributing their naked photos. Some of the victims even confessed that Haywood had sex with them, constituting statutory rape. Other women stated that Haywood removed his condom without their knowledge during intercourse, which is sexual assault.
Despite the accusations, many of which included screenshots, Twitch never banned Haywood’s account on the streaming platform. It currently has about 130,000 followers to this day.
While the streaming community supported Haywood getting help and even attempting to move on with his life, almost everyone has been in agreement that Haywood shouldn’t be able to make money off of streaming, especially since it’s the avenue he chose to initially find his victims.
These are just a few. TW for some horrible flirting, some things that just aged very poorly and me calling Ryan old. All from ~late 2017/early 2018.
— alison ✨ (@adothop) October 12, 2020
When I wrote my initial statement I was locked out our text convos cause he deactivated, but now I see how bad it was actually. pic.twitter.com/6GxekUXJwi
Streaming community outraged at Ryan Haywood’s possible return to Twitch
Ryan Haywood’s Twitch subs recently received a message in the New Year from the former Rooster Teeth animator that explained his return to the platform. He started off by saying 2020 was a “bad year” that “came to a really rough end.” Since then, Haywood has allegedly been “picking up the pieces and figuring out what the next steps are.”
Haywood told his fans that he was “doing better mentally,” especially thanks to their support after he lost his career. He ended up getting a new job, allowing him to pay for therapy and start pursuing various degrees. For now, his focus is on “fixing his life.”
While he stated he’s not sure what the future of his Twitch channel is, the message made it seem like Haywood had plans to return to Twitch once he figured that out.
“I’ll keep you guys updated on what’s going on,” Haywood stated.
The women and girls that initially accused Haywood of sexual assault and spreading their photos immediately felt mortified by Haywood’s message. One victim, Tessa Graves, took to YouTube to explain why Haywood shouldn’t be welcomed back to the platform. She explained that she initially made a video about her experience to take away his platform, hoping he’d never have the chance to do what he did to other women.
But Haywood’s announcement that he was considering streaming on Twitch again prompted Graves to make a second video addressing her traumatic experience and re-emphasize the original reason she kept sharing her story.
“The whole reason we are doing anything is so he won’t be able to do this again. Don’t let him reestablish himself on Twitch. I don’t care what he does. I don’t care how many therapy programs he’s enrolled in. He just cannot be allowed to have an audience. He cannot be allowed to hold power over people like he has in the past,” Graves said.
She stated that Haywood has shown that he can’t handle having a position of power since he will use his fame to “abuse and manipulate people.”
The majority of the Twitch community seemed to be in agreement with the victims. Nobody had a problem with Haywood getting a new job or attending therapy. Many even wished he would get better. But almost everyone felt that Haywood shouldn’t be given a platform like Twitch.
But while many people were frustrated with Haywood’s possible return, more were angry with Twitch for never banning his account in the first place. Ever since hundreds of streamers started getting accused of rape, grooming, and assault in 2020, Twitch was under fire for the poor handling of the ongoing situation. The CEO himself was accused of not taking allegations seriously, even laughing off such accusations in meetings.
So far, Twitch hasn’t made any statements regarding Haywood’s message on 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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