Twitch apologizes for accusing Viperous of slur, lifts her ban

Olivia Richman Published 13/11/2019

It’s been a dramatic couple days for Twitch streamer Viperous.

On November 8, Viperous found out her account had received a seven-day suspension. The reason? Twitch informed her that she was banned for using a racial slur.

Viperous quickly shared the clip in question, remarking that she had actually just said “nerd.” In the clip, she asks, “What is this nerd doing?” when she sees someone crouching in the corner, obviously camping.

“I just got banned on Twitch for a clip of me that went around for literally saying ‘nerd.’ I call people who kill me ‘nerd’ all the time and whatever it sounds like I said, it was literally just nerd,” Viperous said on Twitter.

The streaming community was torn, with many expressing that it clearly sounded like the racist language Twitch suggested. But fellow streamer Blankzy took to Twitter to defend Viperous, slowing down the clip so people could hear what she said more clearly.

“If you hear a racial slur in this, you’re a moron,” Blankzy said.

Viperous Twitch ban sparks more drama

Of course, that’s not where it ended for Viperous.

As she was fighting the wrongful ban, Viperous tweeted that Twitch had denied her request to become a partner for the third time. They allegedly told her she could not apply for another 90 days, starting after her suspension was complete.

“I don’t even know if I want to be on Twitch anymore if they don’t overturn this suspension. I feel like I’ve been working so hard these past three months just to not even be appreciated. And no, I don’t want to move to Mixer or Youtube. I just won’t stream anymore ’cause it’s not fair,” Viperous ranted.

Viperous told her fans that the suspension had “broken her heart,” since it felt like Twitch didn’t care about her as she was attempting to grind every day.

While dealing with Twitch’s punishment, Viperous also confronted esports and entertainment website Dexerto, who published a story about the ban titled, “Twitch streamer Viperous banned for racial slur claims she said ‘nerd.'”

“BITCH THERE IS VIDEO PROOF,” Viperous exclaimed, proceeding to call the reporter a “nerd.”

Dexerto changed the title of their article soon after to reflect the video Viperous had referenced.

Twitch ends Viperous’ ban

Four days after her ban, Twitch ended the suspension early and apologized to Viperous for their mistake. In an email from Twitch’s support, the streaming platform informed Viperous that she had been suspended “due to a mistake” on their end.

“Can I get a W in the chat?” Viperous cheered on Twitter.

It appeared as though fellow streamer Ben “Dr Lupo” Lupo had helped by informing Twitch of the blunder. Because the ban had halted Viperous’ “subathon,” Dr Lupo also gifted her 100 subscriptions.

“Holy fucking shit I cannot even type. Dr Lupo, you are purely amazing. Thanks for everything you’ve done this week and most importantly being the most inspirational streamer in my life,” she tweeted.

An hour later she had over 1,800 subs.

Twitch’s inconsistent banning over racist language

Viperous wasn’t the only streamer to fall victim to being misheard by Twitch mods.

Team Liquid’s League of Legends streamer Ashkan “TF Blade” Homayouni was recently banned for 30 days when Twitch accused him of using racial epithets. TF Blade argued that he had said “idiots” in the clip in question. His account’s suspension was lifted only when Team Liquid contacted Twitch about the mistake.

Another League of Legends broadcaster, Pink Ward, was given a 30-day ban for saying a racial slur when he had actually said “yikers.” Many who watched the clip felt that Twitch was “on a power trip” and was “hearing what they wanted to hear.”

Per usual, Twitch’s quick reaction in the Viperous situation brought up inconsistencies when dealing with similar instances. Earlier this year, Fortnite superstar Turner “Tfue” Tenney didn’t even receive a warning for actually using racial slurs on his channel. In fact, it would have been Tfue’s third strike for that offense, which would result in a permanent ban according to Twitch’s community guidelines.

Of course, with Tfue having over 7 million followers on Twitch, the streaming platform left him alone.

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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