Twitch reverses controversial ban on Overwatch streamer

Olivia Richman Published 17/02/2019

Popular Overwatch streamer Fareeha Andersen is already back on Twitch after causing some controversy that the streaming service labeled as “hate speech.”

Twitch had initially banned Fareeha’s account for 30 days after she called South American Overwatch players “shit” during a February 7 stream. After a public outcry and an ensuing apology by Fareeha, Twitch lessened the length of the ban, allowing her back on the platform after just seven days.

While most following the news seemed to feel the ban was overly harsh, there were also people within the streaming community that felt the initial 30-day ban was justified, noting that popular streamers who have a larger audience should strive to be positive influences.

After initially receiving the ban for “engaging in hateful conduct against a person or group of people,” Fareeha took to Twitter to apologize for “fucking up.”

The Overwatch streamer went on to say that she understood what it feels like to be “cast aside under generalizations and assumptions” as a minority herself.

The controversial comment was made by Fareeha as a joke during a facetious pep talk, she explained, when her North American teammates kept complaining about the South American servers having horrible ping. She explained that she meant no hate towards South Americans, and was more commenting on how South America is “less cutthroat” when it comes to competitive gaming due to having less of a player base and not as much support for esports.

The clip of Fareeha calling South American players “shit” went viral almost immediately, and Fareeha was bombarded with hateful and sexist comments in response. Fareeha responded in kind, leading some to brand her with the “toxic” label.

In a Twitlong, Fareeha opened up about “mental shit” she has been going through, which seemed to become worse for her with “all this added pressure and extra eyeballs.” She noted that she has been putting a lot of work into becoming more aware of her behavior and was willing to own up to her mistakes.

Though her 30-day ban was lifted, it’s still unclear if the accompanying strike was removed from her Twitch account.

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.

View full profile

Read Also

Movies & TV

Will The Batman Part II Be Delayed Again? Zachary Roberts The Batman: Part II has already been delayed three times. It was supposed to come out this month, actually. Three delays later, though, and it's on the slate for February 2028, which would be almost six years to the month after the first movie. Is it going to be delayed again? Movie fans live in fear of that very thing in these uncertain times. Any piece of art, including video ...

Kick

Nigerian Musician Davido Joins Kick: Here’s What We Know Khizar Mundia Afrobeats star David “Davido” Adedeji Adeleke has joined livestreaming platform Kick and expressed his intention to begin a new part of his career. Kick has previously revealed that the platform has stepped back from signing streamers with large deals and also stopped encouraging gambling content. Both announcements were met with widely positive reactions, as there was much criticism regarding casino streaming and many people believed huge deals led to streamers ...

Dota 2

BLAST SLAM VIII Finals predictions and preview Michael Hassall It’s been a long road, but after a strangely-formatted group stage, and a decidedly anticlimactic playoffs, we’re down to the final three teams in BLAST SLAM VIII. The finals are today (Oct. 11) and we’ll see the premier teams in Dota 2 clash. Perhaps disappointingly, we’re not seeing a new wave of top-teams at the pinnacle of Dota 2 competition, with the three final teams being the same trio we’ve ...

Twitch

Kai Cenat Reveals Japan IRL Tour and Says He Wants To Go to Space Khizar Mundia Twitch star Kai Cenat has recently expanded his content to include IRL tours, and Japan is next on the list of places he will be heading it seems. The American kicked off his Exploring the Unexplored IRL series with Iceland, reportedly becoming the first streamer to broadcast from inside a volcano. This was a massive accomplishment, but just a few days later Cenat became embroiled in controversy with Reginald “Reggie” Travers. ...

News

NFL petitions U.S. Supreme Court for clarity on prediction markets Michael Hassall The heat is officially on for prediction market operators such as Kalshi and Polymarket as the NFL, one of the United States’ biggest sports leagues, is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on the classification of prediction markets. In a brief filed late on Thursday (Oct. 8), the National Football League (NFL) backed the state of New Jersey’s request for the U.S.’s highest legal entity to review whether ...

GTA

Lacy Reveals GTA 6 Marathon Plans and Monthly Income Breakdown Khizar Mundia Nick “Lacy” Fosco recently made headlines after announcing he would disable Twitch ads on his streams. Now, the streamer has revealed plans for an upcoming GTA 6 marathon, alongside a breakdown of his monthly earnings and expenses.. Lacy is in the news frequently, whether it's because of his relationship, drama with other streamers, or even leaving CORE. The creator recently also limited his Twitch ads significantly after starting, saying that ...

News

Crypto Casino Stake To Launch In Alberta, Canada Khizar Mundia Stake co-founder Eddie Craven made an X post announcing that the casino has secured licensing approval in Alberta, Canada, and will be launching its services in the new location imminently. Crypto casino Stake is one of the most popular gambling sites, with livestreaming platform Kick having been a major marketing force for it over the years. Both platforms are owned by co-founders Eddie Craven and Bijan Tehrani. While Kick has ...