xQc unbanned after a few hours of being suspended from Twitch

Olivia Richman Published 15/08/2021

Felix “xQc” Lengyel is back on Twitch after being suspended for a few hours.

Yesterday, xQc was suddenly banned for the fifth time and fans were unsure of the reason. Without any word from xQc, fans were left wondering what caused xQc to get suspended and how long it would be. Some even thought it may be permanent due to xQc’s extensive run-ins with Twitch’s Terms of Service. But xQc is back, just a few hours later, with the ban ultimately lasting just four hours.

Even though xQc is back, his followers are still confused why this happened. One theory is that it had to do with xQc’s ongoing drama with a DMCA strike when xQc showed clips of the Olympic Games on stream. xQc received a suspension that was also very short at the time, followed by xQc threatening to fight the strike with a lawyer.

But xQc never mentioned this as the reason. In fact, xQc hasn’t tweeted for two days. His last tweet was a short video of him eating a popsicle in the shower.

pic.twitter.com/JDc6I2JM2c
— xQc (@xQc) August 13, 2021

xQc is known for his controversial takes and loud opinion, but he often errs on the side of caution when it comes to Twitch’s Terms of Service. In the past, xQc has called out artists who argued that they were unfairly banned while drawing NSFW content on-stream.

What were the reasons behind all of xQc’s Twitch bans?

xQc has been banned by Twitch five times to date, for reasons including a DMCA claim and showing inappropriate images live on stream. xQc’s most recent ban was for unknown reasons, but his first three bans were for showing NSFW images on-air including nude video game characters and animals having sex. His fourth ban from Twitch was for streaming footage of the 2021 Tokyo Olympic Games. It is unknown what the cause of the fifth ban was, but it was likely related to the previous issue with the Olympics.

That said, xQc was a controversial figure even before he started getting regularly banned. He quickly rose to prominence for being a player in the Overwatch League, but was forced out of the league fairly quickly due to repeated controversial comments and actions.

While contracted to the Dallas Fuel in early 2018, xQc was suspended and fined for mocking an openly gay opponent’s sexuality. Two months later, this happened again when he used “racially disparaging emotes” against Overwatch League personality Malik Forte. This was followed by his release from the Fuel. He has returned to play competitive Overwatch a few times since then, but hasn’t been engaging with the game over recent months.

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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