Why a Valkyrae apology for an Asmongold DM has her in hot water

Khizar Mundia Published 13/10/2025

The latest controversy in the streaming worlds involves popular streamer Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter feeling moved to apologize because of a DM with Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt. Here’s why it didn’t sit right with some fans.

Drama and controversy in the streaming world are all too common, with content creators frequently feuding publicly. Streamer Valkyrae recently apologized to her community while trying to fix a situation that she’d gotten herself into, but it seems to have had the opposite effect. The content creator publicly admitted she was wrong to talk with Asmongold, but viewers at large have been calling out Valkyrae both before and since. Some were upset with Valkyrae sending a DM to Asmongold, while others are mad at her for the associations she’s not apologizing for.

What does Hasan have to do with Vaklyrae and Asmongold DM drama?

A serious incident in the streaming scene has been playing out with Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker being involved in alleged animal abuse, and community anger has now shifted to Valkyrae for apparently supporting the streamer while showing more public concern for lesser involvement with Asmongold.

Many viewers have recently taken to social forums to call out Valkyrae for supporting Hasan after the controversial streamer had apparently used a shock collar on his dog. This has created an uproar within the streaming world, with everyone seemingly taking a side. Valkyrae received massive backlash after she supported Hasan and claimed that his dog is “loved, spoiled, and well-trained.” The streamer instead told the community to focus on “actual criminals” rather than Hasan.

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This didn’t sit well with some members of the community, and the streamer has received significant backlash as a result. She later talked about it during a stream and stated that she had sent a DM to both Nick “Nmplol” Polom and Asmongold, wondering why people were angry with her and how best to deal with it. This led to a fresh wave of backlash against Valkyrae, which led to her to apologize for sending a DM to Asmongold because of his own history of controversy. This also triggered backlash, with onlookers claiming that the streamer is more worried about a DM than an animal allegedly being abused.

In her apology, Valkyrae stated it was her fault that “she wasn’t more aware.” But many viewers commented that the apology seemed more like a deflection than an admission of any wrongdoing, and that the streamer was attempting to divert attention from the Hasan accusations to a DM she had sent to Asmongold.

Valkyrae continues to receive backlash as a result, while there hasn’t yet been any response from Asmongold.

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Feature image credit: Valkyrae

Khizar Mundia

About Khizar Mundia

Khizar Mundia has been playing video games for as long as he can recall. Things have come a long way since the many days he spent playing the original NES, though. He now covers a variety of competitive games and esports, as well as the world of streaming, ranging from Twitch to Kick. If it’s of interest to gamers, it’s of interest to Khizar.

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