The years-long saga of Dr. Disrespect took several significant turns in the last 24 hours and may, in fact, be coming to an end. An end which sees the streamer essentially back where he was before it all started.
Dr. Disrespect (Guy Beahm), was demonetized by YouTube—his main streaming platform—after admitting that his ban from Twitch four years ago was due to inappropriately messaging a minor, something he claimed was “bait” for journalists. However, after reapplying, YouTube has reversed its decision allowing him to stream and earn on the platform once more.
Separately, on the very same day, Midnight Society, the studio Dr. Disrespect founded with former Infinity Ward higher-up Robert Bowling, announced it was closing. The studio had been developing an extraction shooter called DEADROP.
The closure has resulted in 55 people losing their jobs. Previously, the studio had fired Dr. Disrespect and removed all his imagery from the game after confirming the reason for his ban.
Without him and his fanbase, the project faced an uncertain future and has now been terminated. Dr. Disrespect’s 2020 ban from Twitch and subsequent demonetization from YouTube painted a grim picture.
In a statement about his 2020 ban, Dr. Disrespect said:
“Were there Twitch whisper messages with an individual minor back in 2017?
Midnight Society studio closes abruptly
The answer is yes. Were there real intentions behind these messages, the answer is absolutely not. These were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate, but nothing more.
Nothing illegal happened, no pictures were shared, no crimes were committed.”
Despite the controversy, Dr. Disrespect seems to have retained a significant portion of his audience, often streaming to around 20,000 concurrent viewers. He even secured a big deal with the “anti-cancel culture” streaming site Rumble, where he leads its gaming division.
Now, with his re-monetization on YouTube, it remains to be seen what his next move will be, but he is set to continue earning significant amounts of money. In the end, while Dr. Disrespect has returned to a similar position as before, it comes at a cost.
Most brands avoid working with him, and many of his former streamer colleagues distance themselves. Yet, he remains a prominent figure in the streaming world. YouTube’s response to his reinstatement was fairly standard:
“DrDisrespect was previously suspended from the YouTube Partner Program for violations of our Creator Responsibility policies.
Creators who are suspended from this program can reapply for access, and after careful review of the channel’s recent activity, we’ve reinstated it. If there are further violations, we’ll take appropriate action.”
This suggests that YouTube is now focusing on his recent activity rather than past indiscretions. Unless new allegations surface, this chapter for Dr.
Disrespect may be closing with him back on top of the streaming world, while his former studio lies in ruins. What an ending.
