Online content creator LeafyIsHere has been banned from Twitch, only days after being similarly banned from YouTube. Leafy is infamous for stirring up controversy and drama, and for harassing other content creators with hateful speech. One of his most infamous incidents of harassment came when he attacked Twitch streamer Pokimane, accusing her of having a secret boyfriend and hiding his identity to dupe viewers into giving her donations.
Late last month, Leafy's constant stream of hatred caught up with him. After a years-long hiatus, his triumphant return to YouTube was cut short by a permanent suspension for his harassment and inflammatory language. Leafy claimed he didn't receive any strikes or warnings of any kind before his channel was suspended, and even publicly reached out to the YouTube team on Twitter to try to get to the bottom of the matter. When it was confirmed that his account had been permanently banned, Leafy moved to Twitch to livestream his usual negative, spiteful commentary. In a live response to a video discussing the n-word, Leafy paused the video just to drop the slur. In a different stream, he talked about tracking down and harming critics and those who report him for his breaches of community guidelines and human decency.
Twitch, it seems, has far less patience for Leafy's rhetoric than YouTube did. Not long after Leafy appeared on Twitch, he suddenly vanished without warning. Soon after, esports insider Rod Breslau confirmed on Twitter that the controversial figure had been permanently banned from the streaming platform, quoting a statement which claimed that Twitch reserves the right to "suspend any account for conduct that violates our rules, or that we determine to be inappropriate, harmful, or puts our community at risk." Once again, Leafy took to Twitter and publicly reached out to the support team behind the platform, complaining that he had received no warning prior to the ban, and that being permanently barred from the platform was far too strict for what he insisted was his first offense, even though he even admitted that he had been "pushing it."
While many celebrate Leafy's removal, the controversial figure is not without fans. Some have expressed concern that Leafy's complete removal from platforms like YouTube and Twitch should be taken as a warning, and that anyone could be next, even content producers who aren't as hateful. While a world in which major content platforms can kick people out without notice or reason would be a grim one indeed, that seems to be a far cry from what's happening here. It would be very hard to argue that YouTube and Twitch didn't have ample cause to ban Leafy.
Internet fame is a fickle but powerful thing. Sites like Twitch and YouTube let practically anyone broadcast their thoughts and opinions all over the world, to millions of people. It's an awesome power, and one that should absolutely be used responsibly. LeafyIsHere is a textbook example of that power being abused horribly. He has consistently used his notoriety to spread hatred, vitriol, and negativity, for no good reason other than to get noticed. He may not be convinced that his ban from Twitch was justified, but many are likely glad to see him gone.
Source: Rod Breslau/Twitter, Leafy/Twitter