Those familiar with the Twitch community are likely familiar with the biggest names on the platform, like Ninja, Shroud, and DrLupo. DrLupo, in particular, has been getting tons of media attention in the past month or so, playing games like Fall Guys, Among Us, and even streaming on Twitch with Borat creator Sacha Baron Cohen.
However, DrLupo is now making headlines for a different reason, which has to do with the behavior of a small section of his community. Recently, DrLupo made a statement on his Twitter addressing a section of his community that has propagated racist behavior on Twitch and even claimed that DrLupo himself is racist.
The news comes off the back of one of DrLupo’s community moderators, IC1415, making a Google document compiling screenshots of community members calling DrLupo racist and racist behavior by other members of his community. Many of the claims calling DrLupo racist stem from the Twitch streamer’s response to Black Lives Matter protests. However, DrLupo himself has even asked his community on Twitter whether or not his approach to the Black Lives Matter issue is responsible, and if his community believes he is racist. Following this, plenty of streamers and community members assured him he was not.
The Google document by IC1415 was compiled during DrLupo’s appearance on the Halloween edition of the Animal Talking show hosted by Garry Whitta. DrLupo claims he did not ask IC1415 to compile the screenshots or even make the post, and only became aware that IC1415 was doing so during the show. In the statement, DrLupo made on Twitter regarding the community’s racist behavior he reiterates a few key points. He says that his stance that racism will never be tolerated in his community will not change and that he wants his community to be kind to one another.
DrLupo’s reputation on Twitch has been overall very positive. In 2019, DrLupo raised over $2.3 million for charity on a stream, during which he beat his previous years' donation goal to the same charity by over half a million dollars. As DrLupo has steadily grown over the years, he’s had some amazing opportunities on Twitch which largely been positive influences as well. Recently, he took part in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Among Us stream in order to further the Get Out the Vote event. The stream was a massive success and likely raised awareness among younger voters for the upcoming US presidential election.
The Twitch community has had a difficult few months, with sexual assault allegation plaguing the platform as well as the recent wave of DMCA takedowns affecting hundreds of Twitch streamers. Hopefully, Twitch can steer its ship in a more positive direction and get these issues under control before more damage is done. As for DrLupo’s situation, it seems he’s taking the issue with his community very seriously and will continue his work to weed out those community members engaging in unwanted behavior.