The ongoing hot tub controversy has Twitch streamers and nearly the entire community on both sides of the argument. Some believe that sexually explicit content shouldn't be allowed on Twitch in any capacity. Others, like Valkyrae, believe that it's not hurting anyone and therefore shouldn't be seen as that big of a deal. Then there are those somewhere in between the two who simply want clarification on Twitch's ambiguous rules, which many fault as the core problem regarding the hot tub controversy.
But Twitch's lack of transparency with its community didn't stop at not taking a side on the hot tub meta. Recently, hot tub streamer Amouranth announced that Twitch had pulled her ad revenue without warning. According to Amouranth, Twitch did this after deeming her content as not "advertiser-friendly." Amouranth had a fairly nuanced take on the situation; she wasn't as upset about the fact that she'll no longer make ad revenue on Twitch as much as she would have liked a warning prior to it happening. But other content creators have more heated opinions on Amouranth's situation.
XQc's Comments on Amouranth's Demonetization
Previously, xQc criticized the hot tub meta as a "pathetic" loophole in Twitch's Terms of Service while others were criticizing the platform's guidelines for being too ambiguous. But now that Twitch has taken some serious action, albeit not in the way many were asking for, he thinks that Amouranth might be the unfortunate scapegoat that has "saved everybody" from a similar fate.
Just like Amouranth said in a stream, she's worried that Twitch could crack down on other hot tub streamers the same way it did to her: without any warning. While Amouranth makes money from other avenues such as sponsorships, other people could get severely hurt financially. But now, other hot tub streamers could see Amouranth's situation and prepare themselves, xQc is saying. However, the hot tub meta is likely far from over, and xQc believes people should "chill out" while the situation adapts.
Asmongold's Comments on Amouranth's Demonetization
The World of Warcraft streamer Asmongold has an opinion on Twitch's handling of the hot tub meta as well. He posed the question, "Why did they just say 'Stop doing this or we're going to demonetize you.'" This is the big question on many peoples' minds right now, including Amouranth's. Asmongold points out that the hot tub streamer isn't just a Twitch Partner, but streams for 12 hours a day, meaning that the platform is raking in a decent chunk of change because of her content. The least Twitch could have done is "do her the courtesy of communicating with her," he said live.
Asmongold also points out that many Twitch users are happy to finally see some action being taken on the hot tub streams, especially seeing a streamer being punished for it. However, it's unfair that she wasn't offered some kind of warning, Asmongold explains, waving it off as "unprofessional" on Twitch's part.
He also calls the platform out for handling most problems this way: without communication. The Dr Disrespect mystery corroborates this. This is a common criticism that Twitch has garnered over the years, from big personalities such as Pokimane, who believes more needs to be done to clarify its Terms of Service.
Lesser-known content creators have also commented on the matter with interesting points. For example, Steven "Destiny" Bonnell thinks that Amouranth's situation could so much as warrant legal action, believing it to be a breach of contract. While Amouranth hasn't announced any plans to take Twitch to court, she could possibly have a case after losing nearly $500,000 in annual income without warning.