Call of Duty streamer Nadia has come under fire for a controversial joke made at the expense of LGBTQ+ people during a recent TikTok video. Throughout her time as a streamer, Nadia has seen massive success on Twitch and on other platforms like TikTok. Nadia currently boasts over 1 million followers on her Twitch channel and over 3 million on her TikTok, primarily streaming Call of Duty games like Call of Duty: Warzone. However, a recent joke she used in a TikTok video has incited heavy criticism.
Nadia has been no stranger to controversy throughout her career as a streamer on Twitch, receiving bans from the platform in the past. Nadia's attitude would take the spotlight for a Twitch ban the creator received late last year wherein the streamer doxxed a user who had sent in a hate message through PayPal. Nadia has also been the subject of several cheating allegations throughout her time playing Call of Duty games on stream. Now, Nadia has found herself in hot water once again after a recent joke against LGBTQ+ people.
A video uploaded to Nadia's TikTok jokes about how different types of Call of Duty players shoot. The clip ends with an example of how she claims LGBTQ+ players shoot, firing wildly all across the screen in stark contrast to the previous two examples. The joke has been met with backlash from members of the LGBTQ+ community, feeling the joke was derogatory and insensitive against LGBTQ+ people. Some viewers have even claimed the video was purposely offensive in order for Nadia to farm views off the controversy.
Nadia would later release her own response video to the controversy denying the claims that she or the joke were homophobic. She seemingly jokingly referred to her "uncle's dog being gay" and showed a video of her kissing a girl within the TikTok response. Nadia's controversial nature as a streamer has often elicited criticism both from her viewers and fellow content creators. Popular streamer Asmongold went so far as to say Nadia should be permanently banned from Twitch after her previously mentioned doxxing controversy.
Nadia's recent criticisms come as the gaming and streaming industry have increasingly pushed for inclusivity, both in streams and within video games. Popular games like Apex Legends and Overwatch have released LGBTQ+ characters in an effort to push a message of acceptance and inclusion. The ongoing HBO adaptation of The Last of Us has also seen actors starring in the show like Storm Reid chastising some viewers for homophobic remarks. The controversy surrounding Nadia serves as just the most recent instance for the popular streamer.