April 27, 2025: Kanye West, also known as Ye, was banned from Twitch just seven minutes into his streaming debut on the platform. The controversial rapper sparked outrage during the brief broadcast, where he made antisemitic remarks, hurled abuses at the LGBTQ+ community, and even performed a Nazi salute, shouting “Heil Hitler” and instructing viewers to “wear Swastika.”
Twitch swiftly took action, shutting down Ye’s channel and replacing his profile with a message stating, “This channel is temporarily unavailable due to a violation of Twitch’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service.” The stream, however, continued to spread on other social media platforms, with millions of views of the video.
During the stream, Ye also made disparaging comments about his ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, and claimed that Tesla CEO Elon Musk had granted him “free passes” to use social media for spreading his prejudiced views.
Reactions on Social Media
Many users applauded Twitch for its quick response to Ye’s behavior, while others criticized the rapper for his ongoing racist tendencies. One user commented, “Dude only created an account to say some antisemitism and anti-LGBT rhetoric. A grown ass adult went out of their way to create an account just for that.” Another added, “Twitch got right on that. Nice work.” Some even joked about the speed of the ban, with one stating, “This has to be a new world record. The fastest time to get banned on Twitch.”
Ye’s history of antisemitic comments dates back to 2022, when he faced backlash for similar remarks, leading to restrictions on his social media accounts and the loss of major partnerships, including collaborations with Adidas and Gap for his Yeezy line.
Twitch’s swift action has received widespread praise, while many are concerned about Ye’s continued influence on social media.