Today, Twitch banned Ali “Gross Gore” Larsen and banned him, a long-time streamer and subject of controversy, after the accusations of sexual assault old and new came to light last weekend.
Allegations appeared after the 28-year-old Larsen, who was suspended by Twitch’s numbermany times over the years, made a post on RoastMe subreddit Friday. This led users to discuss previous allegations against him, culminating in long lists of Larsen’s indiscretions, including videos about Larsen himself talking about the moments when he asked a 15-year-old girl to show her breasts (he was 18 at the time) and slept with a 16-year-old boy when he was 20, as well as a video in which another streamer, Jenna, accuses him of sexually assaulting her during TwitchCon. Threads also referred to a number of incidents in the UK Runescape Runefest Convention in 2018, which Kotaku reported at that time, including a video in which Larsen appears to grab a woman’s face and try to kiss her, as well as several allegedly inappropriate comments against women that culminated in a physical altercation between Larsen and another streamer, Skiddler, who was dispersed by hotel staff and police.
Following the reappearance of these allegations, a woman named Eve came up with her own story on Saturday, saying that Larsen took care of her in 2008, when she was 13 and he was 16 years old. “Ali offered me video opportunities, clan rankings, and being featured on his personal YT channel,” she said. wrote in a Twitlonger. “Instead, all I had to do was moan when he masturbated … Even at 13 I knew I was doing something wrong, but I didn’t understand until many years later how he used his power on me to help him masturbate. ”
Over a Discord call, Jenna said Kotaku that Larsen was like an “older brother” to her for a long time, but during a party at TwitchCon 2019, he got drunk and refused to touch her arms, legs and thighs while the two they were on a couch. Finally, he asked to grab her face. “It was very creepy,” Jenna said Kotaku, noting that he had previously witnessed and talked to Larsen about other cases of sexual assault at events, during which he believes he was also drunk. “Then he started begging me. And I was like, “No man, you’re my brother. Stop that. “She says she left the party not long after.
In response to the allegations, Larsen posted a YouTube video on Saturday, in which he made some accusations, such as the video in which Jenna accuses him of sexual assault, they were false or taken out of context and that he had already apologized to others and gave a new leaf. “There are some disgusting things from my past and I can promise you that I am not who I am today,” he said. “I look back, I’m scared, embarrassed and sorry so much.”
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Now, a few days later, Twitch banned him and took his partnership status, which means he’s probably not coming back this time. In a statement to Kotaku, Twitch cited its rules against misconduct off the platform.
“The safety of our community is our top priority,” a Twitch spokesman said in an email. “We take appropriate action when we have evidence that a streamer acted in breach of the Community Rules or the Terms and Conditions, including in certain cases where the conduct could have taken place outside Twitch. They apply to all streamers, regardless of status or prominence in the community. ”
The spokesman specifically mentioned a rule that says, “We can take action against people for misconduct or harassment that takes place outside of Twitch services and is addressed to Twitch users.”
Kotaku he also reached for Larsen, who pointed a video he posted on Twitter shortly after it had been banned. In the video, Larsen showed viewers the e-mail he received from Twitch, which cited “adult sexual exploitation” as the reason for his ban.
“I don’t know what to think anymore,” Larsen said in the video. “I do not know what to say. I am so used to being thrown into this community and I like to be assaulted and chosen. I bring things from 2016. ”
He speculated that Twitch banned him for an incident of “revenge porn” in which he allegedly sent nudes to the mother of a teenage streamer at the time, but he said he had just shown her mother her Instagram account and was then 18 years old. “This is a mistake from Twitch,” he concluded, adding that he will start broadcasting on YouTube tomorrow.
Despite a laundry list of alleged crimes, Twitch took the time to ban Larsen. In 2018, he had already been suspended several times, inclusive in 2016 after harassing a Riot employee. In the a video released by Larsen after Runefest 2018, said that Twitch would have banned him permanently if “someone from Twitch” had not intervened on his behalf. Instead, the company suspended him for a month and prevented him from participating in TwitchCon, suggesting that he was well aware of the seriousness of his actions at Runefest. Since then, Larsen has managed to grow its Twitch audience to half a million followers. Larsen’s ban comes almost a year later Twitch’s #MeToo calculation, which resulted in the company banning several streamers accused of sexual assault and the oath to “continue to assess allegations against Twitch affiliates and explore ways in which Twitch can work with other industry leaders on this important issue.” Monday later, and the company she ended up breaking up with an employee accused of sexual assault of a streamer.
Jenna hopes something good will come out of Larsen’s Twitch ban. “I feel bad, really, but he does it himself,” she said. “Obviously, what he is doing is terrible and unforgivable. He really needs help, or he will continue to hurt people. That’s about it. Maybe Twitch’s ban will force him to go and get that help. “
In response to Larsen’s Twitch ban and everything that happened, Eve said Kotaku that she was “happy and ready to move forward,” but that Larsen’s response to her ban had left her cold.
“It never reached me and all I wanted was a private acknowledgment and a sincere private apology,” Eve wrote in a DM. “She has been doing the same thing for over 10 years. If he wanted to write me a story as a child, then why didn’t this behavior end when he grew up? Honestly, I was full of hope, after I wrote my story, that he would contact, apologize and I could go ahead and tell him I forgive him. But the video showed me how bad it is and that it deserves to be banned. I have no doubt in my mind if it were not forbidden, there would be more stories in the future about Ali who sexually assaulted or harassed women. Without being held accountable, I don’t think he would see a reason to change. ”
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