PewDiePie's Twitch Ban Was Brief, but Here's Why the Platform X-ed Him

YouTuber PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, briefly watched his Twitch account go idle, essentially getting banned, on Oct. 2, 2024, though it only lasted mere minutes. PewDiePie has been a part of the streaming world for more than a decade, having joined YouTube in 2010 and rising in popularity among users at a rapid rate.

As of this writing, PewDiePie has 111 million subscribers and is just over a million followers shy of reaching the same follower count on Twitch.

While we’d like to say we’re surprised by the news of the Twitch ban, it wouldn’t be the first time PewDiePie faced controversy. The New York Times reported that he "has been accused of being a closet white nationalist" in a 2019 culture issue. He has also come under fire for intertwining antisemitic jokes into his content and using racist rhetoric. PewDiePie's content is quite diverse, ranging from vlogs to comedy shorts to playing horror games. So, why did Twitch ban him?

PewDiePie's Twitch ban lasted only 14 minutes and 24 seconds before he was unbanned, according to X (formerly Twitter) user StreamerBans. "SHORTEST BAN IN HISTORY," one X user wrote, while another joked, "Now take this 15-minute timeout to think about what you've done, Pewds," signaling that the ban was merely a slap on the wrist, similar to when a child is reprimanded for using a controversial word, which, by the way, PewDiePie has also been criticized for in the past.

PewDiePie's Twitch ban reportedly stemmed from him streaming a loop of old YouTube videos. Interestingly, the YouTuber experienced a similar ban in 2023 for also playing a loop of old YouTube content on the platform. One X user noted that PewDiePie was "re-streaming content 24/7," which they claim violates Twitch's terms of service.

However, the platform does allow users to upload pre-recorded audio and visual content, and since the YouTube videos were his own, it doesn't appear to violate any copyright laws. One X user even pointed out this detail, questioning PewDiePie's ban by writing, "What's wrong with that? It's his own content."

Another user attempted to explain a plausible reason Twitch might not have taken a liking to PewDiePie streaming a loop of old YouTube videos: "I think Twitch gets butt hurt if a partner/affiliate streams content that isn’t exclusive to Twitch. At least I remember being told that when I was affiliate at one time. Like I couldn’t stream on Twitch and YouTube at the same time. Of course that could have changed." Another explained, "It must be original or you are banned by Twitch."

Many X users were surprised by the ban and suggested that the platform has tightened its regulations, implying that it imposes bans more frequently. Others called PewDiePie's ban "disgraceful."

Regardless, PewDiePie's Twitch ban was so short-lived that many likely wouldn’t have even noticed it had it not been reported. His account appears to be back up and running.