Dr Disrespect looking to strike a bargain with YouTube to re-enable his monetization on the YouTube channel where he has 4.62 million subscribers. At the same time, the returning streamer, who took a hiatus after admitting to inappropriately messaging a minor, will also be looking into streaming options on X (formerly Twitter).
The 42-year-old streamer is unable to earn any money through his broadcasts on YouTube after the Google video platform demonetized his profile in the wake of his controversy in June. Then, Dr Disrespect shared an apology (now-deleted) explaining he had shared Twitch whisper conversations with “an individual minor” in 2017 that were “casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate.”
Following a short hiatus from the streaming space, the disgraced gaming entertainer returned on Sept. 7 to huge viewership numbers. At the same time, he looked to defend himself by sharing “the legal definition of sexting” and suggested Twitch—where he remains banned to this day—wanted him gone so it could afford other stars.
While his all-out offensive against those who’ve called for him to never be allowed back seems to have worked somewhat and he appears to be settling back into a semi-regularly schedule again, one thing is still hovering over his head: YouTube pay.
Since his “The Truth” comeback stream, Dr Disrespect has appeared twice on YouTube, playing Space Marine 2 and then Valve’s Deadlock. The first raked in a million views while the second clocked up a fair over 834,000, but neither made money beyond donations. In a bid to finalize his return, the Two-Time’s now preparing to reapply for YouTube monetization rights, with his first submission date for the appeal chalked in for Wednesday, Sept. 25.
There’s been no indication from YouTube that Dr Disrespect will have his pay scheme turned back, at the time of writing. Dot Esports has reached out for comment on the possibility.
The controversial star won’t just be banking on YouTube to turn the cashflow back on either though, especially considering its unlikely the video giant will play ball quickly. Instead, he’s also already looking into options on Elon Musk’s social media site X, where you can earn money through subscriptions and content reach.
He all but confirmed this X plan during his return stream, when a “glitch” in his streaming software unveiled a robot that asked fans to “subscribe on X.” This was, of course, all part of a Dr Disrespect skit, with the moment acting more like a teaser.
Similarly, Musk and X’s bigwigs have yet to comment on anything regarding a deal with the Doc, though that may be more likely than any YouTube partnership for the disgraced streamer. Dr Disrespect did actually offer to “take streaming to the next level” on X in late 2023, though it was radio silence from the social media side of things then too.
Should all these YouTube and X plans fall apart, the Doc may be able to turn to Kick too; he turned down a $10 million deal with the upstart site before the controversy.
