Popular political streamer Steven Bonnell, popularly known as Destiny, has been banned from Twitch. As per his claims, this entire event was orchestrated by Elon Musk and other conservative critics. The ban comes after the intense backlash Destiny started to face after his comment made on Piers Morgan Uncensored. It ignited debate on social media over one’s responsibility, free speech and American politics rhetoric.
Did Elon Musk really get Destiny banned from Twitch?
In the series of posts that were made on X, it’s been asserted by Destiny that the primary source of income was eliminated because of the pressure from influential figures. “Unreal, @elonmusk and other conservatives just got me banned from Twitch. My entire income is gone now. So much for the party of free speech,” he wrote on X. The clear has framed the incident as a coordinated silencing effort from the right, while accusing Elon Musk of being at the center of this entire controversy.
Musk’s response, too, has been multifaceted. He, before reacting to the posts circulating from the Piers Morgan Uncensored episode, did state, “I don’t think this jackass should be banned,” while disagreeing with the rhetoric of Destiny. It was argued by Musk that Amazon, the parent company of Twitch, must cease to monetize content that incites violence. He further called some comments made by Destiny as incitement to murder and encouraging domestic terrorism, which he believed must be a felony crime.
“For that, he should go to prison. He can resume streaming when he has served his term,” Musk stated. He clarified his stance that consequences must come from the judicial system and not just from the enforcement by the platform. It further shows that powerful condemnation from the most influential figures in the world undoubtedly amplifies pressure on platforms to take action.
Why are Destiny’s comments from Piers Morgan Uncensored being criticized?
This entire controversy surrounds the appearance of Destiny on Piers Morgan Uncensored. The entire show was dominated by the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk. When Destiny was pressed to condemn his murder, he refused. He stated his condemnation is contingent on President Donald Trump calling for a national de-escalation of the entire political rhetoric.
In Destiny’s words, “I won’t condemn anything until the president of the United States can go on air and say all of us need to calm down.” This commentary extended beyond the refusal too. As per his argument, conservative figures should start to feel fear for their leadership to turn down the temperature. He even directly linked the death of Kirk to political support for Trump, stating, “If you wanted Charlie Kirk to be alive, Donald Trump shouldn’t have been president for the second term.”
The entire segment then grew increasingly heated with some fellow penalists starting to condemn Destiny for mocking the grieving widow of Kirk, shortly after his assassination, on his personal account. As per the panelists, he had a lack of humanity.
The complete fallout from the comments was swift. It drew widespread condemnation and culminated in Destiny being finally removed from Twitch. As per the post shared by Destiny, he has been removed from the platform due to “Hateful Conduct,” which includes using “words and emotes in chat to promote denigration based on race” and more. The notification received by Destiny also states, “due to severe violation or due to multiple violations, his access to Twitch services is indefinitely restricted.”
