GTA RP streamer Leslie ‘Fuslie’ Fu has revealed the devastating impact that hateful messages she receives from viewers have on her life.
With 1.2 million followers on Twitch, 100 Thieves star Fuslie has made her name as one of the most popular streamers in the community.
After having first been attracted to streaming through League of Legends, she soon became enthralled with Grand Theft Auto Role Play, tearing through the streets of Los Santos as her redheaded alter ego April Fooze.
However, despite her love for her alternative GTA lifestyle, Fuslie has admitted that the amount of hateful comments she receives online from trolls is taking a toll on her. So much so, that she finds herself ‘crying’ on a regular basis.
Fuslie describes the “stressful” messages from trolls
In an interview with Refinery29, Fuslie gave an in-depth insight into her life as a GTA RP streamer and how much the game mode has become such a huge part of her life. After all, not only has April Fooze’s life in Los Santos become particularly absorbing for fans but she’s even found a life outside of the game with her own songs on Spotify.
While there is certainly a lot for Fuslie to balance as a role player, she explained that it is the trolls in her chat who cause her the most stress. “I cry from RP like once a month because I’m just so stressed out by the viewers.”
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Fuslie’s comments follow the 29-year-old saying she was feeling “burnt out” from playing GTA RP and was considering taking a step back from the game.
This was so out of my comfort zone but was one of the coolest opportunities I've ever had :') My interview with @Refinery29 is here:
💛https://t.co/nXWYdNIqLa pic.twitter.com/piLZ4sVRGy
— leslie (@fuslie) April 27, 2022
Fuslie says fans help empower her against trolls
While some viewers leave her feeling stressed after her GTA RP streams, Fuslie explained that it is the kind words of her fans who help keep her going saying she’ll “take a little bit of the heat or whatever to make it a more comfortable space for everyone.”
“My favorite comment is from viewers who are like, ‘Hey, I was too afraid to use voice comms in my games, but now I see you and your friends, I see all you girls talking, that I started talking in my games. To have played any type of part in that, it’s so worth. It’s so worth all of the negativity.”
Streamers are used to being scrutinized by trolls on a regular basis and have openly criticized those who would make any such comments. However, Fuslie has proven that she is not going to let any hate get in the way of doing what she loves.