Twitch star Pokimane spoke out about her use of a racial slur in a years-old broadcast after noticing fans of YouTuber Anthony Padilla calling her out in the comments section of an Instagram post.
Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys is the most-followed woman on Twitch.
Boasting over 9 million fans on the purple streaming platform, Anys has been broadcasting since 2013 — sharing nearly ten years of her life with her viewers.
However, her meteoric rise to fame was not without its controversies; in 2019, Anys faced backlash after an old clip from a past stream resurfaced that showed her using a racial slur.
it's been many years and I don't ever say it now because I realize it's distasteful and looks bad, and i've never said it in a racist way / hard r either (just in a cringey way unfortunately). 2/2
— pokimane (@pokimanelol) March 4, 2019
Pokimane commented on the situation in a tweet, saying that “it was definitely not said in a racist or derogatory manner. It was a time period / environment where saying it was more common and used as a replacement for ‘dude.’”
It seems that this instance has been brought up once again years later, after YouTube star Anthony Padilla shared a photo of himself with Pokimane on Instagram, announcing that she will be the subject of one of his upcoming videos.
View this post on Instagram
Pokimane addresses past clip saying racial slur
A slew of commenters have pointed out Pokimane’s past usage of a racial slur early on in her career, criticizing Padilla for making Anys the focus of his next upload.
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Pokimane took notice of the comments during a recent live stream as she scrolled through the remarks in front of her audience.
“‘She’s said the ‘n word’ multiple times on camera,'” Anys read one comment aloud. “Who, what, when, where? Yes, once, eight years ago, when I was a minor and ignorant, and I regret it and I’ve apologized for it numerous times, also years ago.”
After saying that she has “actively always tried to become a better person,” she went on to compare the treatment she receives compared to names like PewDiePie and Ninja — both content creators who have said the same racial slur on stream, as well.
“For example, I will see someone like PewDiePie, who said the ‘n word,’ hard r, and Ninja, who has said it multiple times at a much older age than me, with much more frequency.”
“When you see these people featured in things, you don’t see as many people bring that stuff up. It just makes me feel like, why go out of your way for me, though? …I would be lying if I said it wasn’t bothersome to see.”
Pokimane did note that her recent viral feud with YouTuber Jidion may have been responsible for an influx of fans who think the past clips were a “new thing that happened.”