Widely popular gaming YouTuber IShowSpeed took a moment in a recent YouTube livestream to apologize to his fans for promoting a cryptocurrency scam. This comes after the young content creator was struck with heavy backlash from his audience after advocating on behalf of a cryptocurrency called Paradox Coin, which many have accused of being a scam. The outcry over this incident is only the latest in a series of controversies that have surrounded the young content creator for much of his career on YouTube.

IShowSpeed is the online username of 17-year-old Darren Watkins Jr., mainly known as a gaming and sports streamer on YouTube and Twitch, although Watkins' account on the latter platform has been banned since the end of last year. Twitch permanently banned IShowSpeed in December 2021 after the teenager unleashed a threatening, misogynistic tirade on another user's stream. Despite the massive criticism Watkins received after this incident, his audience has continued to grow substantially in the year since, and his YouTube channel currently has over 13 million subscribers.

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Watkins sparked yet another controversy during a November 16 stream in which he gave a promotion for the "Paradox Metaverse," an online game designed to push Paradox Coin, a cryptocurrency that many have labeled as a predatory pump-and-dump scam amidst the wider collapse of the crypto market. Watkins made matters worse by asking moderators to ban people from the stream's chat who drew attention to the shady nature of Paradox Coin, taking personal offense at the accusations. However, after a firestorm of backlash from a sizable portion of his own audience, Watkins changed his tune, beginning his stream the following day by apologizing to his fans for what he called a "mistake."

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Watkins claimed he had no intention of scamming his audience, saying "I made a little mistake that I wish I never did, but I’m not a scammer, bro." There has so far been no conclusive proof that Paradox Coin is part of a pump-and-dump scam, but enough of Watkins' fans were convinced by the accusations that the streamer was evidently compelled to issue the apology. Streaming audiences are likely more vigilant than ever regarding streamer misconduct after Twitch star Sliker was accused of scamming his audience just last month.

It is unclear whether Watkins had any knowledge of the controversy surrounding Paradox Coin before promoting it on his stream, but he was likely taken off guard by the extent of the outrage stemming from the promotion, especially within his relatively loyal and supportive fan base. The streamer may have also been motivated to issue his apology for fear of upsetting his audience: back in August, IShowSpeed was arrested in a swatting prank possibly stemming from a 911 call by a viewer of his stream. With that in mind, it would be easy to imagine Watkins being somewhat wary of his fans, which could have prompted his quick and emphatic apology.

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Source: Dexerto