Although lots of internet content creators have reputations for stirring up controversy, Felix "xQc" Lengyel tends to stand out from the rest. The Twitch streamer has a long history of coming into conflict with various parts of the video game industry, earning a rare permanent ban from League of Legends for inflammatory language and stirring up trouble in the professional Overwatch League during his time as an Overwatch pro. Nevertheless, xQc enjoys a lucrative career on Twitch today. With nearly 10 million followers on the platform and an average viewer count well above ten thousand, xQc does very well for himself.
That's not to say xQc has gone without Twitch bans, though. On the contrary; he's been temporarily banned from Twitch quite a few times and for an array of different reasons. Interestingly, xQc tends to get banned from Twitch for very different reasons from his game account bans or issues in the Overwatch League. xQc's Twitch bans frequently stem from him stumbling into Twitch rule violations on accident, rather than having to do with his boisterous personality, which could explain why he has so many bans but remains active on Twitch. None of xQc's Twitch bans have waylaid him in the long run, but they're still interesting milestones in his career as a streamer.
The History of xQc's Twitch Bans
Lengyel's first ban came in late 2019. Twitch struck him down for three days because he watched a YouTube video called "Safe for Work Porn," where the creator had drawn censoring art over pornographic videos for comic effect. This first ban actually stirred some controversy around Twitch at the time. When another streamer only got a warning for watching the video on stream, it sparked conversations about Twitch's inconsistent rule enforcement. He didn't earn a second ban until about eight months later. In February 2020, he got another three-day ban for briefly showing nudity in his stream while playing a suggestive Connect Four parody called Strip 4.
The June 2020 xQc ban was arguably the most trivial. After a meme tricked xQc into briefly showing a clip of two gorillas mating, Twitch suspended him, but only for a very short time. In contrast, xQc's November 2020 ban marks an extremely significant moment in his career. During a Twitch Rivals competition focused on Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout, xQc stream sniped another competitor. When Twitch found out, xQc's winnings were revoked and Twitch banned him for a week. The streamer later apologized to his viewers for his behavior and expressed gratitude for the Twitch ban, looking at it as time to think about his actions.
After the Twitch Rivals controversy, xQc didn't get banned again until July 2021. Since the Summer Olympics were ongoing at the time, xQc decided to watch an Olympic event with his viewers, but unfortunately, he rubbed up against Twitch's notoriously strict DMCA policies, even though he took precautions to avoid a DMCA strike. He later expressed his frustration at the conflict as other streamers suffered surprise bans related to the Olympics. Finally, xQc's most recent Twitch ban came in August 2021 for unknown reasons. Fans have pointed to some potential suspects, such as a clip of xQc from the shoulder up as he stood in the shower, but the true culprit remains unknown.
The Career of xQc Remains Secure
Aside from his misstep during Twitch Rivals, xQc has generally managed to avoid breaking any of Twitch's most important rules. That might be a surprise for some, considering how controversial his career has been on the whole, especially due to Twitch's gambling problems. He may have a long history of getting in hot water over his behavior, but as far as Twitch is concerned, he seems pretty good at keeping himself in check and making sure his chat has a good time. Since xQc has been banned for little violations so many times, he'll almost certainly get a short ban again someday, but that won't slow him down. The devotion of xQc's millions of fans will keep him afloat for a long time.