NICKMERCS “stands by” controversial Pride tweet in return to streaming after CoD skin removal
FaZe ClanFaZe star NICKMERCS has finally returned to streaming following outrage over a tweet he penned about Pride Month in schools, and says he still “stands by” his words.
FaZe co-owner and Call of Duty streamer NICKMERCS came under fire in early June due to a comment he made about a protest that took place outside a school in Glendale, California.
The protest was reportedly sparked by a board meeting regarding the recognition of Pride Month at the school. NICKMERCS offered his response to the matter, saying in a now-viral tweet: “They should leave little children alone. That’s the real issue.”
The streamer’s post took social media by storm, with many users calling his tweet “homophobic” and “Anti-LGBT.” Activision eventually removed his operator skin from Warzone 2 & Modern Warfare 2 as a result of the backlash, but not before streamers like Dr Disrespect voiced support for the MFAM leader.
NICKMERCS addressed the outrage in a stream on June 7, saying he “didn’t mean to upset anybody” but that he’s “not apologizing about the tweet, because I don’t feel like it’s wrong.”
After this, the influencer took a step back from streaming and claimed he’d return to his regularly scheduled content on June 19.
NICKMERCS says Pride tweet made people “show their true colors”
Now, he has addressed the issue once again, claiming he still “stands by” what he said and feels people showed their “true colors” amid the “mess” that resulted from his post.
“A lot of people showed their true colors,” he said. “Another positive in this mess. You kinda get to see what people think about you. People who hate you — it just kinda like, it gives them more ammunition to hate you, I guess. And people who f*ck with you, they f*ck with you more now.”
NICKMERCS slams Call of Duty after operator skin removal
He also called out Activision for removing his CoD skin, arguing that he “didn’t say anything” offensive.
“My manager’s not gonna want me to say this, but I just gotta keep it a buck,” he added. “But of all the f*ckin’ companies — Call of Duty? That’s the company? Is anybody else bam-f*cking-boozled by that? …I didn’t even say anything! I keep thinking, it’s like I went up there and did a speech!”
Referencing his previous steam addressing the matter, NICKMERCS continued to state that his tweet was not meant to target LGBTQIA+ people,
“How the f*ck was that anti-[LGBTQIA+]?” he asked. “Listen, these kids are very young. Can’t they just go be kids? Can’t they just be children? It’s got nothing to do with that.”
NICK’s controversial tweet may have gotten him removed from Call of Duty, but it also sparked a massive influx of followers for the streamer, who gained a whopping 50,000 followers on Twitter amidst the outrage.
For now, it’s unclear if NICK’s operator skin will ever return — but for now, it looks like business as usual for the FaZe star and his newly-increased fan following.