Dr Disrespect’s YouTube channel restricted as premium memberships paused

Dr Disrespect’s YouTube channel has been restricted as premium membership functions have been paused on his account.

Amid the fallout of Dr Disrespect’s admission to conversing with a minor, YouTube has now restricted the disgraced content creator’s channel. Premium memberships are no longer active, and no new members can join for the time being.

Users were notified of this change on June 27, 2024, as existing members were the first to receive emails on the pause. As a result, recurring payments have been halted and former fans have been made aware of the option to cancel their membership to Dr Disrespect’s channel.

At the time of writing, this move looks to be temporary, with YouTube assuring members they will be alerted when the function “starts up again”. However, with allegations only continuing to mount, it’s unclear if the account will have its full monetization features restored anytime soon.

Although Dr Disrespect was never a partnered YouTube personality, with no exclusive deal tying him to the video-sharing platform, his account was nonetheless prolific enough to access further monetization features.

YouTube memberships are a way for fans to regularly support their favorite content creators on the platform. Through recurring payments – often with multiple tiers to pick from – the most passionate viewers can show their appreciation beyond subscribing and beyond direct donations. These memberships also often provide exclusive perks, like badges for YouTube’s live chat, a members-only chat, and more.

Dr Disrespect’s community no longer has access to any of these benefits, though with the content creator taking an indefinite hiatus, the membership function would serve little use at this point in time regardless.

Ex-Twitch staff spoke up on June 22, 2024, finally revealing the reason behind Doc’s mysterious permaban on the platform back in 2020. The then-popular streamer was caught speaking with a minor through Twitch’s Whisper messaging system.

Dr Disrespect quickly acknowledged the allegations, admitting to the actions he’d been accused of despite claiming “these were casual, mutual conversations that sometimes leaned too much in the direction of being inappropriate.”

In light of the admission, Doc’s status at the ‘tippy top’ has quickly deteriorated. Longtime friends have distanced themselves from him, sponsors have pulled their support, and high-profile brands have spoken up against him.

YouTube’s Former Global Head of Gaming Ryan Wyatt shed further light on Doc’s situation, explaining how “without evidence,” YouTube couldn’t act in the past. But now that evidence is being publicized, he can be ‘demonitized [and] deplatformed’.

“Now they can act,” he said. With memberships paused, we’re seeing the first steps of this process.