Streamer Pokimane Faces Backlash After Reviving Atrioc Deepfake Controversy as Critics Cite Her Past
Prominent streamer and YouTuber Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys has found herself at the center of intense social media criticism following recent comments she made regarding fellow creator Brandon Ewing, better known online as Atrioc. During a Twitch stream on October 25, the Moroccan-Canadian personality revisited the details of a 2023 controversy that significantly impacted the streaming community, a move that has now led many observers to turn the spotlight back on her own history of problematic behavior.
The friction stems from Ewing’s involvement in a January 2023 incident where he was discovered to have allegedly paid for deepfake images of several high-profile female streamers, including both Pokimane and QTCinderella. At the time, the revelation caused a massive rift in the industry. In her recent broadcast, Anys told her audience that she was still struggling with the fallout of those events, stating that she felt “so uncomfortable” and “publicly humiliated” by the situation. While she maintained she was merely sharing her side of the story and was not actively “trying to cancel anyone,” the timing of her remarks has drawn significant skepticism from the public.
Critiques of Anys’ statements have been sharp, with many users on X and other platforms accusing her of selective memory regarding digital accountability. One prominent user, @TerrellCamp03, responded by reviving a 2013 incident in which Anys allegedly used the N-word multiple times while addressing another player during a live stream. The user questioned the consistency of her stance on past mistakes, asking if the community should “go back and cancel” her for those historical actions if she is unwilling to move past the mistakes of others.
Much of the current backlash centers on the belief that Anys is engaging in petty retaliation rather than expressing genuine trauma. Social media speculation has linked her sudden interest in the 2023 scandal to the recent, high-profile wedding of streamers Ludwig Ahgren and QTCinderella. Ewing, who is a close associate of the couple, was in attendance at the ceremony, whereas Anys was reportedly not invited. This discrepancy has led critics to suggest that Anys is attempting to “drag his skeletons back out of the closet” as a response to being left out of the industry’s social circles.
Furthermore, many in the streaming community have pointed to Ewing’s actions following his 2023 scandal as a model for accountability. After the deepfake images were discovered, Ewing took full responsibility, stepped away from his professional streaming career for several months, and made significant financial investments into the development of tools designed to help female creators detect and remove non-consensual deepfake content. His apology has been characterized by some followers as one of the most genuine responses to a public scandal in recent years.
In response to the renewed attention on his past, Ewing addressed the situation briefly, noting that he had intentionally skipped events like TwitchCon to avoid making colleagues feel uncomfortable. As the debate continues, the reaction to Anys’ broadcast suggests a growing exhaustion within the community regarding the revival of resolved disputes, particularly when the person raising the issue has their own unresolved history of public controversy.
