Streamer Imane “Pokimane” Anys has revealed that she continues to experience significant anxiety and a sense of being “unsafe” when encountering content related to Brandon “Atrioc” Ewing, nearly four years after a high-profile deepfake scandal. During an October 25, 2026, livestream, the OfflineTV co-founder shared with her audience that seeing Ewing’s face or name unexpectedly on her screen triggers a visceral “fight-or-flight” response, highlighting the long-term emotional toll of non-consensual digital abuse.
Anys explained that the discomfort persists despite her efforts to sanitize her digital environment. While she has implemented technical filters, such as blocked and muted terms designed to hide mentions of Ewing, his content still manages to appear while she is engaging with the broader Twitch community. This recurring exposure, she said, serves as a constant reminder of the 2023 incident that fundamentally altered her sense of security on the platform.
The trauma dates back to January 2023, when Ewing accidentally revealed during a live broadcast that he had been accessing a website featuring AI-generated explicit images of several prominent female streamers. Anys was among those targeted by the non-consensual content, alongside other creators such as QTCinderella. The fallout from the incident was immediate and intense, sparking global discussions about the dangers of deepfake technology and the lack of protection for women in the creator economy.
Reflecting on her response to the situation over the past few years, Anys admitted that she had initially attempted to bury her feelings. “I think, like, the first few times that this happened, I tried to kind of just, like, ignore the feeling and process it on my own,” she told her viewers. “And that doesn’t really help.” She noted that she had rarely spoken about the controversy in detail before because the subject matter was so personally distressing, but she felt compelled to speak out now because the strategy of silence was no longer effective.
Anys described the experience of seeing Ewing’s name as a biological trigger. “I think it’s one of those things that just, like, signals to my brain like, ‘You are not safe here.’ Like, ‘No one will protect you,’” she said. This admission sheds light on the reality for victims of digital harassment, where the harm extends far beyond the initial event and permeates the professional spaces they occupy every day.
Following the initial scandal, Ewing issued a formal apology and stepped away from the spotlight for several months. Upon his return in March 2023, he claimed to have been working with a specialized firm to identify and remove the offending AI-generated images from various hosting sites. Despite these corrective actions, Anys’s recent statements suggest that the psychological impact remains unresolved for the victims.
The streamer concluded her segment by asking her community for advice on how to navigate these feelings of persistent discomfort. She sought input from viewers who might have dealt with similar forms of public trauma or digital harassment. As of the time of her broadcast, Ewing has not publicly commented on Anys’s latest remarks regarding her ongoing anxiety.
