If there’s one place where it’s not a good idea to make potentially controversial statements, it’s during a livestream with hundreds of viewers. Twitch and YouTube streamers occasionally get caught in the moment and perhaps reveal more of their personality than intended, and the backlash can be swift. But when the seemingly racist comments come from a woman dating a Black man, it can be even more surprising.
Deji Olatunji, the younger brother of British YouTuber and rapper KSI, has established his own following of 10 million subscribers on YouTube. Since May 2019, Deji has been dating Dounja Akoudad, a Twitch streamer who goes by the username Dunjahh on the channel. The two had known each other for nearly a decade before dating and have since shared much of their relationship on social media.
On Thursday, Dunjahh was livestreaming on Twitch with a number of content creators, including a man named WesleyTW, when she made some unexpected remarks that have been interpreted as being racist by many people. Dunjahh and WesleyTW began arguing, and WesleyTW stated that she had a “fat a** nose.” Immediately, Dunjahh retaliated by saying, “Fat a** nose? You’re black. You’re literally black. What are you talking about, fat a** nose?” The two other creators onscreen immediately interjected, calling for everybody to chill.
In a stream later that same day, Dunjahh attempted to defend herself by stating, “I don’t have a racist mind… Sorry I said that. What else can I do? I should’ve never said that. It just came out.” However, the tension between the two continued when WesleyTV joined the stream and told Dunjahh that what she had said was “out of pocket.” Dunjahh apologized again, but then immediately followed up her statement by saying, “I’m sorry that you have a black skin color. It was not a roast, dude.” Links to clips of the two incidents can be found below.
Approximately 10 hours later, Dunjahh posted an apology video on her YouTube channel, but it has not been very well received and has gotten hundreds of dislikes. The backlash on Dunjahh’s Instagram has been similar, and several of her photos have been filled with comments calling Dunjahh a racist. On the other hand, Dunjahh’s apology on Twitter was met with confusion, as many of her followers on that platform didn’t seem to know what had happened. Many people have asked for a response from Deji about the situation, but he has remained silent on the matter so far.
Additionally, some people are demanding that Twitch and YouTube ban Dunjahh from their platforms. Just today, Twitch introduced a change that would tell visitors why a Twitch page is unavailable. Viewers will be informed if the account has been voluntarily closed or if the channel is down due to a violation of terms of service. This might cause visitors to research why a particular content creator has been banned and may lead to further accountability for controversial behavior.
Sources: Dexerto, Twitch 1, 2