The Real Reason Valkyrae Might Stop Streaming
The internet can be a pretty nasty place sometimes, especially when you're a woman. Perhaps no one understands that better than female internet personalities, who make a living by creating content and streaming online. So, unfortunately, it isn't exactly surprising that the latest target of the internet's vitriol has been the hugely successful streamer Valkyrae. In fact, the hate she's been receiving online has grown so rampant that she might just be stepping away from streaming and using social media for good.
While Valkyrae's possible streaming retirement might be quite a shock for her supporters, her potential next career move might come as an even bigger surprise. During an April 27 stream, Valkyrae claimed that she just may "pivot" to business and investing — but more on that in a bit.
The origins of the recent torrent of hate targeted at Valkyrae seemingly stems from a series of bizarre accusations leveled against the streamer — and it's one heck of a rabbit hole. According to a roundup of the drama by Dexerto, both Valkyrae and TikTok star Addison Rae have been accused of getting UK-based YouTuber TommyInnit booted from the Dream SMP "Minecraft" server, an invitation-only survival multiplayer server that's played host to tons of influential content creators — and even celebrities like Lil Nas X.
To make a long story short, Addison Rae was originally accused of being the sole reason that TommyInnit was kicked from the server. However, a vocal sect of the TikTok star's fanbase began to instead claim that Valkyrae was responsible for the whole debacle. This has led to the 29-year-old streamer receiving a ton of flak, with some even claiming that she and Addison Rae had doxxed TommyInnit — an accusation that Valkyrae vehemently denies.
During an April 26 stream, Valkyrae addressed not only the origins of the toxic behavior of Addison's fanbase — claiming that they shifted blame to her by citing a mix-up based on the content creators' similar Dream SMP usernames — but also the rumored doxxing. Valkyrae said, "Why would she ever do that? I just don't think she would ... leak another creator's address and ... this kid is, like, 18 years old." She continued, adding, "How would either of us know his address, and he lives on the other side of the world?"
Valkyrae has recently been pretty vocal about her distaste for social media. In an April 27 stream, she admitted, "I actually really, really hate social media. ... Just all the trolls and stuff, and all the random hate, and, like, stalkers..." She went on to explain that doesn't want to "live this way for the rest of [her] life."
Perhaps that's why Valkyrae has spoken so freely about shifting her focus from online content creation to business and investing, a notion that seems much less surprising when taking into account her new role as co-owner of esports organization 100 Thieves. While the jury's still out on whether Valkyrae, who won content creator of the year at the 2020 Game Awards, will hold fast to her career-pivoting claims, it's not hard to see how all of this drama could take its toll on the popular streamer.