The Real Reason xQc's Dad Called Him On Stream
Like many celebrities, popular streamers have their own struggles to deal with outside of the streaming studio — and even inside of it. xQc has been in the spotlight of late for his self-admitted addiction to gambling, which he discussed with Pokimane on their Twitch podcast. Specifically, the two talked about xQc's tremendous losses due to his gambling habits, including a recent loss of $1.85 million. On a subsequent Just Chatting Twitch livestream, news of xQc's gambling problems even prompted Lengyel's father to call and check in on him.
xQc, real name Félix Lengyel, has a long history of playing games with systems encouraging gambling, including slot games like "Book of Shadows" and "The Dog House." During his infamous livestream with Pokimane, he admitted to gambling every day because he enjoys it, makes money from it, and has the extra cash to get away with it.
According to a report from Dexerto, Lengyel's father apparently read the outlet's coverage concerning his son's participation in Ludwig's $1 million poker tournament on May 2, in which YouTubers Alexandra, Mr. Beast and Ludwig himself (in that order) took home the majority of the prize. In contrast, xQc lost close to $100,000. The streamer's father called him live on Twitch less than an hour into a 24-hour-long stream to express his concern and love for his son.
His Father's Worries
One Reddit user has provided a rough translation of the short conversation in French between xQc and his father. Not knowing why his father was calling him during a livestream, xQc asked why he was worried about him. "Because that [gambling] made me worry. I was biking and stopped, and I was about to take a plane to LA," xQc's father said. After telling his father he knew the risks of losing money upon entering into the $1 million poker tournament earlier that day, they each said "I love you," and the moment ended.
xQc has largely defended his decisions to gamble so far, even as he's acknowledged it as a bad habit that can have consequences for his viewers. As Pokimane put it during their recent chat, "If [viewers] hear something enough times, if something looks cool enough, they're going to do it no matter how s****y it is."
The conversation with his father makes for another, perhaps more vulnerable milestone in the wave of reactions to xQc's gambling streams. Streamers are only human, though the more popular among them arguably carry more responsibility to their audience. Fans of xQc and his content can only wait to see how he addresses gambling in the future. The moment of vulnerability he shared with his father at least demonstrates that he has a healthy support system if he does decide to cut back on his gambling habits.