Ex-Kick employee makes damning claims of homophobia, racism against streaming site’s staffers

An ex-employee of Kick has posted a video detailing her complaints towards the company, where she lambasts the staff for racism, homophobia, and “consistent disrespect.”

Kick, a streaming company that looks to rival popular fan broadcasting platforms like Twitch and YouTube, has earned a mixed reputation in recent years, especially after hiring several controversial figures. Now, Kick’s employees have come under fire after an ex-staffer, who says she resigned in May, claims other staffers mistreated her, disrespected streamers, and “consistently” used hate speech while in the office.

After announcing her resignation from the site on X (formerly Twitter), Melissa claimed she was sent a cease and desist. Instead of ceding to the request, she filmed a YouTube video where she aired out her grievances with certain employees. In the June upload, she detailed how the catalyst for her resignation was when “flexible working arrangements were revoked,” as it made it difficult to pick up family from school.

On top of the sudden removal of her working arrangements, she suggested certain employees would casually use offensive language while in the office, such as homophobic or racial slurs. She claimed this hate speech was “specifically targeted against people it was supposed to discriminate against,” and that she never saw the employees punished for their actions.

Just days before her resignation, this ex-employee also attended a meeting where the team allegedly discussed recruiting “a very beloved Twitch streamer” onto Kick. This streamer is known to be publicly battling cancer, and Melissa alleged a Kick staff member said: “We can get her on [Kick] for a relatively low price because she probably thinks she is going to die soon, and she’ll want to leave more money for her family.”

Continuing, she said Kick staff members regularly talked about the streamers they are attempting to sign. She alleged, in one instance, other employees would gloat about signing streamers on a “below market cent rate” to save the company money.

The video was immediately been scrutinized for its validity, with some streaming fans suggesting she’s made everything up. While her complaints have yet to be proven either way, many fans said they share the same sentiment—it’s unsurprising if everything she alleges is true, which demonstrates the public perception of the company.