Breakout YouTube star iShowSpeed has found himself embroiled in yet another controversy, and this time, it revolves around his behavior towards a Chinese spectator at a 2022 FIFA World Cup match in Qatar.
In a clip from his stream that’s doing the rounds on social media, Speed calls over the man in the crowd and asks him why he’s wearing an Argentina top.
The man, who looked visibly confused, says he doesn’t speak English. Speed responded by saying ‘Konnichiwa,’ a Japanese greeting, multiple times, then uttered sounds many believed mocked Cantonese and Mandarin and were therefore racist.
The clip blew up, drawing more than 2.5 million views, with hundreds of angry viewers leaving comments calling him out for “unacceptable behavior.”
Speed responded to try and quash the flames. He insisted he wasn’t being racist at all—at least, not intentionally.
“Hey guys, there’s a clip going around where people are saying I’m being racist to an Asian guy,” he said. “I wasn’t being racist to him. I promise you. I saw him. I thought he was Japanese, so I said Konnichiwa. I watch a lot of anime. I said Konnichiwa, and when I found out he was Chinese, I tried to say a nickname that they call me.”
IShowSpeed explained the sound he uttered was apparently a nickname and if it came off in a way that seemed racist, he assured everyone it was not his intention.
“I love other races. I didn’t really mean to come off as racist,” he added.
“I don’t know why you guys think I meant that in a racist way. I’m not racist to Asians. I’m not being racist. But if I did offend any Asian person out there… I apologize if that came out that way. I hope you will accept my apology.”
Not everyone believed him, though.
“You were 100 percent being racist towards him, mocking his language and misstating his ethnicity when he said he was Chinese,” said one fan. “I’ve been watching your streams for nearly a year, but due to this racism and the previous misogynistic things you said, I will NO LONGER be watching you ever again!”
“The end of this video, is in fact, blatantly racist,” said another fan. “Instead of saying you weren’t being racist, you should have just apologized.”
Anti-Asian racism has been a serious issue in the United States, especially since the COVID-19 outbreak. It sparked the Stop Asian Hate movement in 2021, which aims to stop incidents that can be deemed offensive like this one.
