Craig “Mini Ladd” Thompson was a massive content creator in the YouTube gaming space prior to being accused of sexual misconduct last June when two women, Halley and Ash, alleged that Thompson manipulated them while they were underage and he was in his 20s.
As a result of his actions, Twitch has now indefinitely suspended and permanently banned Thompson from the platform following his admittance to the allegations in an apology video uploaded in December, according to esports insider Rod “Slasher” Breslau.
Thompson’s ex-girlfriend, Samantha “SuniDey” Dey, also spoke out against him, saying he was “extremely toxic and manipulative” in their relationship too.
Following the accusations, Thompson released an apology on June 25, admitting to the claims surrounding his behavior and claiming he’d seek help moving forward. He took an extended break and resumed uploading content on Aug. 12, responding to the negative reception of his return by saying he used the break to work on his mental health.
Thompson didn’t formally address the sexual assault allegations and other inappropriate behavior that was being brought up surrounding Camp17, a summer camp in August 2017 where he and several other content creators met fans, again until Sept. 4. Following his “clearing the air” video, Thompson continued avoiding the subject and making content to poor reception until Dec. 7, when he ceased uploading again.
He came back with a full apology video on Dec. 28, talking about the allegations. Thompson confessed to sending flirtatious and predatory messages to both Halley and Ash, saying that in both instances, he was just in a bad place mentally when he did this, specifically with Halley.
“The reason I did what I did and there was even a message where I said this is because what I said there is true,” Thompson said. “I did try to end my life in 2017. I’m not looking for sympathy. I’m not looking for anything. That’s not what this is about. This is telling you guys the reason, and I want you to understand the headspace that I was in.”
But in both instances with Halley and Ash, and several other noted controversies Thompson has been involved with online, he used being depressed and suicidal as excuses for his poor behavior.
He even openly admitted to pushing his mental health struggles as a tool to try and keep some of the allegations from being exposed to the public in fear of losing his YouTube career since it had been his full-time job for nearly eight years.
“He was scared of losing his career and how it would ruin his friendships,” Halley said. “Craig, if you didn’t want that, you shouldn’t have done what you did in the first place and not excused your actions with being depressed and suicidal. You manipulated me into keeping my mouth shut for so long because I was terrified of what you could do to yourself. That goes for a lot of people who knew about this situation. There is no excuse for you being the way you were with underaged girls such as myself at the time.”
Since the initial sexual misconduct allegations came out, Thompson has lost over 500,000 subscribers, ceased uploading regularly, and has now been permanently banned on Twitch.
