Game Grumps is a 'lets play' web series, which started airing in 2012 with founder Arin Hanson co-hosting the show with Jon Jafari. Since 2012 Game Grumps has become a juggernaut in the gaming industry, with millions watching the channel's live streams and videos. But with meteoric rise also comes numerous controversies, and as the show was dealing with Dan Avidan’s sexual controversies, their new addition to the team, Benjamin Anderson, has landed Game Grumps in hot water once again.
Ben Game Grumps Controversy – Numerous Years of Despicable Behaviors
Benjamin Anderson joined Game Grumps in May of 2019 to replace Matt Watson and Ryan as the editor for Game Grumps. He also made his on-camera debut soon after that, but his time in the channel has been far from controversial. Some fans were not happy with his editing, and numerous threads started on the Game Grumps subreddit, saying they were not into Ben, even calling for his firing.
It is safe to say Ben is not well-liked by some section of the fans, but with recent allegations surfacing saying he used sexually suggestive terms while talking with a minor is causing some controversy. The Ben Game Grumps controversy surfaced this year in May when fans found multiple tweets (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) by the Game Grumps editor harassing a minor on Twitter.
The said minor is a singer and ticktoker Jacob Sartorius, who turns 18 in October of 2020. The ticktoker was targeted by Ben multiple times, where he made lewd comments towards the teenager and, at one point, even asking if it would be right to ask for revealing pictures. The Ben Game Grumps controversy fire was further stoked when he apologized for his comments. Later, he started a purge on his page where he deleted all references towards Jacob and even deleted his apology.
Nothing on the internet can ever be deleted, and some fans compiled archived tweets where Ben can be seen making untoward comments on the singer's appearance. Ben's comments are not one of thing; he had been harassing Jacob for over three years now, which has resulted in some fans calling for his firing.
Ben Game Grumps Controversy – Response by Arin Hanson about the Controversy
The controversy started in May, but when it comes to comments from Game Grumps, there was complete silence. Comments relating to the incident were being deleted from their videos, and Arin Hanson, who started Game Grumps, was silent about the issue. Later he clarified the reason for his long silence in a twitter statement posted in July 2020.
Arin did not address the situation earlier, as he explained, because Ben was dealing with death in the family. Arin said he spoke to Ben and told him making the type of comments he did were no acceptable and intolerable as long as he is an employee of Game Grumps. He mentioned that both parties reached an agreement and understood each other, while also saying he did not think the comments were nowhere near comedic or a laughing matter.
Arin also said that the comments, though harmful, were just distasteful humor. He went on to clarify that no one in Game Grumps tolerates any sort of predatory behavior. The statement was released on Twitter, where most fans were accepting of the apology, but some were also calling for the firing of Ben from the channel.
Is Ben Fired from Game Grumps
In the apology statement posted by Arin on Twitter, he mentioned that Ben was still an employee with the company. So no, Ben is still with Game Grumps; the channel has not fired him, and it seems everyone is ready to move on from the controversy altogether. Well, there are still fans who want Ben, he was not a favorite of the channel, to begin with, and the creepy behavior exhibited by the editor is not something fans are willing to tolerate.
A large chunk of Game Grumps fan following are minors and teenagers, so having someone with sketchy track record when it comes to minors is not something Game Grumps need for their image. It will be interesting to see what sort of action the company takes to quell the controversy and move forward; firing seems to be the easiest option as this fan suggests.
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