Twitch is all about promoting positive streaming experiences. In fact, they are currently hosting a reality-show like contest all about promoting the best qualities in streamers. The streamer that wins the contest will be awarded $60k a year to stream. But despite Twitch’s best efforts, toxicity and harassment abound across the platform. In fact, two of the most popular streamers – Tyler1 and DrDisRespect – seem to promote something entirely different. Their streams are all about aggression, masculinity, and alpha-dog mentalities, and unfortunately for Twitch – it works.

Only a month ago, DrDisRespect returned to the popular Twitch platform after a small hiatus. Upon his return, he broke records for a single streamer and possibly even crashed Twitch. DrDisRespect pulled in over 380,000 viewers for his first stream back, but what is most surprising is that he had so many fans despite his reasons for leaving.

DrDisRespect is a towering, muscular figure who affects a hyper-masculine personality. In addition to flexing, throwing out challenges, and insulting any streamer that crosses him, he was also caught up in a small scandal last year when it was revealed that he had cheated on his wife several times. Despite his tendency to insult other streamers, act rude and crude, and apparent infidelity, he still managed to become the most viewed streamer of all time and still averages nearly 30,000 views a stream.

Other streamers, like the popular League of Legends streamer Nightblue3, sarcastically commented on DrDisRespect’s success over other streamers. NB3 might have been particularly irritated because his own style of streaming involves a highly interactive chat format where he avoids cursing or aggression.

However, before DrDisRespect broke records, there was Tyler1. Tyler1 has been infamous across the internet for several years as a streamer that has been banned from both League of Legends as well as Twitch. Despite his toxic, offensive, and violent behavior, Tyler1 set the record before DrDisRespect for most views by an individual, and his sarcastic, mock tournament of League of Legends held more views than the average LCS game.

Tyler1’s popularity persists despite the fact that he is among the most aggressive, insulting, and crude streamers on Twitch. When one fan donated and said Tyler1 made his life better since he was unhappy with his job, Tyler1 first took a moment to mock the man and his depressing life before thanking him for donation. When another fan asked for advice with her weight and boyfriend, Tyler1 responded like this.

While both Tyler1 and DrDisRespect have since been dethroned by Ninja, a much less alpha male focused streamer, the popularity of the two streamers persists, and their streams have not changed much despite previous bans or public humiliation.

It is interesting to note that despite Twitch’s attempts at promoting positivity and mental health, two of their most popular streamers espouse the opposite of their platform’s values. It is also interesting that while Twitch has updated their Terms of Service to include bans on even revealing clothing, they have made no great efforts to stop negative or toxic language personalities.

Arguably, there are hundreds of streamers that don’t conform to this alpha male masculine display, but it seems noteworthy that two of the three biggest figures to crash Twitch’s viewing records fit this mold. With Ninja’s rise, it might be the turning of a new leaf, but it might just be a lull before the next alpha male streamer steps in to challenge the others.