Is IShowSpeed racist? YouTuber's interaction with Asian fan during World Cup 2022 has fans fuming

sportskeeda.com:

YouTube sensation Darren "IShowSpeed" found himself in yet another controversy after shouts of racism were thrown against the streamer. For those unaware, Darren was present at the Lusail Stadium in Qatar to watch the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash between Portugal and Switzerland.

While live streaming, he confronted an Asian man wearing an Argentine kit. While speaking, he kept greeting him by repeating the word, "Konnichiwa," which means "hello" in Japanese. However, the unknown individual said that he was Chinese. This was followed by Speed trying to imitate their language by uttering incoherent words.

The clip soon went viral, causing a major section of the internet to vilify the 17-year-old for being "racist" towards the Asian man. In response, IShowSpeed has also shared a video on his socials.

Speed took to his Twitter account to post a minute-and-a-half-long video of himself explaining the situation. In the video, he stated that he had no intentions of being racist and was unaware of the individual's ethnicity, which prompted him to greet him in Japanese.

IShowSpeed declared:

Furthermore, he said that he was simply trying to say his "nickname" that was given to him by Chinese fans. He stated:

Speed reiterated that he was not a racist by adding:

The YouTuber's explanatory video was subject to multiple scrutinies within the online community. This is not the first time that the streamer has faced severe criticism.

In 2021, during an e-date stream on Adin Ross' channel, IShowSpeed was seen making derogatory and violent remarks towards a female participant. In response, Twitch permanently banned him.

IShowSpeed is known for his over-the-top and outlandish reactions, with some clearly engendered to create engaging content.