The drama surrounding streamer Jason “JasonR” Ruchelski erupted again on Saturday night and Sunday, this time involving Tarik “tarik” Celik.
JasonR had previously made headlines for refusing to play women in matches or for muting them in-game. JasonR accused tarik of being a “L friend” in a ranked match almost a month later, reigniting the debate.
JasonR and tarik, longtime friends from their Counter-Strike FACEIT Pro League days, got into a nearly hour-long argument about tarik’s stance on the controversy.
Tarik’s popularity and viewership have skyrocketed since he became a full-time streamer, with an average of more than 20,000 viewers.
Tarik stayed mostly out of the initial backlash against JasonR, except to say he didn’t agree with what his friend was doing and that it was “kinda weird,” but he did get involved this time after JasonR called him out. They got into a pre-game lobby together after the match and talked it out. JasonR outlined his point of view, while Tarik focused on trying to understand how he became a “L friend.”
While other streamers and pro players sent tarik encouragement and jokes in equal measure, the conversation went in circles. There was no real conclusion to the debate other than both streamers agreeing that they don’t agree.
JasonR posted a TwitLonger early Monday with an apology at the end. He stated that he would no longer avoid “potentially toxic situations” that he believed would be difficult for his wife, implying that he would no longer avoid matches and mute women in-game.
As the drama unfolded, gamers on Twitter reacted. VALORANT pros, Counter-Strike pros, streamers, and a slew of others shared their thoughts, memes, and hot takes on the debate via Twitter.
