Who Is 39daph?

Daphne Wai, better known as 39daph, is a Canadian Twitch streamer with more than 1.2 million followers. Born to Chinese immigrant parents in Vancouver, she began streaming around 2018 and quickly gained attention for her sarcastic humor and art-focused content. Her success led to sponsorships, collaborations, and recognition within Twitch’s creative community—but also criticism for remarks that some fans view as crossing the line between edgy and offensive.

The Racism Allegations: What Sparked the Backlash

Between December 2021 and January 2022, screenshots from 39daph’s offline Twitch chat went viral. These logs showed her using terms like:

• “Cracker”
• “Roaches”
• “No-purpose flour”
• “Bleach demons”

These remarks—often made jokingly or as part of banter—were widely condemned as derogatory toward white people. A Reddit thread on r/LivestreamFail and several YouTube compilations labeled her as “anti-white,” pushing the issue into the mainstream of Twitch discourse.

Critics accused her of normalizing racial slurs, while defenders argued the comments were sarcastic and not rooted in hate. The incident ignited a broader conversation about “reverse racism” and the limits of humor on streaming platforms.

39daph’s Response and Apology

In February 2023, following months of mounting backlash, 39daph addressed the allegations in a Twitlonger post shared via her X (formerly Twitter) account. She acknowledged making the comments but said they were part of a list of “made-up slurs” she found amusing at the time:

“I don’t deny I typed it in my offline chat. I was ignorant of its meaning and thought it was inoffensive. I’m sorry for the hurt I’ve caused.”

She denied extreme claims—such as advocating violence or using certain fake screenshots—and explained that her comments were rooted in frustration and sarcasm, not genuine racism. She also clarified that a Twitch ban in late 2022 was unrelated, stemming from an in-game nude scene rather than hate speech.

Community Reaction: Divided Opinions

Reactions to her apology were sharply divided:

• Supporters called it an honest mistake and noted that 39daph often pokes fun at all groups, including herself.
• Critics found the apology “half-hearted”, saying she downplayed the seriousness of her words while mocking “white fragility.”
• High-profile streamers like Asmongold and xQc reacted to the situation during their own broadcasts, keeping the controversy alive.

The incident became a flashpoint for discussing Twitch’s inconsistent enforcement of its anti-hate policies, with some users arguing that minority creators are held to different standards than white streamers.

The 2023 Translation Incident

In December 2023, 39daph faced renewed scrutiny when an Instagram comment she made was auto-translated into a racial slur in Uruguayan Spanish. Although the translation appeared to be an AI error, Reddit users accused her of using coded language. She did not issue a statement, and the issue faded within weeks—but it reignited conversations about her judgment and past remarks.

Timeline of Key Events

Broader Context: Race, Humor, and Accountability Online

The 39daph controversy underscores a growing challenge in digital entertainment—how far can humor go before it becomes harm?

While many argue her remarks were isolated and lacked malicious intent, others stress that racial insults, regardless of target, reinforce division. As one Reddit user wrote, “If a white streamer said half of this about Asians, they’d be banned instantly.”

Her defenders counter that she’s been unfairly vilified for edgy jokes and that intent matters, especially given her own experiences as an Asian woman in predominantly white online spaces.

Conclusion: Lessons from the 39daph Controversy

The allegations against 39daph reveal how quickly streaming culture can turn a joke into a scandal. Despite her apology and continued success, the controversy remains a reference point for debates about racism, cancel culture, and double standards on Twitch.

In the age of digital permanence, creators like 39daph walk a fine line between authenticity and accountability. Whether viewers forgive or forget may depend less on past words than on how consistently she grows—and how platforms handle such cases in the future.