Call of Duty voice actor and comedian Jeff Leach has apologized to the gaming community following allegations of sexism earlier in May. Leach, who voiced Ghost, has lost his Facebook Gaming partnership and his role with Call of Duty, among other sponsors.
After clips of Jeff Leach being sexist to a fellow Facebook Gaming streamer surfaced earlier in May, others have come forward with their own allegations of harassment against the Call of Duty voice actor.
Twitch streamer Natalie ‘ZombiUnicorn’ Casanova claimed she was harassed by Leach in 2017, which allegedly led to his ban from the platform.
Jeff Leach has now addressed the allegations leveled against him. The streamer, who has since lost his partnership with Facebook Gaming, apologized for his “outbursts” of “vitriolic language.”
“I am deeply sorry but also ashamed,” he said in a May 14 statement, issued by his lawyers and shared on Twitter.
“Passion can be a double-edged sword. Foremost, I am deeply passionate about creating great work, sharing that work with my audience and using it to lift, entertain, educate and connect more closely to my community. That will never change.
“On the other end of the passion spectrum, I have also reacted passionately in situations where I felt attacked, targeted or harassed and I have very occasionally lost control.”
https://twitter.com/jeffleach/status/1393301546578980867
While Leach didn’t address any of the allegations specifically, he made a blanket statement of remorse.
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“I’m remorseful for misrepresenting my true intentions and apologize to the individuals and the business partners that I may have negatively impacted by these outbursts,” he said.
“This includes my incredible supporters, moderators who have worked so tirelessly to protect our little online community and the companies who extended opportunity and trust to me and whom I have let down.”
Activision told Dexerto on May 8 that they will no longer be working with Jeff Leach. They also banned his Warzone account for an extra 21 days.
“Sexism has no place in our industry, our games or in society,” a spokesperson said.
Facebook Gaming also confirmed with Dexerto on May 12 that Jeff Leach is no longer partnered with the platform.
“We expect our Facebook Gaming partners to model a high standard of conduct. We have ended our contract with Jeff Leach and terminated his partner status with Facebook Gaming,” it said.
Sponsors Team Kitch and Sneak Energy have also cut ties with the voice actor.
