Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys has backpedaled on what the streamer says was simply a “harmless joke” about women in the kitchen and apologized after growing Twitch backlash swamped her channel earlier this week.
Star Twitch streamer Pokimane has come under fire on the Amazon-owned platform this week after joking that “all women belong in the kitchen” in a recent stream.
The Moroccan-Canadian’s apparently controversial take — which she made clear was an attempted joke at the time — happened on December 7, when she was asked if girls should still “cook and clean” in relationships.
She laughed: “All women belong in the kitchen!”
That seemed to be the end of the joke, until questions began popping up in her Twitch streaming chat over the following days. Near-regularly, in every stream since, viewers have asked her if she was being serious.
Now, eight days later, Pokimane has moved to properly quash any suggestions she actually believes “women belong in the kitchen” in a December 14 apology.
After days of comments in her Twitch chat, the 25-year-old decided to address the “kitchen” joke — a response she was shocked she ever had to make.
First, Pokimane replied sarcastically. “I mean, like, a few reasons, I guess,” she said after a fan asked if she believed the claim, jokingly doubling down. “For starters, I really like food, so I’m in the kitchen a lot. Secondly, I don’t make the rules, I just repeat them sometimes.
“Lastly,” the popular Twitch star added with a sly smile, “I think girls look really cute in aprons. So then really, why wouldn’t we want them to be in the kitchen?”
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
The star couldn’t keep the facade up, however, and broke into peals of laughter. She then replied more seriously, apologizing to anyone that had felt offended by her comments. She also added that she “obviously never meant” the comments.
“It was a f**king joke dudes,” she said.
“I feel like the worst thing is having to explain a joke,” continued Pokimane. “Really, guys, don’t worry guys. God, I’m not sexist. On God, for real, not sexist by the way. I bet you a buck fifty that I’m not, I swear.”
“Me supporting other female streamers and always talking about gendered issues, oh no, that’s the front. My one kitchen joke, for sure means I’m sexist.”
This isn’t the first time this week that Pokimane has butted heads with her Twitch fans, after she made a child-stealing joke on December 12.
Twitch’s top stream-queen joked: “You guys want to know how I know I’m a woman in my 20s? Because, when I’m walking out, and I see a little kid… I look at them. They look so damn cute. And I look at the parents, and they aren’t looking, and I’m like; it would be so easy to steal your child.”
The Moroccan-Canadian star also came under fire this month for telling “well-off” streamers they should uninstall Blizzard games and stop playing.
