If you’ve been on the internet for more than five minutes, you know that nothing ever truly disappears. Especially if you're a massive creator like Imane "Pokimane" Anys. The Pokimane n word incident is one of those digital ghosts that periodically floats back to the surface of social media feeds, usually whenever she's involved in a new drama or a product launch. People love to bring it up. They use it as a "gotcha" card. But honestly, if you weren't there back in the day, the context can feel a little murky.
It wasn't one single event that happened yesterday. It’s an old clip.
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We are talking about a video from the early days of her career, years before she became the face of Twitch or launched a cookie brand. In the footage, Pokimane is heard using the racial slur while speaking to her audience. There wasn't a "heated gaming moment" or a direct insult aimed at a specific person. Instead, she used it casually, almost like slang, which in many ways highlighted how normalized that kind of language had become in certain corners of the gaming world at the time.
The Clip That Won't Die
The footage itself is grainy and clearly dated. In it, she says the word while reacting to something on her screen. It’s quick. It’s jarring. It’s definitely not something you’d see her do in 2026.
Back then, the streaming landscape was basically the Wild West. Moderation was a joke. Creators often mimicked the edgy language they heard in voice chats or rap songs without a second thought about the weight behind those words. This doesn't make it right, obviously. It just explains the environment that allowed it to happen. When the clip first started circulating widely years after it actually occurred, the internet did what it does best: it exploded.
Critics labeled her a hypocrite. They compared her "brand friendly" image to this "edgy" past. Fans, on the other hand, scrambled to defend her, arguing that people change and that digging up old mistakes is just a form of "cancel culture."
The Apology and the Pivot
Pokimane didn't ignore it. That’s probably why she survived it when others didn't. In 2020, she released a lengthy video addressing various controversies, including her past use of the slur. She didn't make excuses. She didn't say her account was hacked or that it was a deepfake.
She admitted it was her.
She explained that at the time, she didn't fully grasp the historical weight of the word or why it was so incredibly harmful for her, a non-Black person, to use it. She basically said she was young, dumb, and uneducated on the matter. It was a classic "I’ve grown" speech, but for many, it felt more sincere than the usual notes-app apologies we see from influencers today.
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"I want to make it clear that I am so sorry... I don't want to make any excuses for it. I just want to say that I am sorry that I ever used that word."
Since that apology, she has been much more vocal about social issues. She's donated to various causes and used her platform to talk about inclusivity in gaming. Whether you believe that’s genuine growth or just good PR is up to you. But in terms of her career trajectory, it worked. She stayed at the top.
Why the Pokimane N Word Incident Still Trends
You might wonder why we are still talking about this. Well, the internet has a long memory, but it’s also very selective.
Whenever Pokimane gets into a new spat—like the "broke boy" cookie controversy or the feud with JiDion—detractors immediately go to the archives. They pull out the Pokimane n word incident to suggest that her current moral standing is a facade. It's a tactic used to discredit her. If she's calling someone out for being toxic, her critics point at the old clip and say, "Pot, meet kettle."
It also highlights a massive double standard in the streaming world. Some male streamers have said far worse and faced zero consequences. Meanwhile, female creators are often held to a much higher standard of "purity." If they mess up once, even years ago, it's used against them forever.
Understanding the Nuance
There are a few ways to look at this whole mess:
- The Accountability View: People should be held responsible for what they say, regardless of how long ago it was. If you used a slur, that’s a part of your history that people have a right to know.
- The Growth View: If someone hasn't repeated the behavior in nearly a decade and has actively worked to be better, at what point do we let it go?
- The Weaponization View: Many people don't actually care about the slur; they just hate Pokimane and use the clip as a weapon to harass her.
Honestly, all three can be true at the same time. The gaming community is notoriously polarized. You're either a "Simp" or a "Hater," and there is very little room for the middle ground where most of the truth actually lives.
Moving Forward in a Post-Cancel Culture World
The reality is that Pokimane isn't going anywhere. She has successfully navigated the transition from "Twitch Queen" to a multi-platform mogul. But the Pokimane n word incident serves as a permanent asterisk on her career. It's a reminder of how the internet records everything and forgets nothing.
If you're a creator today, the lesson is pretty simple: your past is always one search away.
For the rest of us, it’s a case study in how we handle public apologies. Do we want a world where people can learn and change? Or do we want a world where a mistake at 19 defines you at 30? There isn't an easy answer, but understanding the full context of what happened is better than just looking at a 10-second clip on Twitter.
Actionable Steps for Navigating Online Controversies:
- Verify the Source: Before sharing a "cancelled" clip, check the date. Is this new, or is it a decade-old video being recirculated?
- Look for the Response: Did the person apologize? Have they repeated the behavior since? Actions usually speak louder than a single old VOD.
- Context Matters: Understand the difference between a direct attack and the use of slang, even though both can be harmful.
- Avoid the Pile-On: Social media thrives on outrage. Taking a beat to read the full story prevents you from becoming part of a mindless harassment campaign.
The digital footprint is real. Whether it's Pokimane or your neighbor, what's uploaded is essentially permanent. The best we can do is hold people to a standard of continuous improvement rather than demanding perfection from the start.