Controversy sparked over YouTubers’ joke about missing Desmond “Etika” Amofah
Popular YouTubers Steven “Boogie2988” Williams and Jesse “McJuggerNuggets” Ridgway found themselves in hot water after making an inappropriate joke about the missing YouTuber Desmond “Etika” Amofah.
While streaming live in Virginia, Boogie and McJugger drove through a sketchy-looking town at night and jokingly speculated about the dangers lurking there.
“Bro, we’re gonna fucking die out here,” McJugger exclaimed. “We have 500 witnesses that’ll see whatever goes down.”
“This is when IRL streams get good, dude,” Boogie responded.
The duo continued to joke about turning the stream into a scripted murder mystery series, with Boogie adding, “And then, the phone hits the ground, and Etika shows up and goes, ‘surprise, bitch!'”
Etika, who has been missing for almost five days, uploaded a now-deleted video titled “Im Sorry” and some of his belongings were found on the Manhattan Bridge in New York City. Concerned for his well-being due to his history of mental health issues, fans and family members fear the worst.
Given the uncertain and timely nature of Etika’s disappearance, viewers deemed the joke highly inappropriate.
Reviewing other footage from the stream, it can be seen that the duo made another dark humor joke about the 2002 DC Sniper shootings, which claimed the lives of ten people.
This is not the first time Boogie has faced controversy. The polarizing YouTuber has been criticized multiple times for making jokes that many find inappropriate. He has defended himself by stating that he uses dark humor as a coping mechanism for unpleasant news or events.
Boogie first commented on the search for Etika after Daniel “Keemstar” Keem tweeted about the items found on the Manhattan Bridge.
“Oh God no,” he expressed. “Mental illness has won too many fights. I really dont want to lose Etika to it.”
The public’s response to the joke was swift and clear, regardless of the duo’s intent.
While Boogie tends to address controversies live on-stream, McJugger maintains a lower profile and has generally avoided scandals throughout his YouTube career.
Several hours after the stream with McJugger, Boogie took to Twitter to apologize for any offense caused and assured that he did not mean to be hurtful.
“Some people took that as me having no respect for etika. My intention was to say I hope that he is still alive and ok,” he clarified.
Another tweet said, “In retrospect maybe I shouldn’t have even said his name at all in that context and if you feel that way I think you are right. Nothing but love and respect for the guy and his fans who are suffering waiting for his return.”
In a subsequent thread of tweets, Boogie continued to apologize for the comment and pledged to “do better.”
(This story has been updated to include Boogie2988’s response.)
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