After an attempted PS5 giveaway that led to the arrests of 65 people, 30 of whom were juveniles, in Union Square on August 4, 21-year-old Twitch streamer Kai Cenat is speaking out for the first time about the chaos that ensued at the mass gathering. Cenat, who is currently facing one felony charge and two misdemeanors for inciting a riot and unlawful assembly, went live on August 9 to address what went down. Holding a copy of the New York Daily News, he says, “I’m still taking this whole thing in right now, this is fucking insane, bro,†before warning his 6.5 million Twitch followers that he’s “going to be as serious as possible and I’m going to be as mature as possible when it comes to this, please listen to me.â€
“Being from New York, it has always been my dream to one day give back to the community who made me who I am,†he said, explaining why he planned the giveaway. “But after Friday, bro, I’ve come to realize the amount of not only power but influence I have on people.†Addressing the violence and disorder directly, he said, “I am beyond, bro, disappointed in anybody who became destructive that day, bro. That shit is not cool, bro […] I want people to know that none of that was my intention. I had good intentions for this whole thing.†If he ever plans another gathering of fans, Cenat said that he will go through the “right people†and make sure it’s an officially sanctioned event. “Anything we do like this has to be safe and fun,†he added. “We can’t just be running around destroying this and destroying that […] We all have to do better as a whole, bro, from the citizens of New York to the police, everything gotta be treated with equal respect, bro.â€
Cenat also addressed the media, telling them that he’s willing to take the heat and attention but to “leave my family out of it. There’s no reason why y’all are showing up to my mom’s house.†And Cenat told fans that he will be taking a small break from streaming while he deals with his charges, “due to the fact that, one, I’ve got court dates I have to appear at. My first court date is August 16.†He closed off the ten-minute stream by saying, “Anything is possible through Christ†and praying for those affected by the Union Square chaos. And “those who did the things they did and messed up a lot of stuff? Bro, y’all need serious counseling, bro.â€