Instagram: itskatchiiTwitch streamer ‘itsKatchii’ has responded after making a gesture at an OTK Chinese New Year event that sparked backlash online.
On February 4, members of streaming group OTK gathered together to celebrate Chinese New Year with a special live event featuring traditional Chinese festivities like a dragon dance.
During the gathering, Katchii performed a controversial salute — a gesture that instantly sparked shock and outrage from viewers.
Clips of the incident were quickly scrubbed from Twitch, prompting further backlash from netizens who spoke out against the streamer and demanded an explanation from OTK.
Instagram: itskatchiiItsKatchii apologizes for “insensitive” salute at OTK event
The next day, Katchii posted a message responding to the situation in her Discord channel, where she explained that she was drunk at the celebration and would be swearing off alcohol as a result.
“What I did was stupid, and if there’s anything I learned from this, it’s that I cannot handle alcohol even in the slightest — I’m quitting,” she wrote.
“I was anxious and thought I’d be boring, but it lead to that, so I just can’t. I don’t remember anything after sitting down at hibachi. I was trying to be funny, but obviously I was insensitive and just plain dumb.
“Now that I’m a public figure, I should be more responsible for what I say and do. Again, this is all so new to me, and I don’t say much about it, but damn, it is hard being online especially when you’re constantly compared and criticized for every single thing you do.”
Ultimately, Katchii apologized for the ordeal and denied being involved with any type of racist group, saying she “doesn’t even comprehend how there are people alive who genuinely hate others just because of the way they were born.”
On February 6, itsKatchii was banned on Twitch for seven days due to the controversial gesture. She took to her X account to address the suspension and publicly apologized to her fans for her actions.
“Taking this time to reflect and be more mindful of my actions and the impact they have. To anyone I offended or disappointed, I’m sorry. See you in 7 days,” she said.
