TwitchCon 2025 is fast approaching, and although it’s one of the year’s biggest events for streamers, several high-profile influencers are refusing to attend.
This year’s TwitchCon is taking place in San Diego, California from October 17-19. Generally, it’s the one event each year where dozens of the site’s top streamers are guaranteed to gather together to make content and meet their fans.
However, this year is looking a bit thin in terms of influencer guests. A number of internet stars who otherwise would have attended have dropped out, citing concerns for their physical safety and an overall feeling of dread due to the current social climate.
Valkyrae & QTCinderella cancel live TwitchCon podcast episode
Valkyrae and QTCinderella were some of the first popular streamers to publicly announce their trepidation regarding TwitchCon. They spoke out about their fears during an episode of their podcast, ‘Wine About It,’ with Valkyrae admitting she was “anxious and scared and sad this whole past week with everything that’s been going on.”
“We’re in a bit of a conundrum,” QT chimed in. “We’re supposed to do Wine About It live and TwitchCon. Love TwitchCon for supporting our show. I have given them a soft, ‘Hey, we’re in a bit of a panic mode right now.’”
In her own broadcast after the episode went live, Rae confirmed that she and QT would not be showing up at TwitchCon this year.
“I’m just really uncomfortable with the world right now,” she said. “I don’t feel safe, I’m just uncomfortable, you know? It’s crazy times.”
Both streamers cited previous instances of violence toward female broadcasters in public, such as the murder of Japanese influencer Airi Sato, who was stabbed to death during a live broadcast by a “hater” in March 2025.
Pokimane drops out of TwitchCon in favor of Gucci fashion show
Pokimane similarly expressed hesitation toward TwitchCon in her own stream, referencing Rae and QT’s sentiments that they shared during their podcast.
“It does worry me that it might not be safe and it be better to skip out on it,” she admitted, going on to reference the assassination of political podcaster Charlie Kirk, who was shot at a public speaking event in September 2025.
“The people who feel the most negative and the most passionately hateful towards us tend to be on Twitter, and the streaming and Twitter communities tend to have a lot of overlap. It’s just scary. When you see that kind of negativity, you wonder, ‘Do I wanna tell these people where I’m gonna be in person?'” she continued.
On October 7, Pokimane confirmed her decision to avoid TwitchCon, telling fans that she will instead be flying to Milan, Italy to attend Gucci’s runway show. However, she did leave the possibility open, saying she might be able to show up briefly on the last day.
Hasan backs out of TwitchCon: “I’m afraid for the safety of others”
Prominent Twitch streamer and political commentator Hasan Piker was one of the most notable personalities to skip out on TwitchCon this year, similarly citing Kirk’s assassination as a reason for his absence.
“There is, unfortunately, an obvious setback there. One, all the political incidents that have taken place. And two, how those political incidents have had pretty significant consequences in how much I can go out in the real world and socialize with other people,” he said in a stream.
“I’m literally not going to TwitchCon because I’m afraid of the safety of others. I don’t want to put them in the f**king crosshairs if some psycho freak decides, ‘I’m gonna go there.’ I’m very publicly not going to TwitchCon for that reason.”
Asmongold refuses to attend TwitchCon: “That is a zoo”
Asmongold is one of the most recent figures to announce that he won’t be attending TwitchCon. While he differed from others in that he wasn’t afraid of violence toward himself, he cited several instances of harassment toward broadcasters and major accidents that took place at past TwitchCons as part of his reason for backing out.
“I’m thinking to myself, ‘Do I really wanna go to TwitchCon?’ …You got people breaking their backs. Bro, TwitchCon sounds like a BDSM event. So no, I’m not trying to get into that. F**k no, I’m not trying to go there.
“I’m staying home. They got the zoo over there. That is the zoo, and the streamers are the animals. Maybe the viewers are, too.”
Previously, Asmongold reacted to other streamers choosing not to go to TwitchCon, encouraging women to stay away from the event altogether.
Maybe: LilyPichu considers canceling meet-and-greets
LilyPichu spoke about TwitchCon during an episode of her ‘Sweet ‘n Sour’ podcast with Pokimane. The streamer explained that she’s obligated to run her booth at Artist Alley, but has considered canceling her scheduled meet and greets with fans.
“I have an artist alley booth, I have to go. I might cancel my meeting. I think a lot of people are… I’m not in the mood to meet people lately,” she said.
At the time of writing, she has not confirmed whether or not she will be canceling these meetups.
Twitch responds to growing safety concerns from streamers
Following Valkyrae and QT’s podcast episode, Twitch CEO Dan Clancy spoke out on their safety concerns during a Patch Notes broadcast, where he assured viewers that Twitch takes security at their events very seriously.
“I want to be very clear; we take security at our events, like TwitchCon, extremely seriously. Every year, we build on successful approaches to TwitchCon safety and security, particularly as we become aware of new or emerging security or safety challenges,” he explained.
“We have teams focused on this year-round, including keeping creators and community members safe on Twitch or at TwitchCon. We have rules and standards regarding TwitchCon attendees, and we limit people who have been indefinitely suspended off service violations — they are not able to attend.”
