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Johnny Somali

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Johnny Somali
Personal information
Born
Ramsey Khalid Ismael

(2000-09-26) September 26, 2000 (age 24)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers18.4 thousand[1]
(October 9, 2024 (before ban))
Total views4.3 million[1]
(October 9, 2024)
Websiteyoutube.com/@JohnnySomali
Kick information
Channel
Years active2023–2024
Followers13 thousand (Before ban)
Last updated: October 2, 2024

Ramsey Khalid Ismael (born September 26, 2000), popularly known by his alias Johnny Somali, is an American live streamer known for his provocative behavior while traveling overseas.[2]

Early life

According to Ismael, he was born to a Somali father and an Ethiopian mother.[3] Ismael claimed to have been a Somali child soldier, although one source expressed skepticism about this.[4] According to Ismael, he grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University with a bachelor of science degree in finance in May 2021.[5]

Career

Ismael mostly streams himself on video streaming platforms such as YouTube and Kick as a tourist travelling in different countries, in particular Japan, Thailand and Israel.[6] He began streaming in May 2023. After being banned from Twitch, he moved to Kick before receiving temporary suspensions from Kick.[7] He was banned on Kick in May 2024 and unsuccessfully attempted to persuade Twitch into unbanning him. He currently streams on Rumble.[8]

Controversies

Japan incidents

During his travels to Japan, Ismael made anti-Japanese taunts towards locals,[9][10] which include comments about the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki[11][12] and threatened to bomb Japan with nuclear weapons on a train. Ismael was occasionally assaulted and called racial slurs by locals who recognized him in public.[13][14] In one incident, he was confronted by an American man for his behavior, during Ismael stated that he was just a troll.[15] The American man was praised by many people on the internet for his actions, while Ismael claimed to have been drunk at the time and had apologized to the man.[16] Ismael harassed Meowko, a Japanese Twitch streamer, which contributed to Ismael's subsequent ban by Twitch.[17]

In June 2023, Ismael went to Tokyo Disney Resort and played music with lyrics containing the phrase "atomic bomb" and recorded guests' reactions without their permission.[18]

In August 2023, Ismael, who was masked, and Jeremiah Dwane Branch, who was recording for him went into a hotel construction site in Osaka, where he then yelled "Fukushima" at the construction workers. After the construction workers kicked them out, they were both arrested on suspicion of trespassing.[19][20][21] In September, they were arrested on the suspicion of conspiracy of obstruction of business when they disrupted a restaurant by playing extremely loud noises and music during business hours.[22][23] He claimed that the reason the music was playing was because of the phone producer, Huawei, who "put a Chinese virus on the phone". This was later brought up in court where the judge found him guilty and stated "he could've just turned down the volume on his phone".[24]

On December 19, 2023, Ismael, who had been in custody since his second arrest, appeared at the Osaka District Court of the charge of conspiracy of obstruction of business.[25] The charge of trespassing on a construction site was dropped. Prosecutors requested a fine of ¥200,000.[26] Ismael later admitted to lying in court to the judge and prosecutor, having previously claimed to have made no money from his videos.[27] A verdict of guilt was reached on January 10, 2024. He was fined ¥200,000 (the equivalent of $1,400) and voluntarily returned to the United States.[28] In March 2024, Ismael stopped livestreaming and instead opted for "Zoom trolling", mostly targeting Zoom calls involving Japanese people.[29]

Israeli incidents

On March 25, 2024, Ismael went to Tel Aviv, Israel, where he became involved in altercations with local Arab and Jewish people there. He was then confronted and beaten.[30][31] As a result of his stream, Ismael was suspended from Kick for a week due to inciting and promoting violent behavior.[32]

On April 5, 2024, he traveled to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, where he began live-streaming. He filmed himself attaching images of Harvey Weinstein, Adin Ross and Jeffrey Epstein to the wall, proclaiming Weinstein as one of his "top Jews" and making insulting remarks towards Ross. He was arrested and received a 50-day ban from Jerusalem.[33][34]

On April 7, 2024, Ismael was detained at a protest in Tel Aviv for sexual harassment of a female police officer. After his release 16 minutes later, Ismael went live again on the same day and claimed to have witnessed a mass shooting at a restaurant.[35] He also excused his actions for being an American citizen.[36] On May 19, 2024, Ismael was assaulted in Israel after being accused of "snitching".[37] One of the men was seen holding an item, possibly a weapon, but Ismael was not assaulted with it.[38]

South Korean incidents

While planning his visit to South Korea, on March 10, 2024, he threatened to slap a BTS member in a now-deleted Twitter post.[39][unreliable source?] This came after a statement about going to Seoul the same week.[40]

On October 7, 2024, he kissed and performed lap dances on statues depicting comfort women, sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II. He also loudly played obscene noises on the subway, such as speeches by Kim Jong Un, and was ejected from a bus after loudly playing North Korean music.[41][42] On October 17, he allegedly responded with violence at a convenience stall after staff stopped him from drinking alcohol.[43] On October 26, he was taken into police custody and disobeyed rules.[44] He later assaulted a woman by throwing an unknown liquid on her and smacking her camera out of her hand onto a nearby street.[45] On November 2, 2024, he was barred from leaving the country while being under probe for his earlier incidents.[43][46]

References

  1. ^ a b "About @JohnnySomali". YouTube.
  2. ^ Bhattacharya, Richik (October 5, 2023). "After Johnny Somali's arrest, Japanese government official warned streamers and YouTubers who create "nuisance" for content". Sportskeeda. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  3. ^ "Waa kuma Johnny Somali, ninka ay ka qeyliyeen madaxda Japan?". BBC News Somali (in Somali). June 21, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  4. ^ "Maxaa loo xiray Johnny Somali maxaadse ka taqaanaa ninkan?". BBC News Somali (in Somali). September 23, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  5. ^ [@RabbiSomali (April 8, 2024). "I am being slandered" (Tweet) – via Twitter.]
  6. ^ Braw, Elisabeth (September 28, 2023). "Attention-Seekers and Autocrats Are a Combustible Mix". Foreign Policy. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  7. ^ Bhattacharya, Richik (September 11, 2023). "Johnny Somali gets knocked out on stream, and Kick account gets banned a day after pestering Twitch streamer Meowko". Sportskeeda. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  8. ^ "Johnny Somali wants to work with Twitch to "destroy" Kick for banning him". Dexerto. April 15, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  9. ^ Mukherjee, Shreyan (June 13, 2023). "Who is Johnny Somali? Controversial Kick streamer assaulted on livestream after allegedly harassing people in Japan". Sportskeeda. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  10. ^ Nishimura, Karyn (September 27, 2023). "Le Japon, terrain de jeu des " streamers nuisibles "". Le Point (in French). ISSN 0242-6005. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  11. ^ Glaze, Virginia (October 13, 2023). "Johnny Somali arrested again for unauthorized Kick stream in restaurant". Dexerto. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  12. ^ Hernon, Matthew (September 29, 2023). "'Johnny Somali' Arrested for Trespassing". Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  13. ^ "Inflammatory Kick streamer attacked again by fed-up Japanese local". Dexerto. June 12, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  14. ^ "美直播主日本狂喊「再炸廣島」！事後遭路人巴頭襲擊 網譏：他應得的" [American live broadcaster in Japan yelled "Bomb Hiroshima again"! Afterwards, he was attacked by a passerby named Badou. Netizens ridiculed him: "He deserved it"]. FTV News (in Chinese). June 2, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  15. ^ Ke, Bryan (July 14, 2023). "Man confronts controversial livestreamer who harrassed people in Tokyo about WWII". Yahoo! News. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Shuttleworth, Catherine (July 15, 2023). "Streamer who harassed Japanese people confronted by American over comments". Indy100. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  17. ^ Pinto, Marita (September 12, 2023). "What happened to Meowku? Twitch star calls for ban on Johnny Somali over harassment in Japan". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  18. ^ Dammann, Luke (June 30, 2023). "Streamer Goes on Racist Tirade at Disney, Ignores Park Rules". Inside the Magic. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  19. ^ "Controversial U.S. livestreamer arrested over trespassing in Osaka". The Japan Times. September 22, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  20. ^ "U.S. livestreamer 'Johnny Somali' accused of trespassing". The Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  21. ^ McCurry, Justin (October 25, 2023). "Japan investigates foreign YouTubers accused of dodging train fares and stealing food". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  22. ^ "迷惑系「ジョニー・ソマリ」容疑者を再逮捕、牛丼店で大音量の音楽 本人は黙秘" [Johnny Somali suspect arrested again, loud music played at beef bowl restaurant, suspect kept silent]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  23. ^ "US livestreamer served new arrest warrant for hindering business at Osaka eatery". Mainichi Daily News. October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  24. ^ Segura, Lidia Fernandez (January 11, 2024). "El 'streamer' Johnny Somali, expulsado de Japón tras ser condenado por "obstrucción criminal de una empresa"" [Streamer Johnny Somali, expelled from Japan after being convicted of "criminal obstruction of a company"]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). Retrieved April 23, 2024. Este altercado tuvo lugar en octubre. En ese momento, ante el enfado del dueño del local por las molestias que estaba causando, comentó que toda la culpa era de su móvil. "Es un Huawei, fabricado en China y con un virus chino", se le puede escuchar diciendo en el polémico vídeo, que llevó a muchos internautas japoneses a pedir su detención. [This altercation took place in October. At that moment, faced with the anger of the owner of the premises for the inconvenience he was causing, he commented that his cell phone was all to blame. "It's a Huawei, made in China and with a Chinese virus ," he can be heard saying in the controversial video, which led many Japanese Internet users to call for his arrest.]
  25. ^ "Japanese prosecutors demand fine for controversial American YouTuber". The Japan Times. December 21, 2023. ISSN 0447-5763. OCLC 21225620. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  26. ^ Dodgson, Lindsay (December 21, 2023). "Japanese prosecutors have demanded a controversial streamer pays a fine after he played music in a restaurant". Business Insider. OCLC 1076392313. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  27. ^ "Johnny Somali breaks silence on arrest & admits he lied in Japanese court". Dexerto. February 27, 2024. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
  28. ^ "Kick streamer Johnny Somali vows to stop streaming as Japan court seeks ¥200K fine". Dexerto.
  29. ^ Mukherjee, Shreyan (March 7, 2024). ""Hiroshima, Nagasaki!" - Controversial streamer Johnny Somali disrupts ongoing Zoom call to seemingly harass Japanese people". Sportskeeda. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  30. ^ Shrivastava, Aarnesh (March 26, 2024). ""You are nobody" - Destiny goes off at Johnny Somali after controversial streamer calls him "unprofessional"". Sportskeeda. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  31. ^ "American live streamer Johnny Somali, previously jailed in Japan and deported, tries to culturally enrich Israel by harassing Arabs and Jews. He finds out quickly what happens". Portal Kombat. March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  32. ^ "Kick bans Johnny Somali for "promoting violent behavior"". Dexerto. March 20, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  33. ^ Gan, Jeremy (April 12, 2024). "Kick streamer Johnny Somali banned from Jerusalem after second arrest in Israel". Dexerto. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  34. ^ Mukherjee, Shreyan (May 24, 2024). "What happened to Johnny Somali in Israel? Streamer's controversies explored". Sportskeeda.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024. The streamer was heard saying: 'Adin Ross, give Somali a deal. Epstein, you've always been one of us. We love you. You're our king Jew. You're one of us. It doesn't matter what you did, n***a, you're still Jewish and you're still one of us. The final one is - Harvey Weinstein. I love you so much. You're one of my top Jews. I love you.'
  35. ^ "Controversial Kick streamer Johnny Somali reportedly arrested after making contentious remarks towards Israeli female police officer". Dexerto. April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  36. ^ Fink, Rachel (April 9, 2024). "'I'm from America, bitch': U.S. livestreamer Johnny Somali arrested in Israel on suspicion of harassing polic". Haaretz. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  37. ^ Shrivastava, Aarnesh (May 19, 2024). ""Don't touch me" - Controversial streamer Johnny Somali assaulted in Israel after getting accused of "snitching"". Sportskeeda. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  38. ^ "Kick streamer Johnny Somali assaulted in Israel on livestream". The Express Tribune. May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  39. ^ "Controversial Streamer Threatens To Slap A BTS Member On His Upcoming South Korea Trip". koreaboo.com. March 14, 2024. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  40. ^ Gwilliam, Michael (March 13, 2024). "Kick streamer Johnny Somali says he'll "slap" a BTS member on South Korea trip". Dexerto. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  41. ^ "Controversial YouTuber Johnny Somali kisses comfort women statue, sparks outrage in South Korea". The Korea Daily. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  42. ^ "난 한국 편"…소녀상에 뽀뽀한 미국인, 지하철 안에서 한짓 '경악' ["I'm on Korea's side"... American who kissed a statue of a girl was shocked by what he did in the subway]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). October 8, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  43. ^ a b "American nuisance livestreamer Johnny Somali barred from leaving S. Korea, probe begins after online personality assaulted for third time (VIDEO)". Yahoo News. November 2, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  44. ^ Kapoor, Atharv (October 26, 2024). "Korean police take Johnny Somali into custody". Sportskeeda. Even within the police vehicle, the video showed the content creator disobeying rules
  45. ^ "Johnny needs to flee the country after this". Decoy Voice. October 26, 2024.
  46. ^ "YouTuber Johnny Somali faces police probe in Korea over assault and drug use allegations". Korea JoongAng Daily. October 31, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
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