Prolific streamer Emiru has urged fellow creators to “seriously consider not attending” future TwitchCon events after she was publicly assaulted.
Posting on X/Twitter, Emiru, real name Emily-Beth Schunk, explained how a man crossed multiple barriers at TwitchCon in San Diego Convention Center in an attempt to grab her face and forcibly kiss her during a meet and greet.
In a livestream shortly after the assault, the 27-year-old streamer and cosplayer described what had happened.
“I see out of the corner of my eye, there’s a guy walking around the side of the Meet and Greet and he crosses in front of the Meet and Greet of the person to the left of me, which is a VTuber. So he’s able to walk up and in front of another streamer’s Meet and Greet, and then he walks up to me and he’s walking with a purpose, you know what I mean? And then he leans in like he’s going to tell me something, so maybe it’s like he’s TwitchCon staff or something, but I’m freaked out because he grabbed me. That’s not normal. And then he grabs my face, and he leans in, lips puckered, and tries to kiss me and I start screaming. You can’t hear it in the clip, but I’m f***ing screaming my head off.
“Twitch security is nowhere near me. I can see them, but they don’t do anything. My security jumps up and shoves the guy away from me, and he’s allowed to walk away and leave. No one in Twitch staff came up to me to see what was going on.”
A shocking video, below, caught the interaction where the man walks over to Emiru and grabs her before her bodyguard shoves him back. The man is then seen walking away, unescorted. There is no sign of event security, although Emiru alleged: “Twitch security were also behind the booth afterwards, joking about how they didn’t even see what happened and immediately laughing and moving on to talking about something else.”
“No one was checking if I was okay or if I needed anything and they let the guy run away initially, I have no idea what anyone hired to keep the event safe was doing,” she added.
So some freak just assaulted Emiru at @TwitchCon . This behavior is fucking disgusting. I’m amazed that she still came back to finish the Meet and Greet line, honestly she deserves the utmost of respect. THIS HAS TO STOP!!!@EmiruUpdatess @emiru pic.twitter.com/pyO2QHQ9Pv
— BaconCrumbz 🥓 @TwitchCon SD (@BaconCrumbz) October 18, 2025
Though Emiru told her followers that she was “okay” after the incident, fans and attendees alike are concerned about how close the assailant was able to get before someone intervened.
Twitch also responded with a statement, writing: “The safety and security of all those attending TwitchCon is our highest priority. The behavior displayed by the individual involved in the incident yesterday involving a high-profile streamer was completely unacceptable and deeply upsetting.”
The streaming giant also said that “in line with existing TwitchCon security protocols, law enforcement and event security were on site and responded to the incident. We immediately blocked this individual from returning to the TwitchCon premises, and they are banned indefinitely from Twitch, both online and in-person events. We are coordinating with the impacted creator’s team and, per our standard protocols, continue to cooperate with any law enforcement investigations.”
Emiru, however, disagreed with Twitch’s summary, calling the company’s words “a blatant lie” and alleging the assailant was “allowed to walk away from my meet and greet, and I didn’t hear he was caught until hours after he attacked me.”
“It felt like this only happened because of my manager pressing for it, not because Twitchcon staff present thought it was a big deal,” she added.
“This is definitely my last Twitchcon, and it saddens me to say as a 10-year off-and-on attendee of TwitchCon, I think other creators should seriously consider not attending in the future,” her statement concluded. “I did not feel cared for or protected, even bringing my own security and staff. I can’t imagine how creators without those options would feel.”
“It’s not just about me. Like, this could have happened to anyone,” she added in the livestream. “Honestly, for all we know, this could have already happened to someone, a small streamer, and someone just wasn’t filming it.
“I don’t think Twitch would have put out an official statement if that clip wasn’t posted and going viral. And even after the fact that that clip was posted and going viral, as far as I know, the other people who had Meet and Greets today were not reached out to ask if they wanted extra security, or if they even wanted to cancel their Meet and Greet.”
Twitch insisted that shortly thereafter it “increased security at the Meet & Greet attendee check-in point and will have additional security personnel surrounding participating streamers,” and removed +1s for a Meet & Greet for the remainder of the event.
Twitch added: “It’s really important to us that our creators enjoy their experience at TwitchCon and feel safe. We regret that their experience was disrupted by this horrible incident.” It hasn’t mentioned the incident since, or responded directly to Emiru.
Dozens of streamers and content creators flocked to Emiru’s mentions, horrified at both what happened and dismayed about Twitch’s “unprofessionalism.”
Feeling as though she “could have literally been stabbed” and revealing the “global head of Amazon” flew out to TwitchCon to speak to her manager and security, Emiru has now confirmed she is pressing charges against the assailant, adding: “As for anything else, I don’t know yet, because I’ve been having my manager handle all of those side conversations. So I have no idea, but this is just not okay.”
Photo by Robin L Marshall/Getty Images.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, as well as a critic, columnist, and consultant with 15+ years experience working with some of the world’s biggest gaming sites and publications. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.
