Bungie has come out to clarify that it’s not actually paying Herschel “DrDisrespect” Beahm to play Marathon after the streamer pretended to be a sponsored partner ahead of the extraction shooter’s February 26 server slam. Beahm is claiming this as his latest victory.
“Just finished our photoshoot for tomorrow and the team sent me a sneak peek,” he posted on X on Wednesday. “Tomorrow is going to be CINEMA DROPS ON #marathonpartner.” It was accompanied by a screenshot of his face in the style of a Marathon runner character being edited ahead of the stream.
People started wondering if he is actually a paid partner or was just trying to troll the streamers who are. Bungie responded from the game’s official account to clarify. “Dr. Disrespect is not partnered with Marathon the game.” Users proceeded to stick a community note on Beahm’s tweet to make it clear.
This is the industry in 2026.
These people are actually real and dead serious too. I love it.#marathonpartner pic.twitter.com/naQYOWs2E1
— Dr Disrespect (@DrDisrespect) February 25, 2026
The banned Twitch streamer’s brand being so toxic that companies have to officially distance themselves from him at every turn was deemed a win by Beahm. “This is the industry in 2026,” he wrote after the fact. “These people are actually real and dead serious too. I love it.”
It was a repeat of the stunt he pulled last month after pretending to be invited to the Highguard preview event just so he could turn around and laugh at all his critics when the studio behind that hero shooter also publicly disavowed any connection to him.
This is what “Authenticity in the Algorithm Age” looks like. “The industry is louder now. More political. More automated. More divided. Respect feels shorter. Attention feels thinner,” Beahm posted to his personal account last week with the apparent help of AI. “But real community still matters. And when you build it the right way with identity, consistency, and standards, it doesn’t disappear just because the timeline refreshes.”