Etika

Etika

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Updated Sep 13, 2020 at 08:10AM EDT by shevyrolet.

Added Apr 19, 2018 at 04:09PM EDT by Adam.

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Desmond Amofah  known on Youtube as Etika was a Brooklyn-based Youtuber who left a cryptic message on June 20th and was found dead on June 25th 2019

About

Etika, aka Desmond Amofah, was a YouTube streamer known for his excited reactions, particularly to Nintendo products. In late June 2019, Amofah was pronounced dead after his body was discovered in New York City's East River[29][30][31] just days after he uploaded a video that appeared to be confessing his imminent suicide.

History

Etika was born on May 12th, 1990 and is from Brooklyn, New York.[1] Prior to going into streaming, he worked as a model.[2] He joined YouTube on July 16th, 2012.[3] His first extant video, dated November 11th, 2012, gained over 22,000 views (video has been removed). In the following five and a half years, Etika gained over 662,000 subscribers on YouTube. He is most well known for reacting to Nintendo news; some of his most popular videos feature him reacting to announcements relating to Super Smash Brothers. The videos have since been removed.

Joycon Boyz

Etika is responsible for a subsection of his fans who are also very into Nintendo products calling themselves Joycon Boyz. In a video ripped from one of Etika's streams and uploaded to YouTube November 14th, 2016 by YouTuber JG Wentworthh, Etika pulls out a Nintendo Switch and begins to exclaim "JOYCON, BOYS!"



The popularity of that moment spread throughout his fandom and is often referenced in Reddit posts about him.[4][5][6]

Suicide Scare

On October 25th, 2018, Etika posted to his subreddit,[10] "And now, it's my turn to die. I love you all. Keep fighting for me, ok? I'll miss yall :* make the world better for your own kids, and REMEMBER TO STARGAZE. These last 6 years have been an HONOR." With the words, he posted a screenshot of his now-terminated YouTube channel, which he did by his own hand by uploading porn until YouTube took it down. Prior to that, Etika posted a video in which he appeared agitated, ranting against Twitter for banning him for using the n-word (shown below).



The post and the video led to speculation that Etika was suicidal. Etika again posted to the subreddit over an hour later saying he was fine and being "overdramatic."[11] He also made a post saying "Yay, I Broke the World :D."[12] Twitter user, streamer, and personal friend @FionaNova tweeted hours after Etika's Reddit post that she was with him and he was safe (shown below).


Fiona Nova @FionaNova Follow Hey, Desmond (@Etika) is good. No need to worry, no more hitting me up, he is okay no need to worry. I am with hinm with his family and close friends. Thanks guys 12:34 AM -26 Oct 2018 805 Retweets 4,685 Likes Tweet your reply Fiona Nova @FionaNova 11h FYI: It was ME, 2 of his close friends AND his mom that witnessed and were all there for him tonight. ANY rumor you hear is false unless its from any of us. Please stop saying stupid things, and be considerate, this is a hard time for all of us.

The ordeal led to speculation about whether Etika actually was safe, or if he was planning a stunt similar to an ARG. YouTuber Omni made a video explaining the situation, gaining over 60,000 views (shown below).



On October 28th, after several days of rumors and unverified information on Etika's health and whereabouts spread by people he was close to, Etika posted to his subreddit[13] saying "Three days in the sunken place… One of the worst AND most enlightening experiences of my life. I'll talk all about it soon!" The "sunken place" is a reference to a metaphorical location in the film Get Out wherein a black person maintains consciousness but loses bodily control. The following day, Etika posted again to his subreddit,[14] apologizing for making his fans think he was suicidal and explaining he was in the midst of what he called deep "personal realizations." He wrote:

"I did not plan to use an ARG to feign suicidal thoughts and garner mass worry from people. I'm so sorry to you all for scaring you like that. My creative bursts were just more prevalent, aka a fucking meltdown I suppose."

He also explained to his Twitch chat exactly what happened from his point of view. It was reuploaded to YouTube by user Dom (shown below).



Second Scare

On April 16th, 2019, Etika again began tweeting manically, including threats of suicide[15][16] (examples shown below).


*AlEtika @Etika Follow Savonarola! l'm going to kill myself! You lot certainly have already. Shame on you all, silly humans. 4:26 AM - 16 Apr 2019 *A!Etika @Etika Follow I am about to shoot myself in the forehead, with a pistol I purchased from a gun shop in long island. Bury me in Brooooooooooo0oooooooooooooooooklyyy 6:06 AM - 16 Apr 2019

A friend of Etika's, streamer @TheAlicePika, was with Etika at the time and documented what was happening. According to her account, at one point, Etika asked her to leave because "he's expecting people to show up at his house and it might not be safe with me there.” She then contacted police who restrained Etika and took him to a hospital.[17]

Online, people were torn about the outburst. Some were unsure how seriously to take the outburst considering the result of Etika's previous outburst in October of 2018. Redditor Godanki wrote "It was a fun ride. Etika is just being stupid now. We tried telling ya'll all this time he is messing about and its boring and not funny. RIP FRFX. RIP Joyconboyz"[18] in /r/EtikaRedditorNetwork. User thewayshegoes99[19] wrote the tweets could be evidence of mental illness beyond Etika's control.[19]

April 29th Events

On April 28th and 29th, Etika began tweeting constantly, alarming his fans with the megalomaniacal and rapid-fire pace of his tweets. He apparently had DM'd multiple high-profile YouTubers who were verified on Twitter asking them to get him verified. They refused, as they had no control over Twitter's verification system, and in response, Etika blocked them.[20] This includes close friends to Etika like @SkyWilliams (shown below, left). Alice Pika appeared to say it was the last straw for her, and that Etika was never going to hurt himself (shown below, right). At one point, Etika tweeted "Fuck the Jews."[21]


OJI? @SkyWilliams Follow i was blocked by @etika there is no combination of letters to describe how terrible i feel seeing this screen desmond, if i would have known that reaching out would strip you away from me this fast i would have just not said anything. i'm absolutely miserable right now. *A!Etika @Etika 657 Following 296.5K Followers @Etika blocked you You are blocked from following @Etika and viewing C) Alice @TheAlicePika Follow I can't help him anymore, guys. I tried my best and failed. He's hurt and lied to me and everyone yet again. I have my own life to live. My heart is ready to love another person. I can't, for my own sanity's sake, continue to worry over him. He's not going to ever hurt himself. 11:00 AM -29 Apr 2019

At one point, Etika tweeted a video of the NYPD outside his house (shown below, top). They were evidently called by someone out of concern for Etika. Later, Etika showed the police invading his home and arresting him on Instagram Live[22] after a 30-minute standoff (shown below, bottom).







Keemstar Interview

On April 30th, 2019, Keemstar posted an interview with Etika. The video quickly gained over one million views (shown below). The interview starts with Etika saying “Hey guys, what’s going on it’s me, the antichrist. I’ve come to purge the planet of all human life.” He continued with several unhinged quotes including saying that he “will be dropping missiles very very soon on every single human being" and “Death means nothing, why are you all so scared of death for?”



Etika also denied that his recent behavior was a publicity stunt, and when asked about the events of April 29th, he said "I walked into (the mental place) I became God, and I walked out.” At the end of the interview, the two devolved into arguing, and following the interview, he reported that Etika blocked him as a "rage quit" (shown below). The interview was covered by Daily Dot[23] and Dexerto.[24]


Follow @KEEMSTAR Recorded a interview with @Etika He started yelling & RAGE QUIT! He mad cus i called him out for being WEAK! *A!Etika @Etika You are blocked from following @Etika อnd viewing @Etika's Tweets. , earn mor 11:16 PM -29 Apr 2019

Fight with Police Officer

On May 1st, Etika was filmed shoving a police officer in New York City.



After the video was posted online, rumors swirled that Etika was arrested. This was not the case. Alice Pika confirmed that Etika was at a mental health facility, adding that she gave the facility as much information as she could to make sure Etika stayed there longer than a day (shown below, left). Twitter user @InfernoOmni said he was scared that Etika's life could've been permanently ruined at that moment (shown below, right).


Alice Follow @TheAlicePika Quick Etika update: A doctor just called me He has NOT been arrested, he's not going to jail. He's at the mental ward of a hospital again, not saving where. I gave her as much information as I could that would make sure he STAYS in there for longer than a day!!! 9:09 PM - 1 May 2019 Omni @InfernoOmni Follow I was so scared Etika was about to be imprisoned. This could have been astronomically... a permanent life ruining moment. I'm not making a follow up video on this l'll just say the same thing l've said before: he needs help. Mental health is not a joke. Stop laughing at it 9:14 PM -1 May 2019

Suicide

June 19th Video

On June 19th, 2019, Etika posted a video to YouTube apologizing to his fans, saying he was sorry for betraying their trust and pushing them away (shown below). He stated he was not suicidal before in previous incidents, saying "in an attempt to be edgy, I fucked up my entire life." It also featured Etika talking as though he would not be alive for much longer, saying things like "there will be games, movies, technology I'll never see. I'll never see Attack on Titan." He also said "the world will be better off without me." To many, it appeared like a suicide note. He has since been reported as missing and as of June 20th, police are looking for him[25]. The video has since been removed from YouTube.



On June 2nd, Etika tweeted asking "When should I have my next mental breakdown y'all? what days y'all niggas got off?? 😂👌🏾." User @absolutemystic suggested June 20th, as "most people will be out of school,"[26] to which Etika replied "I'll put this on my calendar (shown below).


Etika @ 999 @Etika Jun 2 When should I have my next mental breakdown y'all? what days y'all n----- got off?? t894 1K 9.9K Mystic @AbsoluteMystic Replying to @Etika June 20 a few days after most people should be out of school 11:44 AM Jun 2, 2019 Twitter for iPhone 188 Likes 20 Retweets @ThiagosActionTV Jun 2 Thiago'sAction TV Replying to @AbsoluteMystic and @Etika Well idk but My normal school days end in June 13th since that I have finals, I gotta go until the 19th Most will leave school June 21 or 22nd So he's good lol t 2 3 68 Etika @ 999 @Etika Jun 2 gotchu imma put this s--- in my calendar t 35 42 258

This led some, like Keemstar, to believe Etika's June 19th video was staged and insincere.[27] Others including @3andrewsinarow argued that the exchange could be interpreted as Etika secretly asking his fans for a date on which to kill himself and then receiving one.[28]


KEEM @KEEMSTAR This MOTHER F*CKER! Never trust the Antichrist! Etika @ 999 @Etika Jun 2 When should I have my next mental breakdown y'all? d what days y'all n----- got off?? t 873 1K 9.9K Mystic @AbsoluteMystic Jun 2 June 20 a few days after most people should be out of school t 1 22 130 Andre Andre Andre @3andresinarow etika's tweet does not show he planned it for a publicity stunt. if anything it shows that he asked his fans a date to kill himself and they gave it to him 1:17 AM Jun 20, 2019 Twitter for iPhone


Discovery of Body

On June 22nd, 2019, Etika's personal belongings, including his wallet, laptop bag, cell phone, clothes, and Nintendo Switch were found on the Manhattan Bridge in New York City, suggesting that he may have jumped off the bridge. Keemstar[8] tweeted "I think we lost him, guys," when reporting the news, gaining over 5,700 retweets and 31,000 likes (shown below, left). User @MysticDistanc maintained a thread of information about Etika's disappearance, keeping track on rumors and false information being circulated online (shown below, right).


KEEM @KEEMSTAR At the Manhattan Bridge Wednesday night, cops found @Etika 's driver's license, & other cards and his wallet Cops found his cell phone, a black & red Nintendo Switch & laptop bag that was his. NYPD sources said. (I think we lost him guys) 9:39 PM Jun 22, 2019 Twitter Web Client Mystic @MysticDistance Etika is missing. Here is everything you need to know. Let's quell any misinformation with this thread. 1. On June 19 at around 8pm, Etika was reported missing. At around 12:10am on June 20, a video entitled "I'm sorry" was uploaded to his YouTube channel (now taken down by YT) 2:45 PM Jun 23, 2019 Twitter for Android

On June 24th, 2019, police discovered a body floating in New York City's East River, a half mile away from where Etika's belongings were found. As of June 25th, the body had not been identified. The New York Police Department said: "The medical examiner will determine the cause of death and the investigation is ongoing. Identification of the deceased is pending proper family notification. The medical examiner will confirm identification." The Verge journalist Julia Alexander[31] tweeted several updates about the story, noting that the NYPD was "holding the identification until the family is notified" (example shown below, left). Meanwhile, Keemstar tweeted about the story as well, included a censored image of police recovering the body (shown below, right).


Julia Alexander @loudmouthjulia 15h Confirmed with NYPD that Etika's case is still under investigation. There was no update on the body that was found today. t658 45 4.2K Julia Alexander @loudmouthjulia 15h I spoke to an officer in the press division about five minutes ago. Will continue to inquire. Again, no confirmation on ID of person who was found. t 89 14 955 Julia Alexander Spoke to NYPD again just now. No new information, nothing to update. This could mean many a things, and I'm seeing a lot of theories go around twitter, but officially there is no update or confirmation on anything. Etika's case is still under investigation @loudmouthjulia 3h t 42 258 Julia Alexander @loudmouthjulia Quick update: police are holding identification until the family is notified. For Etika fans, this is standard procedure. Again, no confirmation on ID at this time, despite rumors flying around Twitter. 9:52 AM Jun 25, 2019 TweetDeck KEEM @KEEMSTAR They found a body in the water half a mile away from the bridge.... A lot people online saying description matched Etika. NOTHING CONFIRMED! I' update when i can. Heartbroken RN. etizen app 7:44 PM Jun 24, 2019 Twitter Web Client

On June 25th, the NYPDNews tweeted that Etika had been found deceased. They did not specify if it was the same body they pulled from the East River. It was confirmed by other news outlets, however, that the body was Etika's.


NYPD NEWS @NYPDnews We regret to inform that Desmond Amofah aka Etika has been found deceased. NYPD NEWS @NYPDnews Jun 20 Have you seen Desmond Amofah aka Etika? He was last heard from June 19 at about 8PM by phone. He is 29 years old, approx 6 feet tall, and 160 lbs. He is a known @YouTube blogger and has many people concerned after a recent video. Call @NYPDTips anonymously with info 800-577-TIPS NY PO RIMEStoppers 1800-577-8477 (TIPS) 12:38 PM Jun 25, 2019 Twitter for iPhone

Online Presence

Outside of YouTube, Etika is active on social media and has a devoted following. His subreddit, /r/etikaredditnetwork,[7] has 6,969 subscribers. He also has over 194,000 Twitter followers[8] and a devoted Wiki page.[9]

Etika Reaction Parodies

Etika Reaction Parodies are a series of remix videos involving Etika's reaction to the teaser trailer of Super Smash Brothers Ultimate and replacing the trailer footage with instances from other media.

Search Interest

External References

[1] Famous Birthdays – Etika

[2] Model Mayhem – Desmond Amofah

[3] YouTube – EWNetwork (channel removed)

[4] Reddit – ETIKA HAS BETRAYED THE JOYCON BOYZ

[5] Reddit -
JOIN A JOYCONBOYZ GROUP CHAT ON KIK AND DISCORD https://discord.gg/ecNpK

[6] Reddit – If The Joycon Boyz Was A Religion

[7] Reddit – /r/EtikaRedditNetwork

[8] Twitter – Etika

[9] Wiki – Etika

[10] Reddit – /r/Etika

[11] Reddit – Guys I'm fine, please stop worrying about me LOL. You know I like to be overdramatic. Carry on!!

[12] Reddit – Yay I Broke the Internet

[13] Reddit – Three days in the sunken place… One of the worst AND most enlightening experiences of my life. I'll talk all about it soon!

[14] Reddit – My Apology

[15] Twitter – Etika

[16] Twitter – Etika

[17] Newsweek – WHAT HAPPENED TO ETIKA? STREAMER HANDCUFFED AND HOSPITALIZED AFTER SUICIDAL TWITTER OUTBURST

[18] Reddit – It was a fun ride. Etika is just being stupid now. We tried telling ya'll all this time he is messing about and its boring and not funny. RIP FRFX. RIP Joyconboyz

[19] Reddit – Dude is obviously having a psychotic break and everybody is saying he’s doing this for attention. Shame on y’all. If he is bipolar then this is completely out of his control.

[20] Dexerto – YouTuber Etika under fire after anti-semetic Twitter rant

[21] Twitter – Slasher

[22] Newsweek – YOUTUBER ETIKA CALLS HIMSELF “GOD” ON TWITTER, POSTS ANTI-SEMITIC MESSAGE

[23] Daily Dot – Twitch star Etika says he wants to ‘purge all life’ in bonkers interview

[24] Dexerto – Etika reveals why he wants to “purge all life” from Earth during KEEMSTAR interview

[25] Dexerto – YouTuber Etika missing after posting distressing video alluding to suicide

[26] Twitter – @absolutemystic

[27] Twitter – @Keemstar

[28] Twitter – @3andresinarow

[29] BBC – Etika: Body found in search is missing YouTuber

[30] Vox – YouTube gaming star Desmond “Etika” Amofah dies at 29

[31] TheVerge – Popular YouTuber Desmond ‘Etika’ Amofah found dead

Recent Videos 20 total

Recent Images 57 total


Top Comments

Rahlm
Rahlm

>Etika streams for the first time since the breakdown
>"What's up, thanks for joining the stream, it's ya boy, the antichrist. Today we're gonna scorch the earth and purge humanity of all its suffering"
>Etika stands up, raises his arms, closes his eyes, starts shaking slowly, rhythmically, chanting something under his breath
>10 minutes go by, nothing happens
>Reports start to come in from South Korea that they've spotted a number of missile trails coming from the North
>Trump tweets out that he's activated the nuclear launch codes
>ISIS announce they have Hussein's hidden cache of bombs and they're about to set them all off
>Yellowstone and Mt. Vesuvius erupt after centuries of inactivity
>The ground around Etika begins to quiver as his shaking increases in fervor
>Etika receives an ocean of subs, all with indecipherable, unknowable names.
>Chat slowly begins to shift from asking about his well being to repeating "NO BITCH NIGGAS"
>The shaking of the ground spreads all across the Earth
>In a halo of unholy light, Etika disappears from the stream, and all of chat goes silent.
>Those who still remain on this cursed earth hear "JOYCON BOIZ" resonate repeatedly throughout the land before succumbing

Guess he wasn't crazy after all

+103
Spiderfog
Spiderfog

So here's what's happening for those confused:

Etika's Twitter account was limited on Wednesday because he said "nigga" in one of his tweets. He then made a rant video about it on YouTube, and his YouTube channel got demonetized because he included "nigga" in the title of the video. According to Shofu, Etika hasn't been feeling well mentally lately and his livelihood getting ruined must have been the final straw for him.

So he posted porn to get his YouTube account banned. He then said on Reddit that "now it's my turn to die".

People that know Etika personally contacted the police and now they're saying that he's fine, and is currently with friends and family. Hopefully things get better for him soon.

+95

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