In September, popular creator IShowSpeed live-streamed his meeting with popular humanoid influencer Rizzbot.
Rizzbot has more than a million followers (and 800 million views) across social media and is known for his comical roasting of topics, as well as giving people the middle finger. Speed, meanwhile, has more than 50 million followers (and 6 billion views) across various platforms and is known for his dramatic behavior during live streaming.
What happened when the two parties met is the subject of a lawsuit that Rizzbot’s creators, Social Robotics, described in a petition filed in November against Speed, née Darren Jason Watkins Jr., his management company, Mixed Management, and another producer who was with Speed’s team that day. The petition, obtained by TechCrunch, alleges that Speed has caused “irreparable harm” to Rizzbot.
The lawsuit claimed that — and the livestream video shows that — Speed repeatedly punched Rizzbot in the face, put it in a chokehold, at one point pinned it to the couch and threw it to the ground.
“Speed absolutely knew that this was not an appropriate way to interact with a sophisticated robot and knew that such actions cause irreparable damage to Rizzbot,” the petition read. “These actions resulted in the total loss of Rizzbot.”
The petition stated that Speed’s handling of the robot caused “complete loss of functionality” and that Rizzbot had “significant damage” to its mouth and neck.
“Additionally, the main cameras no longer work, the ports behind the neck that connect to the robot’s sensors that allow it to see and hear are dead, and the robot is unstable and unable to walk straight,” the petition claims. The petition asks for damages including actual and lost profits, though Rizzbot’s legal team declined to comment on the dollar amount the owner is seeking.
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Austin Police had to be called after the incident, according to the petition and a police report obtained by TechCrunch. The responding officer noted damage to the Rizzbot done without the owner’s “implied consent” and that the owner wanted to press charges. It appears from the petition that an investigation is underway.
Speed’s management team did not respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.
When reached, Social Robotics’ attorney, Joel Levine, said the lawsuit came after talks broke down with Speed’s team about how to compensate Rizzbot’s owner for the damage to the robot.
“This was an event that was live streamed, so there aren’t a ton of discrepancies in terms of facts,” Levine told TechCrunch. “What we’re looking for is some accountability.”
The petition said Speed ”failed to act as a diligent, reasonable and prudent person” and that he “improperly exercised control over,” Rizzbot. It also said that as a result of the destruction, the team behind Rizzbot has lost financial opportunities, as Rizzbot is indefinitely unable to participate in high-profile appearances and engagements, including scheduled upcoming appearances with CBS’s The NFL Today and Mr. Beast.
“This is undoubtedly a monumental setback for Rizzbot in terms of viral momentum and financial gain from the exposure,” the petition said. “Being in a MrBeast production is like being in a Super Bowl commercial.”
The petition stated that in the month before the live stream, Rizzbot generated more than 600 million views on TikTok and 200 million on Instagram. However, in the 28 days following the incident, the petition claims that Rizzbot was unable to create new content and therefore experienced a more than 70% drop in viewership. “The intentional destruction of Rizzbot caused significant economic damage that is likely to be permanent given the viral nature of social media,” the petition read.
Levine said there has been no formal response to his plaintiff’s case yet, noting that they are still in the very early stages of litigation. When asked for comment, Rizzbot told TechCrunch via email that it had to get “a whole new body” after Speed ”destroyed” its last one.
“Everything is brand new except for my Nike kicks and cowboy hat,” Rizzbot told TechCrunch in a statement. “Now I’m back online and I feel like I’ve mastered the rizz game and next time I’ll be working on complex moves with my legs like twerking – hopefully you’ll see my wiggling hips on some new TV appearances soon – stay tuned fam.”