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Hasan Doğan Piker ( ; ; born July 25, 1991), also known as HasanAbi, is a Turkish-American
online streamer An online streamer or live streamer is a type of social media influencer who broadcasts themselves online through a live stream to an audience. History Streaming arose in the early 2010s, originating on sites like YouTube where users could upl ...
,
YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...
,
influencer A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...
, and
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
political commentator. His streams typically consist of political and social commentary, gaming, and
media consumption Media consumption or media diet is the sum of information and entertainment media taken in by an individual or group. It includes activities such as interacting with new media, reading books and magazines, watching television and film, and lis ...
. As of 2025, Piker is the twenty-first-most-subscribed channel on the streaming platform
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...
.


Personal life


Early life and education

Hasan Piker was born to
Turkish Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The w ...
parents in
New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
and was raised as a
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
. His father's family emigrated to Turkey from
Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
and
Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...
, Greece. His father, Mehmet Behçet Piker, is a
political scientist Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
and
economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this ...
who served on the Board of Directors (and as Vice President) of
Sabancı Holding Hacı Ömer Sabancı Holding A.Ş., commonly abbreviated as Sabancı Holding, is an industrial and financial conglomerate with headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey. The company's primary activities are in financial services, energy (electricity genera ...
, and who is a founding member of the Future Party in Turkey. His mother, Ülker Sedef Piker, () is an
art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...
and
architectural historian An architectural historian is a person who studies and writes about the history of architecture, and is regarded as an authority on it. Professional requirements As many architectural historians are employed at universities and other facilities ...
teaching at the
New Jersey Institute of Technology New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a Public university, public research university in Newark, New Jersey, United States, with a graduate-degree-granting satellite campus in Jersey City. Founded in 1881 with the support of local indust ...
. His uncle
Cenk Uygur Cenk Kadir Uygur ( ; ; born March 21, 1970) is a Turkish-American political commentator, media host, and attorney. He is the co-creator of ''The Young Turks'', a progressive and left-wing populist sociopolitical news and commentary program. I ...
is a political commentator and co-founder of ''
The Young Turks ''The Young Turks'' (''TYT'') is an American progressive and left-wing populist sociopolitical news and commentary program live streamed on social media platforms YouTube and Twitch, and additionally selected television channels. ''TYT'' se ...
'' news network. Piker returned to the United States and attended the
University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...
, then transferred to
Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
, where he graduated ''
cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...
'' with a double major in
political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...
and
communication studies Communication studies (or communication science) is an academic discipline that deals with processes of human communication and behavior, patterns of communication in interpersonal relationships, social interactions and communication in differ ...
in 2013.


Adult life and independence

In 2013, Piker moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California, after graduating from Rutgers University. In 2021, Piker purchased a $2.7 million 3,800-square-foot two-story house in
West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...
. Most of Hasan's streams have been filmed in his house. Hasan typically spends around 10 hours a day streaming in his studio.


Career


The Young Turks

During his senior year of college in 2013, Piker
interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without Criminal charge, charges or Indictment, intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects ...
for ''
The Young Turks ''The Young Turks'' (''TYT'') is an American progressive and left-wing populist sociopolitical news and commentary program live streamed on social media platforms YouTube and Twitch, and additionally selected television channels. ''TYT'' se ...
'' (TYT), a progressive news show and network co-founded by his uncle,
Cenk Uygur Cenk Kadir Uygur ( ; ; born March 21, 1970) is a Turkish-American political commentator, media host, and attorney. He is the co-creator of ''The Young Turks'', a progressive and left-wing populist sociopolitical news and commentary program. I ...
. After graduating, Piker was hired by the network's ad sales and business department. He asked to host the show when a fill-in was needed and later became a host and producer. In 2016, Piker created and hosted ''The Breakdown'', a TYT Network video series which aired on
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
and presented left-leaning political analyses targeted, at the time, at
millennial Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ...
supporters of presidential candidate
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
. Piker also contributed political content to ''
HuffPost ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' from 2016 to 2018.


Twitch

Piker started streaming on
Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle c ...
in March 2018 while working at TYT. In January 2020, he left TYT to focus on his career as a Twitch streamer. Piker said that he shifted his attention from Facebook to Twitch in order to reach a younger audience and because of what he felt was a preponderance of
right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
commentators on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
and a lack of leftist representation among streamers. He became a popular
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
political commentator, and was invited to appear on
KTTV KTTV (channel 11) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox network. It is owned a ...
's ''The Issue Is'' and the political podcast ''
Chapo Trap House ''Chapo Trap House'' (also referred to as ''Chapo'') is an American socialist political comedy podcast launched in March 2016 and hosted by Will Menaker, Felix Biederman, Matt Christman, and Amber A'Lee Frost. It is produced by Chris Wade. The ...
''. His YouTube channel features highlights of his streams, and in 2022 reached over 1,000,000 subscribers. Piker also streams gameplay and commentary of video games on his Twitch channel. Sometimes Piker will
role-play Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to Acting, act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-p ...
as "Hank Pecker", an ethno-political caricature of a right-wing
redneck ''Redneck'' is a derogatory term mainly applied to white Americans perceived to be crass and unsophisticated, closely associated with rural whites of the southern United States.Harold Wentworth, and Stuart Berg Flexner, ''Dictionary of American ...
.


Suspensions

During a Twitch stream on August 20, 2019, Piker mocked
U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
Dan Crenshaw Daniel Reed Crenshaw (born March 14, 1984) is an American politician and former United States Navy SEAL officer serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 2nd congressional district since 2019. He is a member of the Republican Party. Cre ...
, a
SEAL Team 3 The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main funct ...
veteran who served in
Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, for his support of American military interventionism overseas. Piker said of Crenshaw, "What the fuck is wrong with this dude? Didn't he go to war and like, literally lose his eye because some mujahideen, a brave fucking soldier, fucked his eye-hole with their dick?", adding that Crenshaw "deserved" his fate. In the same stream, Piker criticized
American foreign policy The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the United States of America, including all the bureaus and offices in the United States Department of State, as mentioned in the ''Foreign Policy Agenda'' of the Department of State, are ...
and made controversial comments relating to the
September 11, 2001, attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Hijackers in the September 11 attacks#Hijackers, Nineteen terrorists hijacked four com ...
, including "America deserved 9/11." His statements caused outrage on social media various other media outlets. Crenshaw said that Piker's comments were a "disgusting defense of the 9/11 terrorist attacks against Americans." In response, Piker described his comments as
satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
and cited American foreign policy as promoting conditions to make an event like 9/11 possible, but acknowledged that he should have used "more precise" language. Twitch banned Piker for one week due to the comments. On December 13, 2021, Piker was banned from Twitch for one week for using the racial epithet "
cracker Cracker, crackers or The Crackers may refer to: Animals * ''Hamadryas'' (butterfly), or crackers, a genus of brush-footed butterflies * '' Sparodon'', a monotypic genus whose species is sometimes known as "Cracker" Arts and entertainment Films ...
" repeatedly on stream. Piker argued the term should not be considered a slur against white people since a person using it is "powerless" and "doing it as someone who has been historically oppressed blowing off steam." An August 2023 paper in ''
New Media & Society ''New Media & Society'' is a peer-reviewed academic journal covering the fields of sociology, media, and communication. The journal's editor-in-chief is Steve Jones (University of Illinois at Chicago). It has been in publication since 1999 and is p ...
'' criticized Twitch for punishing Piker while epithets aimed minority groups were prevalent on the platform. On February 28, 2025, Piker stated that if Republicans "cared about Medicare fraud, or Medicaid fraud,
hey Hey, HEY, or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the ...
would kill
Rick Scott Richard Lynn Scott ( Myers; born December 1, 1952) is an American attorney, businessman, politician, and United States Navy, Navy veteran serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of F ...
", in a reference to Scott's involvement in Medicare and Medicaid fraud when he was the CEO of Columbia/HCA. Piker was banned for 24 hours by Twitch on March 3 in relation to the comment. On May 25, 2025, Piker was banned on Twitch for 24 hours after showing an alleged manifesto of Elias Rodriguez, the perpetrator of the D.C. Israeli embassy killings. Twitch banned Piker shortly after, citing their policy of "improper handling of terrorist propaganda".


2020 and 2024 US presidential elections

On October 19, 2020, U.S. representative
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (born October 13, 1989), also known as AOC, is an American politician and activist who has served since 2019 as the United States House of Representatives, US representative for New York's 14th congressional distric ...
collaborated with Piker and fellow Twitch streamer
Pokimane Imane Anys (; Arabic: إِيمَان أَنِيس, born 14 May 1996), known professionally as Pokimane ( or ), is a Canadian online streamer, YouTuber and influencer. She is best known for gameplay and commentary livestreams on Twitch, most no ...
to organize a stream of the Representative playing the popular multiplayer game ''
Among Us ''Among Us'' is a 2018 online multiplayer social deduction game developed and published by American game studio Innersloth. The game allows for cross-platform play; it was released on iOS and Android (operating system), Android devices in J ...
'' for the "
Get out the vote "Get out the vote" or "getting out the vote" (GOTV) describes efforts aimed at increasing the voter turnout in elections. In countries that do not have or enforce compulsory voting, voter turnout can be low, sometimes even below a third of the e ...
" initiative for the upcoming
presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...
. The stream aired the following day, featuring both Ocasio-Cortez and U.S. Representative
Ilhan Omar Ilhan Abdullahi Omar (born October 4, 1982) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before her election to Congress, Omar served in the Minnesota House of Represen ...
playing the game with Piker and other popular Twitch streamers, reaching a total concurrent viewership of almost 700,000. During the first 2020 United States presidential debate on September 29, Piker had over 125,000 viewers watching his commentary of the broadcast, the highest viewership of the debate on Twitch. Piker's stream covering the results of the
2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...
peaked at 230,000 concurrent viewers and was the sixth most-watched source of election coverage across YouTube and Twitch, comprising 4.9% of the market share. He was the most watched Twitch streamer during the election week; his 80 hours of streams were viewed for a cumulative 6.8 million hours by an average of 75,000 concurrent viewers. Piker's stream reached a new high of 231,000 viewers during the
January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., was attacked by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump, President Donald Trump in an attempted self-coup,Multiple sources: * * * * * * * * * * * * * two months afte ...
. Piker's 2024 election night coverage stream had 7.5 million total viewers.


Coverage of the Gaza war

Piker has regularly spoken about the
Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
by advocating for Palestinians and criticizing the Israeli government.
Andrew Marantz Andrew Marantz (born September 26, 1984) is an American author and journalist who writes for ''The New Yorker''. Education and career From 2002 to 2006 Marantz was an undergraduate at Brown University, receiving a bachelor's degree in religion an ...
of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' noted that Piker's criticism of Israel, as well as his comments about
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
, the
Houthis The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydism, Zaydi Shia Islamism, Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadersh ...
, and
Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...
, had generated controversy. The pro-Israel group
StopAntisemitism StopAntisemitism is a privately-funded American advocacy group focused on combating criticism of Israel by doxxing individuals whom the group accuses of being antisemitic. History Social media influencer Liora Rez founded StopAntisemitism as St ...
nominated Piker as "
Antisemite Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
of the Year" in 2024. In January 2024, Piker interviewed a Yemeni self-proclaimed "pirate" who had filmed himself on board the ''
Galaxy Leader ''Galaxy Leader'' is a roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier built in 2002 at Stocznia Gdynia in Gdynia, Poland. It was operated by the Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen, and owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd., which in turn is owned by Ray Car Carrie ...
'', a Bahamas-flagged ship that has been held captive by Houthi militants since November 2023. In November 2024, congressman
Ritchie Torres Ritchie John Torres (born March 12, 1988) is an American politician who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served on the New York City Council from 2014 to 2020. His congression ...
criticized Twitch for alleged "amplification of
antisemitism Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Whether antisemitism is considered a form of racism depends on the school of thought. Antisemi ...
", specifically calling for an investigation into Piker. Piker defended himself, arguing that he did not criticize Jewish people as a whole and was only
anti-Zionist Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the Palestine (region) ...
. A campaign by pro-Israeli advocates, including the streamer
Destiny Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...
, pressured advertisers to leave Twitch due to the platforming of alleged antisemitism, including Piker's political commentary of the conflict. Both the pressure campaign and Ritchie Torres posted clips of Piker's channel they alleged to be antisemitic. Piker rejected the charge, arguing the clips were taken out of context. Because of the controversy, some advertisers have pulled advertisements.


Fundraisers

During the
Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...
, Piker, in partnership with
CARE Care may refer to: Organizations and projects * CARE (New Zealand), Citizens Association for Racial Equality, a former New Zealand organisation * CARE (England) West Midlands, Central Accident Resuscitation Emergency team, a team of doctors & ...
, raised over $200,000 for Ukrainian relief funds while playing ''
Elden Ring is a 2022 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. It was directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki with worldbuilding provided by the American fantasy writer George R. R. Martin. It was released o ...
'', with an average of over 70,000 people watching his coverage of the conflict. In the aftermath of the February 6, 2023, Turkey–Syria earthquake, Piker organized a fundraiser that was also contributed to and promoted by other streamers and
content creators Content creation or content creative is the act of producing and sharing information or media content for specific audiences, particularly in digital contexts. According to '' Dictionary.com'', content refers to "something that is to be expresse ...
including Jacksepticeye,
Valkyrae Rachell Marie Hofstetter (born January 8, 1992), better known as Valkyrae, is an American online streamer and YouTuber. She is a co-owner of the gaming organization 100 Thieves and founder and CEO of the media company Hihi Studios. Hofstetter ...
,
Ludwig Ahgren Ludwig Anders Ahgren (born July 6, 1995), sometimes known mononymously as Ludwig, is an American live streamer, YouTuber, podcaster, comedian, esports commentator and competitor. Ahgren is best known for his live streams on Twitch from 2018 ...
and
IShowSpeed Darren Jason Watkins Jr. (born January 21, 2005), known online as IShowSpeed or Speed, is an American YouTuber, online personality and online streamer. He is known for his dramatic and energetic behavior showcased in his variety live streams, ...
. , the fundraiser had raised over $1,200,000 for charities such as CARE International's Turkish and Syrian branches as well as two Turkish
NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...
s: the
AKUT Search and Rescue Association AKUT Search and Rescue Association () is a Turkish non-governmental organization for disaster search and rescue relief. It was established in 1995 as a grassroots organization by seven leading outdoor athletes of Turkey and officially founded as ...
, and Ahbap, which was founded by Turkish musician
Haluk Levent Haluk Levent (born Haluk Acil; 26 November 1968) is a Turkish rock music singer who helped revive the long forgotten Anatolian rock genre in the 1990s. After graduating from high school, he joined various university programs but he had to quit ...
. During the
Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...
, Piker's charity drive on his channel raised over $1,000,000, as of October 21, 2023, for the
Palestine Children's Relief Fund The Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization established in 1991, by, according to its website, "concerned people in the U.S. to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian ...
, American Near East Refugee Aid,
Medical Aid for Palestinians Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) is a British charitable organization, charity that offers medical services in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Gaza and Lebanon, and advocates for Palestinians' rights to health and dignity. It is in List of organiza ...
, and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society.


Other ventures

Since 2021, Piker has hosted the podcast ''Fear&'' (formerly ''Fear& Malding'') alongside his friend and fellow Twitch streamer,
Will Neff William Savage Ebers Neff (born September 14, 1989) is an American Twitch streamer, YouTuber, and actor. He is the co-host of the game show ''Name Your Price'', alongside fellow Twitch streamer AustinShow. He is also a co-host of the ''Fear&'' ...
. Streamers
QTCinderella Blaire (born June 6, 1994), known online as QTCinderella, is an American Twitch (service), Twitch Online streamer, streamer, YouTuber, and podcaster. She is the creator and host of The Streamer Awards. She is also a co-host of the ''Wine About I ...
and
AustinShow AustinShow (also written as Austin Show; born November 1993) is a Lebanese-American Twitch streamer, YouTuber, podcaster, and media personality. He is known for hosting various talk and dating shows on Twitch, including ''Love or Host''. He co ...
would later join the podcast as co-hosts in 2023. From September 26, 2021, to October 12, 2023, Piker co-hosted the
left-leaning Centre-left politics is the range of left-wing political ideologies that lean closer to the political centre. Ideologies commonly associated with it include social democracy, social liberalism, progressivism, and green politics. Ideas commonl ...
political podcast ''
Leftovers Leftovers are surplus foods remaining unconsumed at the end of a meal, which may be put in containers with the intention of eating later. Inedible remains like bones are considered ''waste'', not leftovers. Depending on the situation, the amoun ...
'' with co-host
Ethan Klein Ethan Edward Klein (born June 25, 1985) is an American-Israeli YouTuber and podcaster. He is the host of the '' H3 Podcast''. He first found fame with the YouTube channel h3h3Productions, created by him and his wife Hila Klein. Life and car ...
. The two later had a public feud due to diverging views of the
Israeli–Palestinian conflict The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...
. On November 8, 2021, Piker released a line of union-made
merchandise Merchandising is any practice which contributes to the sale of Product (business), products ("merch" colloquially) to a retail consumer. At a retail in-store level, merchandising refers to displaying products that are for sale in a creative w ...
called ''Ideologie'' and donated a portion of the proceedings to strike funds in which he raised over $180,000.


Views and political beliefs

Piker's content has been identified as a progressive,
leftist Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politi ...
, and
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
. He has advocated in favor of
workplace democracy Workplace democracy is the application of democracy in various forms to the workplace, such as voting systems, consensus, debates, democratic structuring, due process, adversarial process, and systems of appeal. It can be implemented in a ...
,
universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized a ...
,
LGBTQ+ rights LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The group i ...
,
anti-Zionism Anti-Zionism is opposition to Zionism. Although anti-Zionism is a heterogeneous phenomenon, all its proponents agree that the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, and the movement to create a sovereign Jewish state in the Palestine (region) ...
and
gun control Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms and ammunition by civilians. Most countries allow civilians to own firearms, bu ...
.
Andrew Marantz Andrew Marantz (born September 26, 1984) is an American author and journalist who writes for ''The New Yorker''. Education and career From 2002 to 2006 Marantz was an undergraduate at Brown University, receiving a bachelor's degree in religion an ...
of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' described Piker as anti-Trump but "hardly a loyal
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...
". Instead, Marantz classified Piker as an "old-school leftist", critical of the " American empire". Piker has cited his upbringing in Turkey under the Premiership of
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...
as an influence on both his left-wing views and willingness to speak out about them. He has mentioned
Amy Goodman Amy Goodman (born April 13, 1957) is an American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist, investigative reporter, and author. Her investigative journalism career includes coverage of the East Timor independence movement, Morocco's occupatio ...
,
Jon Stewart Jon Stewart (born Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, November 28, 1962) is an American comedian, writer, producer, director, political commentator, actor, and television host. The long-running host of ''The Daily Show'' on Comedy Central from 1999 to 20 ...
,
Aaron McGruder Aaron Vincent McGruder (born May 29, 1974) is an American writer, cartoonist, and producer best known for creating ''The Boondocks'', a Universal Press Syndicate comic strip and its animated TV series adaptation. Early life and education Aaron ...
and
Bill Burr {{Infobox comedian , image = Bill Burr by Gage Skidmore.jpg , alt = , caption = Burr in 2018 , birth_name = William Frederic Burr , birth_date = {{birth date and age, 1968, 6, 10 , bi ...
as influences on the content and style of his streams. Piker supported the presidential primary campaigns of
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
in
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
and
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, and has been an outspoken critic of both the Democratic and Republican parties. Piker opposed
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
's
travel ban A travel ban is one of a variety of mobility restrictions imposed by governments. Bans can be universal or selective. The restrictions can be geographic, imposed by either the originating or destination jurisdiction. They can also be based on indi ...
in 2017. Following the arrest of
Luigi Mangione Luigi Nicholas Mangione ( ; born May 6, 1998) is an American who has been identified as the suspect in the killing of Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Thompson was shot and killed in New York City on December 4, 2024. Following a ...
(the suspect in the
killing Killing, Killings, or The Killing may refer to: Types of killing *-cide, a suffix that refers to types of killing (see List of types of killing), such as: ** Homicide, one human killing another *** Murder, unlawful killing of another human without ...
of
UnitedHealthcare UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is an American multinational for-profit company specializing in health insurance and health care services based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Selling insurance products under UnitedHealthcare, and health care ser ...
CEO Brian Thompson), Piker supported Mangione and praised the tactic of the
propaganda of the deed Propaganda of the deed, or propaganda by the deed, is a type of direct action intended to influence public opinion. The action itself is meant to serve as an example for others to follow, acting as a catalyst for social revolution. It is primari ...
on his stream, but avoided breaking Twitch's terms of service rules regarding glorification of violence.


Customs and Border Patrol questioning

In May 2025, Piker was detained by
U.S. Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilita ...
at
O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport is the primary international airport serving Chicago, Illinois, United States, located on the city's Northwest Side, approximately northwest of the Chicago Loop, Loop business district. The airport is ope ...
in
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
after returning from a trip to France. According to Piker, the officials who questioned him during his detainment knew who he was and asked him detailed questions about his views on Donald Trump, Israel, Houthi rebels, Hamas and his bans from Twitch. Piker believes that he was detained due to his political views and that his detainment is part of intimidation tactics by the Trump administration to silence political opposition. Tricia McLaughlin, the Assistant Secretary of the
United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the Interior minister, interior, Home Secretary ...
, accused Piker of "lying for likes" and claimed that it was a "routine" inspection that any traveler could be subjected to.


Reception

Piker has been described as Twitch's "'' de facto'' political commentator" who uses an unabashedly ideological framing. Outlets dedicated to
video game culture Video game culture or gaming culture a worldwide subculture formed by video game enthusiasts. As video games have grown more sophisticated, accessible, and popular over time, they have significantly influenced popular culture, particularly among a ...
and
youth culture Youth culture refers to the societal norms of children, adolescents, and young adults. Specifically, it comprises the processes and symbolic systems that are shared by the youth and are distinct from those of adults in the community. An emphasis ...
have covered Piker's streams positively. In particular, journalists have noted his ability to "combine information and entertainment," and to approach left-wing political coverage in a way that is relatable and accessible to Twitch viewers, who may feel out of touch with
cable news Cable news channels are television networks devoted to television news broadcasts, with the name deriving from the proliferation of such networks during the 1980s with the advent of cable television. In the United States, the first nationwide ca ...
. Some authors also cite Piker's vulgar, animated style of expression and his physical appearance as notable factors behind his popularity. In July 2024, Alex Mahadevan of the
Poynter Institute for Media Studies The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a non-profit journalism school and research organization in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. The school is the owner of the ''Tampa Bay Times'' newspaper and the International Fact-Checking Netw ...
cited Piker as an example of the "online chattering class" who do not hold themselves to
journalistic ethics Journalistic ethics and standards comprise principles of ethics and good practice applicable to journalists. This subset of media ethics is known as journalism's professional "code of ethics" and the "canons of journalism". The basic codes and ...
, in contrast to their peers in
traditional media Old media, also called traditional media or legacy media, are the mass media institutions that dominated prior to the internet; particularly print media, film studios, music studios, advertising agencies, radio broadcasting, and television. Ol ...
. A September 2024 article in the academic journal ''
Digital Journalism Digital journalism, also known as netizen journalism or online journalism, is a contemporary form of journalism where editorial content is distributed via the Internet, as opposed to publishing via print or broadcast. What constitutes digital jo ...
'' discussed a similar theme, characterizing Piker as emblematic of an emerging "Newsfluencers" class (
influencers A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...
who mainly cover news) with a tendency towards "problematic behavior" that conflicted with journalistic objectivity. In April 2024, a contributor to the same journal noted that Piker is familiar with journalistic mechanics such as sourcing, framing, and objectivity, but rejects these as methods used for "manufacturing consent for elites". Instead, Piker mainly sources his information from social media, often supplied to him by his audience. ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' has also categorized Piker as a news-based influencer who does not feel bound to journalistic objectivity.
Andrew Marantz Andrew Marantz (born September 26, 1984) is an American author and journalist who writes for ''The New Yorker''. Education and career From 2002 to 2006 Marantz was an undergraduate at Brown University, receiving a bachelor's degree in religion an ...
of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' noted that Piker was controversial on both the
political left Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politi ...
and the
right Rights are law, legal, social, or ethics, ethical principles of freedom or Entitlement (fair division), entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people according to some legal sy ...
: "When Piker is criticized by the right, it’s usually for soft-pedalling the brutality of
Hamas The Islamic Resistance Movement, abbreviated Hamas (the Arabic acronym from ), is a Palestinian nationalist Sunni Islam, Sunni Islamism, Islamist political organisation with a military wing, the Qassam Brigades. It has Gaza Strip under Hama ...
, or the
Houthis The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, is a Zaydism, Zaydi Shia Islamism, Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadersh ...
, or the
Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...
... By the left, he is more likely to be dismissed as a limousine socialist who lives in a $2.7-million house." However, Marantz also wrote that Piker's tolerance of controversy and appeal to young men made him an ideal candidate for the "
Joe Rogan Joseph James Rogan (born August 11, 1967) is an American podcaster, Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC color commentator, comedian, actor, and former television host. He hosts The Joe Rogan Experience, ''The Joe Rogan Experience'', which is o ...
of the left". Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Piker apologized for insisting in the prelude that Russia would not attack. " didn't think a regional power would act so irrationally. I've admitted my mistakes. I got things wrong," stated Piker.


Awards and nominations

Gaming website ''
Kotaku ''Kotaku'' is a video game website and blog that was originally launched in 2004 as part of the Gawker Media network. Notable former contributors to the site include Luke Smith, Cecilia D'Anastasio, Tim Rogers, and Jason Schreier. History ...
'' selected Piker as one of their "Gamers of the Year" for 2020, citing him as a major figure in the mainstreaming of political commentary on Twitch, a platform which in the past was seen as discouraging to political discussion. Piker won a Streamy in the News category at the 10th annual awards in 2020 and was nominated again in the same category for the 2021 event. In 2022, Piker was
nominated A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group or election to an office, in which case a ...
in the categories News, Just Chatting, and Streamer of the Year, winning the News award for the second time and being nominated for three consecutive years. At the event, he also presented the Creator of the Year award alongside
Avani Gregg Avani Kiana Gregg (born November 23, 2002) is an American social media personality and actress who first developed a following on TikTok. She plays Gemma in the web series '' Chicken Girls''. She received the Shorty Award for TikToker of the Ye ...
, which was won by
MrBeast James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson (born May 7, 1998), commonly known by his online alias MrBeast, is an American YouTuber, media personality, and businessman. His YouTube videos, where he often hosts elaborate challenges and philanthropic effor ...
for the third year in a row.


Notes


References


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Piker, Hasan 1991 births American activists for Palestinian solidarity American anti-capitalists American anti-Zionists American feminists American male feminists American people of Turkish descent American political commentators American socialists American Twitch (service) streamers Anti-American sentiment in the United States California Democrats California socialists Critics of conspiracy theories HuffPost writers and columnists Liberal socialism Living people Mass media people from Istanbul Members of the Democratic Socialists of America from New Jersey News YouTubers People associated with the 2020 United States presidential election People associated with the 2024 United States presidential election People from New Brunswick, New Jersey Progressivism in the United States Rutgers University alumni Streamer Award winners Streamy Award winners The Young Turks people Turkish Twitch (service) streamers Turkish YouTubers University of Miami alumni YouTubers from California YouTubers from New Jersey