Streamers clash over $72.5 million video lawsuit

Hasan Piker is suing Scott Jennings for $72.5 million, arguing that a video aired on Jennings' show was doctored to make it look like Piker supported the lynching of Black people. The dispute centers on a clip played during an August 11 episode of The Scott Jennings Show. Piker claims the footage was manipulated to misrepresent his words from a 2024 livestream.

The 38-page complaint was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Piker is seeking $27.5 million in compensatory damages and $45 million in punitive damages. Jennings, who also serves as a CNN commentator, called Piker a "radical socialist streamer" during the broadcast. He described Piker as the "best friend" of Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan.

In the video, Jennings said Piker had been "calling for Black voters to be lynched." Jennings posted the clip on social media with the caption, "Listen for yourself and understand what the socialists have in store for the black community." Piker's lawyers argue the video combined clips from three separate Twitch livestreams and rearranged the order of his remarks.

The complaint states that Piker was making sarcastic comments about returning "to a better time when lynchings were happening." The filing says Piker was reacting to an October 29, 2024, YouTube debate between two Black political commentators. "Mr. Piker was mocking the conservative commentator's statement," the complaint states. It adds that Piker was not expressing support for the Ku Klux Klan or racial discrimination.

Piker's lawyers sent Jennings' attorneys a written demand for a retraction in August. Jennings' legal team acknowledged receiving the letter but did not provide a substantive response. As of Wednesday, the post containing the video remained on X and had drawn three million views. The complaint suggests Jennings had a professional incentive to smear Piker, noting that Jennings was under consideration for the role of White House press secretary around the time of the broadcast.

Piker has more than 3.1 million followers on Twitch and 2 million subscribers on YouTube. He has campaigned for several Democratic candidates but remains a controversial figure within the party. Several Jewish organizations have accused Piker of promoting antisemitic tropes. Jennings did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the lawsuit.