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Cosmopolitan
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
All the Kai Cenat 2025 Streamer University Controversy, Explained
It was nothing if not ambitious. Last weekend, Kai Cenat, one of the world's top Twitch streamers, took over a college campus in Akron to host 'Streamer University,' a four-day program that drew 120 students and 17 professors. All food/lodging expenses were covered by Kai, and each student was gifted a T-Mobile phone from which they could livestream their entire experience. Like real school, students could partake in semi-serious classes to prime themselves for virality (like 'Monetization for Dummies' and 'Defense Against Hating'). Also like real school, there was real drama, which is inevitable when you put a large number of young people in close quarters for an extended period of time (see: Love Island, any season). But unlike real college, the Streamer University students were fame-hungry and surveilled by hundreds of thousands of Twitch users 24/7. Thanks to that, we got a handful of meme-worthy moments, plus highly entertaining evidence that the creator economy is alive and well. So alive and well, in fact, that these participants were willing to commit to 96 hours of live-streamed dormitory life to succeed within it. Plus, the University of Akron was willing to loan their campus to a 23-year-old Twitch star to host this action. 'Our team is committed to helping the greater Akron community and beyond take advantage of all UA has to offer by hosting successful events on our campus,' said Brandon Alexander, the University of Akron's director of conference and events services. 'As we establish campus as an incredible option for large-scale conferences, it only serves to benefit the region.' Now you may ask–who had the time to keep up with a round-the-clock production like Streamer University? And I have the same question. But I've made it my mission to figure out exactly how this whole Kai Cenat fest went down. So let's run back the most notable moments that transpired at the most-discussed fake college around. From a viewership standpoint, SU was a success. According to Cenat's team, it garnered over 23 million total hours watched. The most-viewed participants included Kai (obviously), his Twitch stream regular/right-hand man, Ray, and the influencer India Love, who you might remember from her popular presence on Tumblr in the early 2010s. (We love cross-platform success.) In potentially less exciting news, the university's top-viewed channel belonged to 'professor' DDG, who was also named the weekend's MVP. Earlier this month, DDG's ex, Halle Bailey, received a temporary restraining order against DDG, alleging abuse, so the decision to name him SU's MVP was a divisive one. Kai made the initial call for Streamer University applicants earlier this month via a very Harry Potter-inspired trailer. We were finally able to meet the inaugural class of 120 creators selected during an hour-long meet-and-greet video, which you can watch on YouTube (should you have time to spare). Here's a rundown of the weekend's top ten performers: Is the route to online success predictable enough to build a curriculum around? The school's class offerings would indicate that. Students could take courses taught by 'professors' (aka popular influencers like Duke Dennis and cookingwithkya) on the following need-to-know influencing concepts: SU was not without its hiccups. Before classes kicked off, controversy began to brew about admissions. The streamer Malik Richh hopped online to accuse Kai of favoritism, saying that he had a bias for close friends and established creators during the student selection process. Some of the program's female participants were also subject to misogynistic claims from social media commentators, insinuating that their admission was based on looks alone. Despite that noise, SU was truly a win for the girls involved, with streamers like Primate Paige and Daejorno sharing their accounts' significant growth after the program. Throughout the weekend, physical altercations also arose, a dorm room was trashed, and one student was even sent to the hospital after getting injured during a water gun battle. In another highly-discussed moment, Drake's number was leaked during a livestreamed FaceTime call with one of the students, Tylil. He revealed the rapper's number to his audience by turning his phone toward the camera, which Drake took fairly well, telling him, 'You definitely leaked my number. Don't worry, I can get a new number tomorrow. It's a blessing in disguise anyway.' The rapper also sent in a congratulations message for graduates, which was shown during the commencement ceremony. So that's what you missed on Glee. It's unlikely that everyone who's graduated from Streamer University can or will replicate Kai's unique success. This man has had stars like Tyla, SZA, Benny Blanco, and Kevin Hart join his streams and has (inadvertently) caused a full-blown riot on the streets of New York City. But if anything, the fanfare and intrigue around this past weekend's livestreamed programming is pretty indicative that we've entered a new chapter of online influencing. One in which authentic, no-holds-barred access to creators might take precedence over carefully edited content. Kai implied that platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime were interested in buying the streaming rights for "Streamer University," but justified his decision to keep the operation independent on Twitch, with a strong message for creators. During a post-university stream, he said: "With an idea like this original, you gotta keep it where it's at. I want y'all to learn something, bro. [Your] channels, and who you are as a person… This [your] idea, this is [your] stuff. Treat your platform as you would treat other platforms."
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Kai Cenat declines offers from Amazon Prime, Netflix to bring Streamer University to their platforms: Here's why
In a world where billion-dollar streaming giants often dictate the rules, Twitch star Kai Cenat is choosing to blaze his own trail. The 23-year-old creator recently shared that he declined offers from major platforms like Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Tubi, opting instead to launch his new project, Streamer University, on his own terms. Also Read: Who is Joseph Neumayer? FBI arrests US-German Citizen for plotting attack on US Embassy in Tel Aviv, threatening Trump During a live stream session on Instagram, he turned down the streaming giants for bringing his innovative project to their platforms. He cited the reason to refuse as, 'They wanted to turn this into a polished show. But this isn't reality TV. It's real life, real people, and real learning.' The streamer opted to self-fund and kickstart his project with AMP (Any Means Possible) collectives and collaborators, including Fanum and Duke Dennis, to produce the program. Just days after launch, Streamer University was trending across Twitter (X), TikTok, and YouTube Shorts, racking up millions of views and inspiring a surge of user-generated content. The buzz even caught the attention of universities and youth groups globally, eager to engage with digital-first audiences similarly, as reported by Innovation Village. Also Read: Little River shooting: At least 11 people rushed to hospital; what we know so far Launched in May 2025, Streamer University is a groundbreaking bootcamp aimed at mentoring up-and-coming streamers and content creators. Hosted at the University of Akron from May 22–25, the all-expenses-paid weekend brought together 120 in-person participants, with thousands more joining virtually. The program focused on teaching real-world skills, creator etiquette, and how to build strong online communities. The courses at Streamer University include Internet Beef 101, Defense Against Hating, and even cooking classes. The program offered a culturally relevant, hands-on experience that mixed education with entertainment. Guest instructors included popular creators like DDG, India Love, ImDontai, and Ojay Suave.
