Tragic Details About QTCinderella
QTCinderella is a gamer, streamer, content creator, and so much more. She's got nearly a million followers on Twitch, all of whom regularly show up to watch her play "League of Legends," dominate at chess, and just generally hang out and be entertaining.
Even people who don't watch QTCinderella's channel probably know her as the person who started the Streamer Awards. She's put an unbelievable amount of energy — and over a million dollars – into making the Streamer Awards one of the more notable events in the content creation industry.
QTCinderella has had an amazing couple of years, but even though she's found some huge success streaming, her life hasn't always been easy. The road to where she is now came with plenty of challenges, and streaming itself can present way more difficulties than what most fans imagine. Through it all, QTCinderella hasn't lost her sense of humor or her focus on her next big collaboration.
She was bullied in high school
Streamers are often like the popular kids of the internet. Tons of people show up to watch them live multiple days a week, and they're typically getting together with friends to collaborate on content and new projects. They even have exclusive parties – some of which are organized by people like QTCinderella.
Despite that, streaming is also often a space where people who weren't necessarily popular before can find new friends and new ways of expressing themselves. QTCinderella told InvenGlobal, "I was super bullied in high school. I didn't necessarily fit in." Making it big as a streamer has been a huge change of pace for her, and that's part of the drive behind her goal to bring streamers together with big events.
That's not the only time QTCinderella has talked about the problems she had when she was in school. In an interview with Anthony Padilla, she talked about sticking out from her classmates because she was raised in a Mormon family that didn't have much money. Other kids would make fun of her clothes or exclude her from parties because they didn't understand her family's religion.
Her mom died in 2016
Everyone needs someone in their corner who will cheer them on no matter what. For QTCinderella, that person was her mom. "Over the entire course of my life, my mother was the only one that was... She was the only one that made me feel like she was there for me," the streamer told Anthony Padilla.
Tragically, QTCinderella's mother passed away in 2016. On the anniversary of her death, QTCinderella made a Twitter post about how much her mom's memory still means to her. She also urged her fans to call their own mothers because you never know how much time you have together.
Lost my mom 6 years ago today, I’ve never been the same. The world has been real lonely without her.
Don’t forget to tell your mom you love her today💕
— QTCinderella (@qtcinderella) July 13, 2022
All these years later, QTCinderella is still hurting, but she's also found ways to use her experience to help some of her fans through their own struggles. When one viewer asked about how he could comfort his girlfriend through her own loss, QTCinderella told a story about how her boyfriend, Ludwig Ahgren, helped her by asking to hear some stories about her mom.
One of her events was disrupted by COVID-19
On-camera streamers sometimes lead exciting lives that can almost feel detached from everyday reality. Behind the scenes, however, they often face the same problems as everyone else. And sometimes those problems end up impacting the content that the rest of us get to see.
Flash back to May 2022. QTCinderella was planning another event to help bring streamers together and create something that fans could enjoy watching. Girls Trip was supposed be an event that celebrated women in the streaming industry. The three day event would have spotlighted streamers like Maya Higa, LilyPichu, and JustaMinx, but at the last minute it was canceled for an upsetting reason.
QTCinderella announced that one of the people who was scheduled to appear at the event had tested positive for COVID-19. Even though everyone else tested negative, QTCinderella decided that the safest thing to do would be to cancel the event entirely. Unfortunately, sickness is something that can disrupt anyone's life plans, even if they've got hundreds of thousands of fans waiting for their next project. On a happy note, QTCinderella ended up getting her Girl's Trip event off the ground again in August 2022.
She was in an abusive relationship
Fans easily get caught up in the love lives of their favorite streamers. Thanks to Ludwig and QTCinderella's relationship, a ton of fans have gotten to hear sweet stories of the two of them together. But QTCinderella has been very open with her fans about one of her past relationships being the exact opposite of what she has now.
QTCinderella has shared stories on stream about what her life was like with her abusive ex-boyfriend, who would use physical violence. She opened up even more on Trihex's podcast, where she told the story about how their relationship ended and how she got just the tiniest bit of revenge for how he treated her. One day, QTCinderella's ex emptied their apartment while she was gone and left town. He left behind only a few belongings that she later mailed to him, but she included a little something extra in the package. "I have a friend that's at a pest control company, and I had him get some bed bugs, and I put it in the box I shipped to him." She added that, "Yes it's a s***** thing to do," but it's unlikely that a single one of her fans is going to blame her.
If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
She's faced sexism in unexpected places
It's no secret that streaming can be an especially tough job for women. The streaming industry sits right at the crossroads of internet and gaming culture, and unfortunately both of those are places where sexism abounds. The fact that it's unavoidable doesn't make it any less tolerable, and some of the places where QTCinderella has faced the strongest sexist backlash are truly surprising.
QTCinderella found herself squaring off against the worst parts of the internet thanks to, of all things, chess. Though she doesn't always stream games, chess is one of her go-tos. QTCinderella isn't alone as a chess streamer. Other big names like xQc and Moistcr1tikal also play from time to time, but QTCinderella has noticed a particular difference in the kind of response she gets while playing. "If the chess community isn't sexist ... [then] why when I stream, my looks are part of the conversation, but nobody talks about the guys' looks," QTCinderella said in a now-deleted stream (via Sportskeeda).
Luckily QTCinderella doesn't let any of the hate detract from her love of the game. She's called out the worst parts of the chess community in no uncertain terms on Twitter, and odds are she'll do it again anytime she needs to. Having to address the issue might be more exhausting than getting a checkmate, but she can probably find the energy for both.
She struggles with her confidence and mental health
Mental health issues are more common than anyone thinks, especially in the streaming world. Healthy Gamer is a platform created by Dr. K that gives advice about mental health and brings out streamers for recorded therapy sessions that fans can watch. The videos help demystify and de-stigmatize therapy for viewers, but they also help streamers work through some real issues.
QTCinderella agreed to a session with Dr. K, and she explained that even though she regularly talks about mental health on her own channel, casual viewers might not have seen those conversations. "Whenever I do talk about mental health, I delete, um, like I delete my VODs afterwards because I don't want to be harassed over it," she said. She decided to push past her discomfort because she saw a real benefit to working with Dr. K.
QTCinderella didn't hold back with Healthy Gamer. She talked about how anxiety, hypochondria, and OCD have all affected her life and impacted her career as a streamer. She said she puts so much of her energy into making other people happy, but admitted that "at the end of the day, sometimes that feels like it's not enough." She and Dr. K talked about struggles with developing self-confidence and how it's important to find ways to prioritize yourself and your own happiness. The session didn't magically fix all of QTCinderella's issues, but it helped her see things in a new light, and hopefully, it did the same for her viewers.
Creating the Streamer Awards has been an uphill battle
Today QTCinderella is probably best known as the woman behind the Streamer Awards. With some inspiration from The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighly, QTCinderella single-handedly created the first Streamer Awards. She continues to put an extreme amount of effort into the event every year, and it's become one of the biggest events in the industry.
QTCinderella's success with the Streamer Awards hasn't always been smooth sailing, and there have been times when the work she's put in hasn't been as appreciated as she'd like. "Since I've made this event, I will say, I've seen some award shows adopt my categories, which is a bit frustrating," she told Dexerto in an exclusive interview.
Having other awards shows "borrow" her category ideas isn't QTCinderella's only source of frustration. Sometimes the other streamers involved in the show don't seem to value the effort QTCinderlla puts into it. Ahead of the 2023 awards ceremony, she opened up to her Twitter followers about how difficult mounting the event really was. Considering QTCinderella spent nearly $1 million dollars putting the event together in 2023, she might have some right to complain about all those last-minute cancellations.
The amount of streamers and nominees that have cancelled on me today has been disheartening. 😞 it’s too late to change seating chart and stuff like that and I’m just sad. Just everyone know I did my very best to get everyone here.
— QTCinderella (@qtcinderella) March 11, 2023
She was burned by TSM
Streaming can be a solitary career, with countless hours spent in front of a computer talking to people in chat but not really connecting with anyone face to face. That's part of why QTCinderella puts so much energy into planning massive events like the Streamer Awards. It's also why she joined an org in 2021.
"TSM is the reason I became a nerd," QTCinderella said in a video announcing her as the latest member of the team. She'd passionately followed the team for years, and before starting to date her fellow streamer Ludwig she was in love with TSM member Bjergsen. Watching him and the rest of TSM play games is a big part of how QTCinderella became the streamer she is today.
Joining TSM was a dream come true for QTCinderella — until it wasn't. In November 2022, barely a year after joining the team, QTCinderella announced on Twitter that she was officially leaving TSM behind. In another post, she wrote, "Sadly after joining I learned that you should 'never meet your heroes.'" When it came to presenting her own ideas, QTCinderella apparently got little support or encouragement from the rest of the team, and that wasn't an environment she wanted to continue working in. "In another world I wish it would have lasted longer," she said on Twitch, adding, "but it didn't work out. They didn't want to believe in me."
She has PTSD from being swatted
Swatting is an unfortunate reality for too many streamers, and it's one of the biggest reasons that streaming is even more dangerous than fans may have realized. For anyone lucky enough not to know what swatting is, the name implies a lot. Essentially, trolls will call in fake reports to the police in an attempt to get a SWAT team to show up at a streamer's house. In the best-case scenario, the prank disrupts a scene, but in the worst cases, streamers can suffer lasting damage, not just to their homes but to their mental health.
"I have diagnosed PTSD from us being swatted," QTCinderella told Anthony Padilla in an interview. In her situation, a viewer called the police and claimed to have murdered a family at QTCinderella's address. She was at her computer when she noticed a red dot on her hand. When she looked up and out the window, she saw a fully armed SWAT team with guns pointed at her. As the team forced everyone in the house to come outside, QTCinderella's cat escaped, and her roommate Slime got tackled to the ground because he was the last one out.
That wasn't the last time QTCinderella's house was swatted, and every time it happens, her anxiety around streaming — and even just living in her own home — gets worse.
She and a friend got into a public argument after the Streamer Awards
After the 2023 Streamer Awards, QTCinderella found herself in the news for all the wrong reasons. The internet should have been focused on the event and all the nominees and winners from the night, but instead people were paying attention to some drama between QTCinderella and JustAMinx that unfolded at the Streamer Awards afterparty.
QTCinderella's $50,000 afterparty had to be cut short, and she laid the blame on JustAMinx. According to her, JustAMinx got too drunk at the party and disrupted the entire event by pushing people around and throwing things. At one point JustaMinx collapsed, and the police had to be called, which put an early end to the party. Further complicating the story, JustAMinx claimed on social media that she had an epilepsy-related seizure in the middle of the event.
QTCinderella and JustaMinx had a brief Twitter feud following this, and QTCinderella shared chats with JustaMinx where she promised not to get drunk at the party. With a little time to cool down, QTCinderella's feelings about the situation seemingly changed. She deleted her original posts, and apologized for making the encounter public, particularly after some of her followers went after JustAMinx.
Sorry I havent streamed much, Im still really overwhelmed. One big take away from this weekend is – please stop attacking other streamers on my behalf. Its always a mistake to bring things to the public eye. I wont make that mistake again. Please do not attack anyone for me ever.
— QTCinderella (@qtcinderella) March 18, 2023
She was at the center of a deepfake controversy
While the world is wondering how AI is going to everything from medicine to journalism, the streaming industry recently got a gross example of one particularly damaging use of the new technology. In January 2023, Atrioc was streaming to his fans when he accidentally showed his browser tabs on the screen and revealed that he had been looking at deepfaked nude images of other streamers, including Maya Higa and QTCinderella. Atrioc later apologized and apparently got to work trying to help get similar deepfake sites taken down, but the damage had been done.
QTCinderella got on Twitter shortly after the clip of Atrioc started making the rounds to urge people to stop sharing the video. "Being seen 'naked' against your will should NOT BE A PART OF THIS JOB," she wrote. Atrioc later apologized for leaking the fakes and looking at them in the first place, but the damage was already done.
There are multiple unsavory layers to what Atrioc did, but the real hurt will stay with the women who were exposed against their will in such a way. QTCinderella quickly pointed out the real emotional pain these AI deepfakes cause.
The amount of body dysmorphia I’ve experienced since seeing those photos has ruined me.
It’s not as simple as “just†being violated. It’s so much more than that.
— QTCinderella (@qtcinderella) January 31, 2023
Hopefully public outcry and shaming can help subdue deepfakes like these, but it's hard to imagine this won't become a bigger issue as AI becomes more widespread and accessible. In the meantime, QTCinderella's attempts to sue deepfake creators have led to a series of dead ends.