A Collab That Went Off the Rails in Seconds
What was supposed to be a goofy September meetup between a human influencer and a robot influencer has now spiralled into a full-blown legal saga.
On 16 September, streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr., better known as IShowSpeed, met Rizzbot — the cowboy-hat-wearing viral robot built by Social Robotics, LLC — during a livestream in Austin.
Within minutes, the crossover descended into chaos: shouting, choking, punching, and a robot that didn’t survive its big moment.
Two months later, on 8 December, the company filed a lawsuit in Travis County, Texas, accusing Speed, Mixed Management, and Ames Ward of being “intentionally physical with Rizzbot” and causing a total loss of the machine.
They are seeking US$1 million in damages.
The Clip at the Centre of the Drama
In the viral footage, Speed greets the robot with a “What the f—? So this is Rizzbot?” — an opener that aged badly within the next 30 seconds.
According to the lawsuit, Speed became “angry and agitated,” grabbed Rizzbot in a chokehold, yelled “Stop fing talking s,” threatened to kill it, punched it in the face twice, and kept “roughhousing” it until it broke.
Another clip shows him tossing the robot onto a couch and the floor.
Court photos reportedly show damage to Rizzbot’s face, neck, cameras, mouth, and other internal sensor ports. The filings describe it as a “total loss” of function.
A Robot With Big Bookings — Gone Overnight
Before the destruction, Rizzbot was having a banner year. Standing at 4 feet tall and weighing 77 pounds, the Unitree-built robot had already racked up 800 million social media views and was booked for a co-hosting spot with MrBeast and an appearance on The NFL Today Show on CBS.
All of that was cancelled after the Austin incident.
“This is no doubt a monumental setback… Being in a MrBeast production is akin to being in a Super Bowl commercial,” the lawsuit says, leaning fully into the influencer economy heartbreak.
After the destruction, Rizzbot’s view count reportedly plunged to 226 million.
Police, Fallout, and an Ongoing Investigation
Austin Police were called after the livestream, noting the robot had been damaged without permission. An investigation remains active.
Social Robotics argues the financial hit is real, saying the robot could no longer “walk straight,” film content, or perform consistent movements — effectively killing its influencer career overnight.
As of mid-November, reportedly, neither Speed nor Mixed Management has issued any public statement.
Rizzbot Rises From the Dead (With a New Body)
Because nothing online stays down for long, Rizzbot has since made a comeback — with a completely new body. Only its accessories, like its cowboy hat and sneakers, survived the incident.
The developers say the upgraded version is preparing for a new slate of appearances and may soon flex “dance skills.”
Speed Moves On — With a Kung-Fu Film Premiere
Meanwhile, Speed is set to premiere a new short film about learning the “ancient art of kung-fu,” directed by Daniel Wolf in partnership with Beats.
Watch the videos here:
@dailymail
