French Streamer Denies Responsibility in on- Air Death Case

A French streamer has spoken out after the shocking on-air death of his colleague, rejecting claims of responsibility and describing the broadcast as staged entertainment.

“I’m not the one who killed him. None of us killed him,” Safine Hamadi told broadcaster RTL on Monday.

Hamadi, 23, was one of the presenters on a Kick channel where 46-year-old Raphael Graven, known online as Jean Pormanove, died during a live session in mid-August. An autopsy carried out in Nice has ruled out “intervention by a third party” in the death.

The stream, which spanned 12 days, drew outrage after footage appeared to show Graven subjected to humiliation and physical abuse. But Hamadi insisted that the events were scripted.

“I wasn’t mistreating him, not at all,” he said. “Everything was consensual,” adding that the apparent harassment and Graven’s protests were “an act.”

Hamadi explained that the aim was to generate buzz: “We wanted it to be spectacular and (Graven’s) reactions were just that—exaggerated—so people would clip the videos, talk about us, create more buzz.”

According to him, both he and Graven were contracted performers, receiving €6,000 ($7,040) a month from the channel’s operator, Owen Cenazandotti.

Authorities opened an inquiry late last year after media coverage of the channel. Hamadi and Cenazandotti were taken into custody but later released without charge. Prosecutors confirmed that both Graven and another participant “strongly” denied being victims of violence, backing claims that the scenes were scripted.

Meanwhile, the French government has launched legal proceedings against Australia-based Kick, accusing it of “negligence” in connection with Graven’s death. The platform, in turn, accused ministers of political opportunism.

Prosecutors in Paris have also opened a separate investigation into the streaming service.