Sam Pepper is once again facing strong reaction online, and this time it is because of a short clip from his livestream. On April 3, 2026, a 16-second video was shared on Reddit showing him grabbing his pet squirrel, Potato, and yelling at it. The clip quickly spread, and many viewers were not happy with what they saw.The video was posted by a user on the r/LivestreamFail subreddit with the caption “Sam Pepper abusing animals on Kick.” In the clip, Sam Pepper can be heard saying, “Hey! I’ve told you three times! Stop it, or I will put you in the cage! Don’t bite my camera!” The moment has now turned into a wider discussion online, with many users questioning his behavior.
Sam Pepper defends actions as Reddit users criticize treatment of pet squirrel Potato
As the clip spread, many Reddit users shared their thoughts in the comments. A large number of people felt the way Sam Pepper handled the situation was not right. Some users said the reaction looked too aggressive for a small animal.One user wrote, “Is Kick cursed or something? What’s with all their streamers being a bunch of animal abusers?” Another added, “Snatching a squirrel and yelling at it like it understands you was not what I expected.” A different comment read, “Just grabbing a small animal and yelling at it like that is not okay behavior.”The discussion kept growing, and more people joined in. Another user shared, “If you treat animals poorly you are a bad human being. This rule has always been true.” These reactions show how strongly viewers felt after watching the clip.Later the same day, Sam Pepper addressed the situation during his livestream. He pushed back against the criticism and said people were misunderstanding the moment. He claimed, “Someone paid this account to post hate clips about me. This is how far they have gone.”He also explained his side by saying, “It’s just discipline. He is fine. I’m holding him in a safe way, and I’m telling him not to do something so he doesn’t do it again.” According to him, he cares deeply about his pet. He said, “I love Potato very much. I am very sensitive.”Even after his response, the conversation did not slow down. Many viewers continued to question whether his actions were appropriate.This is not the first time Sam Pepper has been in the spotlight. On December 13, 2025, he made headlines after asking Kick to unban his channel following an incident where a firework injured a girl’s eye. That past situation is now being mentioned again as people discuss his latest controversy.
