Veteran YouTuber Steven "Boogie" Williams, known professionally by his handle "Boogie2988," had the word "liar" tattooed on his face after it was revealed he misled viewers about his cancer diagnosis for nearly two years.
Williams, 50, announced to viewers that he had been diagnosed with polycythemia vera, a rare form of blood cancer, in a November 2022 video. The YouTuber said the diagnosis may have developed as a side effect of a testosterone supplement which Williams took nearly a decade prior, though noted those with polycythemia vera had upwards of a 20-year life expectancy with the disease.
"If you're gonna get a cancer, this is the one to get," Williams said at the time.
Williams' cancer diagnosis came under scrutiny in the past month after streamer Steven Bonnell, who professionally goes by "Destiny," called Williams' diagnosis into question during a broadcast of Lolcow Live earlier this month.
The veteran YouTuber later revealed he had not been diagnosed with polycythemia vera, though may in fact have the disease and was awaiting confirmation from a doctor. However, during a follow-up episode of Lolcow Live, it was revealed that Williams' doctor had never mentioned cancer and that the YouTuber had diagnosed himself with the disease after conducting a Google search on polycythemia vera.
In response to misleading viewers about his cancer diagnosis, Lolcow Live creator and host Daniel Keem, who professionally goes by "Keemstar," fired Williams from the show. As a means to make amends for his deception, Williams later sent his gold YouTube subscriber button to Keemstar to donate for money towards cancer research along with donating $4,000 of his own money to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
During a Monday episode of the podcast, Keemstar later offered to allow Williams back on Lolcow Live if he tattooed "Liar" on his face. Williams agreed to Keemstar's offer, though Keemstar backed off his suggestion saying he thought the "punishment" was "cruel and unusual."
However, Williams insisted and followed through with his face tattoo during a Wednesday night broadcast of Lolcow Live. Boogie2988 just tattooed LIAR on his face after faking cancer.. pic.twitter.com/hro3YiqaKg
— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) July 24, 2024
"Number one, this is funny as s---. Number two, it's degrading as hell," Williams said during the episode. "I did something bad--I did something so f---ing bad ... and I wanna see the end of that, man."
Williams stressed he did not want to go through with the face tattoo, though said it would allow him to forgive himself.
"If somebody else out there decides to forgive me too, that's great. But it allows me to just f---ing let go of this situation, cause I'm over it. I don't wanna feel like s--- anymore about this, you know?" Williams said.
Keemstar once again noted that although he originally proposed the idea, he did not sincerely want Boogie to get his face tattoo.
"This is not on Keemstar. This is on me," Williams said. "I'm the one who jumped my diagnosis. I'm the one who talked about this s--- before I got fully diagnosed. I'm the one who f---ed up. I'm the one who has a history of pathological lying. I'm the one. This is me owning my s---."
Williams initially agreed to keep the tattoo for a year before looking into laser removal, though later agreed to keep the tattoo for upwards of two years to reflect the amount of time he misled viewers about his cancer diagnosis.
"Nothing will ever make up for the bulls--- I pulled. But I hope this makes some of you feel a little better," Williams later wrote in an X post. Nothing will ever make up for the bullshit I pulled. But I hope this makes some of you feel a little better. pic.twitter.com/GbacF4A9vC
— Boogie2988 (@Boogie2988) July 25, 2024
Keemstar also issued a statement in a long X post saying, "Boogie2988 can only be cured by bullying him into self improvement."
"For over a decade Boogie pushed a message to his audience that 'Bullying doesn't work' it make[s] all his problems worse!" Keemstar wrote. "He encouraged his audience to give him a break & say nice things about him especially in reference to weight loss. The 'being nice' to Boogie resulted him getting ... More Disabled, More Sick, More Manipulating & FATter!" Boogie2988 can only be cured by bullying him into self improvement.
For over a decade Boogie pushed a message to his audience that " Bullying doesn't work" it make all his problems worse! He encouraged his audience to give him a break & say nice things about him especially in…
— KEEM (@KEEMSTAR) July 25, 2024
Keemstar's post noted viewers and fellow YouTubers began calling Williams' character into question in the past five years after alleging he was suicidal.
He said:Boogie was not interested in getting better, he only cared about manipulating these creators, myself included, into feeling sorry for him and being nice to him. Since all that years ago, Boogie has gotten worse, NOT better. He was so desperate for people to be nice to him that his doctor told him he may have blood cancer and he rushed to YouTube to tell the world he had it SO PEOPLE WOULD BE NICE TO HIM! ... Boogie has been trying to make everyone feel sorry for him cause he might lose his house if he cant pay the mortgage, BUT he does Literally NOTHING at his house to even appreciate his home. So I forced him to start to take care of his own house that he claims to love so much by mowing the lawn. He cried the entire time, he gave me 100 different reasons on why if he mows the lawn he could die ( IM NOT JOKING ) This is what he was saying. Guess what? He mowed the lawn and he felt better & for a small moment he actually was proud and appreciated his home. I may look like a psychopaths for how hard I am on him. But I will get better results for boogie and the entire internet than all of you.
