American streamer Darren Jason Watkins Jr, popularly known as IShowSpeed, encountered an unexpected setback during his African tour in Egypt when his livestream, was briefly disrupted after his drone operator abruptly resigned mid-broadcast.
The incident occurred on Thursday, January 15, 2026, while Speed was livestreaming from the iconic pyramids of Giza.
The high-energy content creator had taken his millions of fans on a live tour of the historic site, expressing awe at the scale and ancient grandeur of the pyramids.
The stream initially ran smoothly, with aerial drone footage offering breathtaking views of the world-famous monuments.
The situation changed while Speed was standing on top of a car, interacting with excited fans who had gathered around him in Giza.
In the middle of the broadcast, his bodyguard, Rudi, informed him that the drone operator had suddenly quit.
“Speed, the drone guy quit,” Rudi told him, leaving the streamer visibly shocked.
Confused and frustrated, Speed immediately questioned what had gone wrong and whether the expensive drone equipment had been abandoned.
“He quit? Why did he quit? Did he leave the backpack with the gadgets? Do we have the drone shot?” Speed asked, clearly unsettled by the situation.
It was later confirmed that the drone operator had indeed left the backpack containing the drone gear behind.
A member of Speed’s crew explained that the operator struggled with the pressure of the fast-paced livestream environment, noting that he had disappeared several times before finally walking away.
“He can’t handle the pressure. He kept disappearing, and when I looked back, he was gone,” the crew member said.
Despite the disruption, Speed continued engaging with fans and pushing forward with the stream. Earlier, he had proudly donned a traditional kanzu and declared himself the first streamer to go live from the pyramids, calling the moment historic for his career.
Egypt marked the eleventh stop on Speed’s ambitious African tour, which began in Angola on December 29, 2025.
He has since visited South Africa, Mozambique, Eswatini, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Kenya and Ethiopia, drawing massive crowds while showcasing Africa’s culture to a global audience.
