Quebec influencer Medusa faces backlash over misogynistic comments on yacht stream

A Quebec-based influencer and jewelry entrepreneur has drawn widespread criticism for making misogynistic statements during a five-day Twitch stream aboard a yacht in Miami.

Julien Duguay, known online as Medusa and followed by more than 80,000 Instagram users, stated during the August 7-11 broadcast that servers working on the rented vessel should "have sex with clients" and perform sexual acts. He suggested that given the boat's $180,000 rental cost, he expected sexual services from the crew.

The remarks prompted fellow content creator Louis-Charles Lavoie, known as Lewis le Fou, to leave the yacht on August 10 and announce on Instagram that he was distancing himself from Medusa's statements, calling them "inacceptable."

Judith Bachand, a parent whose 12-year-old son follows Lewis le Fou, said she appreciated the creator's stance. She emphasized that influencers carry particular responsibility because their job is to influence followers, and that excusing such behavior sends a message that it is normal. "The denunciation is crucial in all sectors," Bachand said.

Samuel Tanner, a professor at the University of Montreal's School of Criminology, said the comments are "condemnableFrom a moral and ethical standpoint" and "damaging and degrading," with a "preoccupying" influence on a broad public. Laurence Grondin-Robillard, an associate professor at UQAM's School of Media, noted that some creators present on the boat tolerated such commentary and left only when they realized it could harm their sponsorships.

Backand described how she must constantly redirect conversations with her son about such language. When she challenged her son's dismissal of Medusa's remarks as "just a joke," he resisted. Grondin-Robillard said such reactions prove misogynistic language is normalized among young people. Tanner also criticized the "trivialization" of such statements when framed as humor.