Johnny Somali

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Johnny Somali
Johnny Somali in military-like gear (cropped).jpg
Personal information
Born
Ramsey Khalid Ismael

(2000-09-26) September 26, 2000 (age 24)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
YouTube information
Subscribers20.7 thousand (old channel)
Views5.4 million (old channel)
(October 27, 2024)

Ramsey Khalid Ismael (born September 26, 2000), better known as Johnny Somali, is an American former live streamer, convicted criminal, and self-proclaimed internet troll [1] known for his provocative and hostile behavior while traveling overseas. [2] [3] After getting banned from Twitch, Ismael began streaming on Kick (before being banned from that platform in May 2024) and subsequently Rumble and Parti while visiting Asian countries. [4] His behavior has resulted in his arrest and detention in various countries multiple times, including in Japan in 2023, [5] Israel in early 2024, [6] and South Korea in late 2024. [7]

Contents

In 2024, multiple charges were filed against Ismael in South Korea and he is under a travel ban preventing him from leaving the country from November. [8] In his first court date he pleaded guilty to several charges. [9] In his second court date, he pleaded guilty to two more charges and pleaded not guilty to two sexual violence charges. [10] In his third court date, he pleaded guilty to another charge with another trial date set for October 2025. [11]

Early life

Ismael has reportedly made several conflicting claims about his ethnicity. He reportedly once claimed to have been born to a Somali father and an Ethiopian mother. [12] Ismael also claimed to have been a former child soldier in the ongoing Somali Civil War and a former Somalian pirate; several sources have expressed doubt about these claims. [13] [14]

Ismael also claims to have grown up in Scottsdale, Arizona, [15] and graduated from Arizona State University, [16] but he also claims to have been a financial worker and a real estate manager. [14] A source cites him as being an Arizona native. [17]

Career

Ismael mostly streams himself on video streaming platforms such as YouTube and Kick as a tourist travelling in different countries, in particular Japan, Thailand, and Israel. [18] Ismael also visited Bali, Indonesia, despite calls requesting him to be barred from entry. [19] He began streaming in May 2023. After being banned from Twitch, he moved to Kick before being banned from that platform as well. [16] In 2024, he streamed on Rumble. [7] He currently streams on Parti, an alternative streaming platform which banned him for 24 hours after breaking the Terms of Service. [20]

Social impact

Japan

During his travels to Japan, Ismael made anti-Japanese taunts towards locals, [21] which include comments about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, [22] and threatened to bomb Japan with nuclear weapons on a train. Ismael was occasionally assaulted and called racial slurs by locals who recognized him in public. [23] In one incident, he was confronted by an American man for his behavior, leading Ismael to state, "I'm a troll". [1] The American man was praised by many people on the internet for his actions, while Ismael claimed to have been drunk at the time and apologized to the man. [24] Ismael also harassed Meowko, a Japanese Twitch streamer, which contributed to Ismael's subsequent 72-hour ban by Kick, which came after Ismael had already been permanently banned by Twitch; however, she walked away from him after he bragged that she could be banned if she showed him on her stream, eventually bursting into tears and ending the stream. [25]

In June 2023, Ismael went to Tokyo Disney Resort and played music with lyrics containing the phrase "atomic bomb" and recorded guests' reactions without their permission.

In August 2023, Ismael, who was masked, and Jeremiah Dwane Branch, who was recording for him, went into a hotel construction site in Osaka, where he then yelled "Fukushima" at the construction workers. After the construction workers kicked them out, Ismael and Branch were both arrested on suspicion of trespassing. [26] [27] [28] In September, they were arrested on the suspicion of conspiracy of obstruction of business when they disrupted a restaurant by playing extremely loud noises and music during business hours. [29] [30] He claimed that the reason the music was playing was because of the phone producer, Huawei, who "put a Chinese virus on the phone". This was later brought up in court, where the judge found him guilty and stated, "he could've just turned down the volume on his phone". [31]

On December 19, 2023, Ismael, who had been in custody since his second arrest, appeared at the Osaka District Court on the charge of conspiracy of obstruction of business. [32] The charge of trespassing on a construction site was dropped. Prosecutors requested that he be fined ¥200,000 (equivalent to US$1,400). A verdict of guilt was reached on January 10, 2024. [33] [34]

Israel

On April 5, 2024, he traveled to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, where he began live-streaming. He filmed himself attaching images of Harvey Weinstein, Adin Ross, and Jeffrey Epstein to the wall. [35]

On April 7, 2024, Ismael was detained at a protest in Tel Aviv for sexual harassment of a female police officer. [35] After his release 16 minutes later, Ismael went live again on the same day and claimed to have witnessed a mass shooting at a restaurant. Ismael justified these actions by stating that his status as an American citizen made the act permissible. [36] One of the men was seen holding an item, possibly a weapon, but Ismael was not assaulted with it. [35]

South Korea

On September 27, 2024, Ismael went to Seoul, where he got onstage during a live music performance.[ citation needed ] He also played loud, offensive noises on the subway, such as speeches by Kim Jong Un, and was ejected from a bus after playing loud North Korean music. [37] [38]

On October 7, 2024, Ismael kissed and performed lap dances on the Statue of Peace, a memorial that commemorates young comfort women (sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II), though he later apologized for his actions, claiming to be unaware of its significance. [7] [39] After this incident, his YouTube channel was terminated. [40] On one occasion, Ismael bought ramyeon noodles and purposefully poured it on a table in the dining area. After being confronted by the store owner and told to leave, Ismael proceeded to throw some of the noodles, making a mess. In addition, after being barred from drinking alcohol, Ismael made sexist comments towards the worker. [41] He was reported to the police the same day. [8] Ismael also harassed people on the street with a bag of odorous fish, and he disrupted a bus ride. [42]

On October 28, 2024, Ismael's YouTube channel was hacked [43] and later deleted after it streamed pornographic content. [44] While live streaming on multiple occasions, Ismael was assaulted by others in public. [45] He was physically assaulted three times by various people, twice in Mapo District, and once by a man who reportedly approached Ismael, asking "Where are you going?" before striking Ismael. [46]

On November 2, 2024, Ismael was barred from leaving the country while under probation for his earlier incidents. [47] On November 6, Ismael uploaded an apology video in which he filmed next to the Statue of Peace and attempted to defend himself: "I didn't understand the significance of the statue", elaborating: "I'm truly sorry for being disrespectful." [39] It was also reported that there were bounties offered to reveal his location. [48] On April 9, 2025, Ismael was investigated for acts of child sexual harassment in South Korea when he allegedly used a text-to-speech application to target minors with explicit content. [49]

As of August 13, 2025, Ismael faces eight charges in South Korea.

Current list of charges (August 13, 2025)
ChargePleaPenalty
Special act of sexual violence crimes count 1 [50] [51] Not guilty10.5 years maximum
Special act of sexual violence crimes count 2 [50] [51] Not guilty10.5 years maximum
Minor crimes act count 1 [52] Guilty30 days maximum
Minor crimes act count 2 [52] Guilty30 days maximum
Interference of business count 1 [53] [10] Guilty5 years maximum
Interference of business count 2 [53] [10] Guilty5 years maximum
Interference of business count 3 [53] [10] Guilty5 years maximum
Interference of business count 4 [11] [54] Guilty5 years maximum

On November 11, Ismael was indicted by the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office on charges of "obstruction of business" over the October 17 incident at the convenience store. A travel ban linked to the case prevents him from leaving South Korea. [55] In December, his trial was postponed until March 7, 2025. [56]

Ismael's trial commenced on March 7, 2025. He arrived an hour late, citing a stomachache. He attempted to enter the courtroom wearing a MAGA hat, but was prevented from doing so by the courtroom rules, repeatedly putting it on despite being told to remove it. [57] During the trial, Ismael's incident of spilling ramyeon noodles on a table at a convenience store in Mapo-gu was charged as an obstruction of business. He was also charged for causing discomfort by approaching pedestrians in Mapo-gu with a bag of rotten fish, and disturbing commuters on a bus and subway by playing loud music and dancing, together constituting two violations of the Minor Crimes Act. He plead guilty to three charges (1 obstruction of business and 2 Minor Crimes Act violations). The next trial date was scheduled to be on April 9, but was later rescheduled to May 16. [9] [57] [58]

Professor Seo Kyoung-Duk of Sungshin Women's University called for a strong sentence because of Ismael's actions and discouraged others from engaging in similar behavior. [59] Seo further criticized Ismael for calling South Korea a U.S. "vassal state". [60] South Korean legal experts say that if sentenced Ismael will likely serve a sentence in South Korea, then be deported, followed by an entry ban. [61]

As of May 2025, Ismael faces two charges of sexual violence. In March 2025, authorities added a sexual charge onto Ismael's case for creating a fabricated pornographic deepfake, depicting a female South Korean streamer and himself without consent. [50] Then in May 2025, a second sexual charge was added onto Ismael's case for another fabricated pornographic deepfake, depicting another South Korean streamer without consent. [51] Ismael's second trial commenced on May 16, 2025. During the trial, Ismael plead guilty to two more charges (two obstruction of business, including a newly added charge) and not guilty to the two Special Act on Sexual Violence Crimes charges.

Ismael's third trial commenced on August 13, 2025. [10] During the trial, Ismael changed his position on one of the obstruction of business charge to a guilty plea due to a witness from Lotte World showing up to testify against him. Ismael also pleaded guilty to a fourth charge of obstruction of business. [11] The next trial date is scheduled to be on October 29. [54]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Ke, Bryan (July 14, 2023). "Man confronts controversial livestreamer who harrassed [sic] people in Tokyo about WWII". Yahoo! News . Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  2. ↑ "South Korea slaps travel ban on American live-streamer for 'causing a commotion'". South China Morning Post . November 13, 2024. Archived from the original on November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  3. ↑ Bae, Hanna Park and Gawon (November 28, 2024). "Controversial American live-streamer faces prison in South Korea for offensive behavior". CNN. Archived from the original on November 29, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  4. ↑ Art, Pop Culture & (March 25, 2025). "Johnny Somali unbanned on Parti as platform accused of deleting evidence during ongoing South Korea trial". The Express Tribune. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  5. ↑ "US streamer faces criminal charges for playing loud music at Japan restaurant". South China Morning Post . December 22, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  6. ↑ "American streamer Johnny Somali arrested for sexually harassing police officer during Tel Aviv protest". The Times of Israel . Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 "American livestreamer indicted in South Korea over offensive antics". NBC News . November 13, 2024. Archived from the original on November 18, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Muzaffar, Maroosha (November 13, 2024). "South Korea slaps travel ban on US streamer for 'causing commotion'". The Independent . ISSN   1741-9743. OCLC   185201487. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  9. 1 2 김준태 (March 7, 2025). "'소녀상 모욕' 유튜버 소말리, 'MAGA' 모자 쓰고 재판 지각". Yonhap News Agency .
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 뉴시스 (May 16, 2025). "'소녀상 모욕' 美유튜버, 허위영상물 반포 혐의 부인". 뉴시스 (in Korean). Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 "Johnny Somali's South Korea case takes dramatic turn with guilty plea". The Times of India. August 14, 2025. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Waa kuma Johnny Somali, ninka ay ka qeyliyeen madaxda Japan?" [Who is Johnny Somali, the man they shouted at Japanese leaders?]. BBC Somali Service (in Somali). June 21, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Maxaa loo xiray Johnny Somali maxaadse ka taqaanaa ninkan?" [Why was Johnny Somali arrested and what do we know about this man?]. BBC Somali Service (in Somali). September 23, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  14. 1 2 "「クソ日本人」と連呼…迷惑系動画で逮捕された"ソマリア海賊"の男が日本に目を付けた特別な事情（デイリー新潮）" [Repeatedly calling them "fucking Japanese"...Special circumstances that caused the "Somali pirate" arrested for disturbing video to focus on Japan (Daily Shincho)]. Daily Shincho. September 29, 2023. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2024– via Yahoo News.
  15. ↑ "Johnny Somali Faces Sentencing Over Child Sexual Harassment Allegations". International Business Times UK. April 16, 2025. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  16. 1 2 Power, Shannon (December 4, 2024). "Johnny Somali: Who is the streamer facing prison in South Korea?". Newsweek . ISSN   0028-9604. OCLC   818916146 . Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  17. ↑ Baldwin, Sian; Page, Jordan (November 11, 2024). "Streamer Johnny Somali's most controversial moments as he may face 10 years in jail". Evening Standard . ISSN   2041-4404 . Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  18. ↑ Braw, Elisabeth (September 28, 2023). "Attention-Seekers and Autocrats Are a Combustible Mix" . Foreign Policy . Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Maxay yihiin waxa uu sameeyay Johnny Somali ee sababay in loo gacan galiyo xeer ilaalinta Kuuriyada Koonfureed?" [What did Johnny Somali do that caused him to be handed over to South Korean prosecutors?]. BBC Somali Service (in Somali). November 11, 2024. Archived from the original on November 13, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  20. ↑ Ingram, Michael Brandon (March 24, 2025). "Johnny Somali Arrested Again". Game Rant . Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  21. ↑ Nishimura, Karyn (September 27, 2023). "Le Japon, terrain de jeu des " streamers nuisibles "". Le Point (in French). ISSN   0242-6005. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  22. ↑ Hernon, Matthew (September 29, 2023). "'Johnny Somali' Arrested for Trespassing". Tokyo Weekender . Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  23. ↑ "美直播主日本狂喊「再炸廣島」！事後遭路人巴頭襲擊 網譏：他應得的" [American live broadcaster in Japan yelled "Bomb Hiroshima again"! Afterwards, he was attacked by a passerby named Badou. Netizens ridiculed him: "He deserved it"]. FTV News (in Chinese). June 2, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  24. ↑ Shuttleworth, Catherine (July 15, 2023). "Streamer who harassed Japanese people confronted by American over comments". Indy100 . Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  25. ↑ Pinto, Marita (September 12, 2023). "What happened to Meowku? Twitch star calls for ban on Johnny Somali over harassment in Japan". Pinkvilla . Archived from the original on September 16, 2023. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Controversial U.S. livestreamer arrested over trespassing in Osaka". The Japan Times . September 22, 2023. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  27. ↑ "U.S. livestreamer 'Johnny Somali' accused of trespassing". The Asahi Shimbun . Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  28. ↑ McCurry, Justin (October 25, 2023). "Japan investigates foreign YouTubers accused of dodging train fares and stealing food". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  29. ↑ "迷惑系「ジョニー・ソマリ」容疑者を再逮捕、牛丼店で大音量の音楽 本人は黙秘" [Johnny Somali suspect arrested again, loud music played at beef bowl restaurant, suspect kept silent]. Sankei Shimbun (in Japanese). October 12, 2023. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  30. ↑ "US livestreamer served new arrest warrant for hindering business at Osaka eatery". Mainichi Daily News. October 13, 2023. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  31. ↑ Segura, Lidia Fernandez (January 11, 2024). "El 'streamer' Johnny Somali, expulsado de Japón tras ser condenado por "obstrucción criminal de una empresa"" [Streamer Johnny Somali, expelled from Japan after being convicted of "criminal obstruction of a company"]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved April 23, 2024. Este altercado tuvo lugar en octubre. En ese momento, ante el enfado del dueño del local por las molestias que estaba causando, comentó que toda la culpa era de su móvil. "Es un Huawei, fabricado en China y con un virus chino", se le puede escuchar diciendo en el polémico vídeo, que llevó a muchos internautas japoneses a pedir su detención.[This altercation took place in October. At that moment, faced with the anger of the owner of the premises for the inconvenience he was causing, he commented that his cell phone was all to blame. "It's a Huawei, made in China and with a Chinese virus," he can be heard saying in the controversial video, which led many Japanese Internet users to call for his arrest.]
  32. ↑ "Japanese prosecutors demand fine for controversial American YouTuber". The Japan Times . December 21, 2023. ISSN   0447-5763. OCLC   21225620 . Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  33. ↑ Dodgson, Lindsay (December 21, 2023). "Japanese prosecutors have demanded a controversial streamer pays a fine after he played music in a restaurant". Business Insider . OCLC   1076392313. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  34. ↑ "'Johnny Somali' fined 200,000 yen for disrupting business, trespassing charges dropped". News on Japan. January 11, 2024. Archived from the original on January 28, 2025. Retrieved February 24, 2025.
  35. 1 2 3 "Kick streamer Johnny Somali assaulted in Israel on livestream". The Express Tribune . May 20, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  36. ↑ Fink, Rachel (April 9, 2024). "'I'm from America, bitch': U.S. livestreamer Johnny Somali arrested in Israel on suspicion of harassing polic" . Haaretz . Archived from the original on April 9, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  37. ↑ "Controversial YouTuber Johnny Somali kisses comfort women statue, sparks outrage in South Korea". The Korea Daily. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  38. ↑ "난 한국 편"...소녀상에 뽀뽀한 미국인, 지하철 안에서 한짓 '경악' ["I'm on Korea's side"... American who kissed a statue of a girl was shocked by what he did in the subway]. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). October 8, 2024. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  39. 1 2 "YouTuber Johnny Somali apologizes for kissing 'comfort woman' statue, viewers question sincerity". The Korea Times . November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  40. ↑ "迷惑系ユーチューバー、ジョニー・ソマリ容疑者を在宅起訴 韓国検察" 迷惑系ユーチューバー、ジョニー・ソマリ容疑者を在宅起訴　韓国検察 [Korean prosecutors indict nuisance YouTuber Johnny Somali without detention]. Jiji Press (in Japanese). November 13, 2024. Archived from the original on November 25, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  41. ↑ "Johnny Somali, Notorious Japanese YouTuber, Assaulted in South Korea". newsonjapan.com. October 31, 2024. Archived from the original on November 27, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  42. ↑ 기자, 김소라 (March 7, 2025). "재판 1시간 지각해놓고 "메롱"…'소녀상 모욕' 美 유튜버 법정서도 기행". 서울신문 (in Korean). Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  43. ↑ "U.S. content creator Johnny Somali who kissed 'comfort women' statue in Seoul has YouTube account deleted". Korea JoongAng Daily. October 29, 2024.
  44. ↑ "Johnny Somali in Korea: A complete timeline of the U.S. streamer's antics". Korea JoongAng Daily. November 29, 2024.
  45. ↑ Kim, Min-young (October 31, 2024). "Korean YouTuber arrested for latest assault on U.S. streamer Johnny Somali". Korea JoongAng Daily . Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  46. ↑ "American YouTuber infamous for 'comfort women' statue stunts attacked for third time". The Korea Times. October 31, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  47. ↑ "YouTuber Johnny Somali faces police probe in Korea over assault and drug use allegations". Korea JoongAng Daily . October 31, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  48. ↑ Kim, Min-young (November 11, 2024). "U.S. streamer Johnny Somali handed to Korean prosecutors for convenience store outburst". Korea JoongAng Daily . Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  49. ↑ Leyva Chapa, Marcelo Alejandro. "Johnny Somali Faces Sentencing in South Korea Over Child Sexual Harassment Allegations". www.msn.com. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  50. 1 2 3 "Johnny Somali Guaranteed Prison Time in South Korea After AI Deepfake Scandal". Yahoo Entertainment. March 27, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  51. 1 2 3 Art, Pop Culture & (May 9, 2025). "Johnny Somali faces 31 years in South Korea after new deepfake sex crime charge". The Express Tribune. Retrieved May 11, 2025.
  52. 1 2 "Johnny Somali faces new charges as South Korean hackers track location ahead of trial". The Express Tribune . March 5, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  53. 1 2 3 Kim, Min-Young (March 7, 2025). "Johnny Somali admits to obstruction charges, arrives at court in MAGA hat". Korea JoongAng Daily . Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  54. 1 2 Sharmin, Ms (August 14, 2025). "Johnny Somali Pleads Guilty to 6 Charges in South Korea, Faces 20-Year Prison Threat". HypeFresh Inc. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  55. ↑ "South Korea prsecutors indict controversial American streamer". Yahoo News . Agence France-Presse. November 12, 2024. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  56. ↑ "Johnny Somali faces delays, financial ruin as South Korea pushes trial to March 2025". The Express Tribune . December 13, 2024. Archived from the original on December 16, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  57. 1 2 조선일보 (March 7, 2025). "재판 1시간 지각해놓고 '메롱'… '소녀상 모욕' 유튜버 법정서 보인 행동". 조선일보 (in Korean). Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  58. ↑ 원석진 (March 7, 2025). "'소녀상 모욕' 유튜버 소말리, 첫 재판부터 지각‥"혐의는 인정"". MBC 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  59. ↑ "'소녀상 모욕' 미 유튜버,"한국은 미국의 속국" - 미주 한국일보". The Korea Times (in Korean). Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  60. ↑ "American YouTuber Johnny Somali sparks outrage in trial, calls Korea a US vassal state". The Korea Times. March 10, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  61. ↑ Jae-hee, Choi (March 11, 2025). "If convicted, US YouTuber Johnny Somali likely to be deported, face reentry ban: legal expert". The Korea Herald. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
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