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Johnny Somali

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Johnny Somali
Personal information
Born
Ramsey Khalid Ismael

(2000-09-26) September 26, 2000 (age 24)
Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers20.7 thousand[1]
(before ban)
Total views5.4 million[1]
(October 27, 2024)
Kick information
Channel
Years active2023–2024
Followers13 thousand (before ban)
Last updated: November 29, 2024

Ramsey Khalid Ismael (born September 26, 2000), better known by his alias Johnny Somali, is an American live streamer and self-proclaimed internet troll[2] known for his provocative and hostile behavior while traveling overseas.[3][4] After getting banned from Twitch, Ismael began streaming on Kick (before being banned from that platform in May 2024) and Rumble as a tourist in Asian countries. His behavior has gotten him arrested or detained in different countries numerous times, including in Japan in 2023,[5] Israel in early 2024,[6] and South Korea in late 2024.[7]

In South Korea, he faces multiple charges. Starting in November 2024, he is under a travel ban preventing him from leaving South Korea.[8] In his first court date he pled guilty to several charges, with another trial date set for April 2025.[9]

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.[10] Ismael also claimed to have been a former child soldier and a former pirate; several sources have expressed doubt about these claims.[11][12]

Ismael also claims to have grown up in Scottsdale, Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University,[13] but he also claims to been a financial worker, or a real estate manager.[14] Other sources cite him to be from Arizona.[15]

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.[16] Ismael also visited Bali, Indonesia, despite calls requesting him to be barred from entry.[17] He began streaming in May 2023. After being banned from Twitch, he moved to Kick before being banned from that platform as well.[18] He currently streams on Rumble.[19]

Japan

During his travels to Japan, Ismael made anti-Japanese taunts towards locals,[20] which include comments about the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,[21] 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.[22] In one incident, he was confronted by an American man for his behavior, leading Ismael to state, "I'm a troll."[23] 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 had apologized to the man.[24] Ismael allegedly harassed Meowko, a Japanese Twitch streamer, which contributed to Ismael's subsequent ban by Twitch.[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.[26]

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.[27][28][29] 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.[30][31] 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".[32]

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.[33] 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.[34][35]

Israel

On March 25, 2024, Ismael went to Tel Aviv, Israel, where he became involved in altercations with local Arab and Jewish people there. He was then confronted and beaten.[36] 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.[37]

On April 7, 2024, Ismael was detained at a protest in Tel Aviv for sexual harassment of a female police officer.[37] 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. He also excused his actions as being allowed because he's an American citizen.[38] One of the men was seen holding an item, possibly a weapon, but Ismael was not assaulted with it.[39]

South Korea

On September 27, 2024, Ismael went to Seoul, where he got onstage during a live music performance.[40] He also loudly played obscene noises on the subway, such as speeches by Kim Jong Un, and was ejected from a bus after loudly playing North Korean music.[41][42]

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 he didn't know the significance of the statue.[19][43] After this incidents, his YouTube channel was terminated.[44] On one occasion, Ismael bought ramyeon noodles and then 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 noodles out of the store. In addition, after being barred from drinking alcohol, Ismael made sexist comments towards the worker.[45] He was reported to the police the same day.[8] In other incidents, he brought a bag of odorous fish to people on the street, and disrupted a bus ride.[46]

While live streaming on multiple occasions, Ismael was assaulted by others in public.[47] He was physically assaulted three times by various people, twice in Mapo District, and additionally by a man who reportedly came up to Ismael and said "Where are you going?" before striking him.[48]

On November 2, 2024, Ismael was barred from leaving the country while being under probation for his earlier incidents.[49] On November 6, Ismael uploaded an apology video in which he filmed next to the Statue of Peace saying "I want to apologize to Koreans. I didn't understand the significance of the statue." He also said: "I'm truly sorry for being disrespectful."[50] It was also reported that there were bounties offered to reveal his location.[51]

Trial

Ismael faced four charges in South Korea:

  • 2 counts of "obstruction of business" in November 2024[52]
  • 2 counts of violating the Minor Crimes Act[53]

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.[54] In December, his trial was postponed until March 7, 2025.[55]

The first day of his trial commenced on March 7, 2025. Ismael 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.[56] During the trial, Ismael's incident of spilling ramyeon noodle soup 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 is scheduled April 9.[9][57][56]

Professor Seo Kyoung-Duk of Sungshin Women's University called for a strong sentence because of Ismael's actions and comments to discourage others from engaging in similar behavior.[58] Korean legal experts say that if sentenced Ismael will likely serve a sentence in Korea, then be deported, followed by an entry ban.[59]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "About @JohnnySomali". YouTube.
  2. ^ Ke, Bryan (July 14, 2023). "Man confronts controversial livestreamer who harassed people in Tokyo about WWII". Yahoo! News. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "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.
  4. ^ 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.
  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. ^ "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 김준태 (March 7, 2025). "'소녀상 모욕' 유튜버 소말리, 'MAGA' 모자 쓰고 재판 지각". Yonhap News Agency.
  10. ^ "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. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  11. ^ "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. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  12. ^ "「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 (in Japanese). September 29, 2023. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2024 – via Yahoo News.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "「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）". デイリー新潮. September 29, 2023. Archived from the original on September 29, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2024 – via Yahoo News.
  15. ^ 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. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "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.
  18. ^ Power, Shannon (December 4, 2024). "Johnny Somali: Who Is the Streamer Facing Prison in South Korea?". Newsweek. Archived from the original on December 5, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Kim, Stella; Aggarwal, Mithil (November 13, 2024). "American livestreamer indicted in South Korea over offensive antics". NBC News. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ Hernon, Matthew (September 29, 2023). "'Johnny Somali' Arrested for Trespassing". Tokyo Weekender. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ Ke, Bryan (July 14, 2023). "Man confronts controversial livestreamer who harrassed people in Tokyo about WWII". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  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. ^ Dammann, Luke (June 30, 2023). "Streamer Goes on Racist Tirade at Disney, Ignores Park Rules". Inside the Magic. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  27. ^ "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.
  28. ^ "U.S. livestreamer 'Johnny Somali' accused of trespassing". The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ "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.
  31. ^ "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.
  32. ^ 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.]
  33. ^ "Japanese prosecutors demand fine for controversial American YouTuber". The Japan Times. December 21, 2023. ISSN 0447-5763. OCLC 21225620. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  34. ^ 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.
  35. ^ "'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.
  36. ^ "American live streamer Johnny Somali, previously jailed in Japan and deported, tries to culturally enrich Israel by harassing Arabs and Jews. He finds out quickly what happens". Portal Kombat. March 27, 2024. Archived from the original on March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 27, 2024.
  37. ^ a b "Kick streamer Johnny Somali assaulted in Israel on livestream". The Express Tribune. May 20, 2024. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  38. ^ 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.
  39. ^ "Kick streamer Johnny Somali assaulted in Israel on livestream". The Express Tribune. May 20, 2024. Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  40. ^ Mukherjee, Shreyan (September 27, 2024). "Controversial streamer Johnny Somali kicked out of South Korean subway for playing "obscene audio"". Sports Keeda. Archived from the original on December 20, 2024. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  41. ^ "Controversial YouTuber Johnny Somali kisses comfort women statue, sparks outrage in South Korea". The Korea Daily. October 9, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  42. ^ "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.
  43. ^ "YouTuber Johnny Somali apologizes for kissing 'comfort woman' statue, viewers question sincerity". The Korea Times. November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  44. ^ "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.
  45. ^ "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.
  46. ^ 기자, 김소라 (March 7, 2025). "재판 1시간 지각해놓고 "메롱"…'소녀상 모욕' 美 유튜버 법정서도 기행". 서울신문 (in Korean). Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  47. ^ 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.
  48. ^ "American YouTuber infamous for 'comfort women' statue stunts attacked for third time". The Korea Times. October 31, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  49. ^ "YouTuber Johnny Somali faces police probe in Korea over assault and drug use allegations". Korea JoongAng Daily. October 31, 2024. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  50. ^ "YouTuber Johnny Somali apologizes for kissing 'comfort woman' statue, viewers question sincerity". The Korea Times. November 8, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  51. ^ 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.
  52. ^ 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.
  53. ^ "Johnny Somali faces new charges as South Korean hackers track location ahead of trial". The Express Tribune. March 5, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  54. ^ "South Korea prosecutors indict controversial American streamer". Yahoo News. Agence France-Presse. November 12, 2024. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 12, 2024.
  55. ^ "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.
  56. ^ a b 조선일보 (March 7, 2025). "재판 1시간 지각해놓고 '메롱'… '소녀상 모욕' 유튜버 법정서 보인 행동". 조선일보 (in Korean). Retrieved March 8, 2025.
  57. ^ 원석진 (March 7, 2025). "'소녀상 모욕' 유튜버 소말리, 첫 재판부터 지각‥"혐의는 인정"". MBC 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  58. ^ "'소녀상 모욕' 미 유튜버,"한국은 미국의 속국" - 미주 한국일보". Korean Times (in Korean). Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  59. ^ 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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