Sam Pepper (Image via Getty)
Sam Pepper is once again facing strong backlash online, this time over a short clip from his live stream. On April 3, 2026, a 16-second video was shared on Reddit of him holding his pet squirrel, Potato, and screaming at him.
The clip quickly went viral, and many viewers were not happy with what they saw.The video was posted by a user on Reddit’s r/LivestreamFail subreddit with the caption “Sam Pepper abuses animals while kicking.” In the clip, Sam Bieber can be heard saying: “Hey! I told you three times! Stop, or I’ll put you in the cage! Don’t bite my camera!” The moment has now turned into a wider online debate, with many users questioning his behaviour.
Sam Pepper defends the actions of Reddit users criticizing the treatment of his pet squirrel potato
As the clip went viral, many Reddit users shared their thoughts in the comments. A large number of people felt that the way Sam Pepper handled the situation was not right. Some users said the reaction seemed too aggressive for a small animal.One user wrote: “A cursed kick or something? What’s up with all the live streamers being a bunch of animal abusers?” Another added: “Snatching the squirrel and yelling at it like it understood you wasn’t what I was expecting.”
Another comment said: “Just grabbing a small animal and yelling at it like that is not acceptable behaviour.”The discussion continued to grow, and more people joined. Another user shared, “If you treat animals badly then you are a bad human being. This rule has always been true.” These reactions show how strongly viewers feel after watching the clip.Later that same day, Sam Bieber addressed the situation during his live broadcast.
He rejected the criticism and said people were misunderstanding the moment. “Someone pushed this account to post hate clips about me. This is the extent they have gone,” he claimed.He also explained his side, saying, “It’s just discipline. He’s fine. I’m holding him in a safe way, and I’m telling him not to do anything so he doesn’t do it again.” According to him, he cares deeply about his pet. He said: I love potatoes very much.
“I’m very sensitive.”Even after his response, the conversation didn’t slow down. Many viewers continued to question whether his actions were appropriate.This isn’t the first time Sam Pepper has been in the spotlight. On December 13, 2025, he made headlines after he asked Kick to unban his channel following an incident in which fireworks injured a girl’s eye. This former situation is now being mentioned again as people discuss his recent controversy.
