Kai Cenat reveals turning down $60M Kick deal to stay loyal to Twitch: "Not all money is good money"

Kai Cenat turned down a massive $60M offer from Kick, choosing to prioritize his Twitch community and values instead.

Kai Cenat, a leading internet streamer, recently surprised his fans by declining a $60 million deal from the streaming platform Kick. During a revealing discussion on the latest episode of Club Shay Shay with host Shannon Sharpe, Cenat explained that his decision was guided by principles rather than monetary gain.

Sharpe asked him, “You turned down $60 million to join Kick. Why did you do that?” Cenat responded, “It wasn’t right. I couldn’t join Kick at the time because I realized that not all money is good money. Some money you could take and deals you could sign that would jeopardize everything you built up.”

The 23-year-old streamer shared that his choice was driven by the need to safeguard his career, reputation, and the community he has nurtured on Twitch. “Sometimes you gotta just say no. This is cool, it’s generational, but I’m more like, what am I stamping on the world? What am I going to be known for? If it doesn’t make sense, I’m not doing it. I have such a great community where I’m at now—why would I leave it?”

When Sharpe inquired about the influence behind his decision, Cenat said, “It was me and God.” He described the moment he received Kick’s offer: “Right before my Sub-A-Thon in 2023, I got a call from Kick saying, ‘We got these millions.’ They wanted me to split my time—15 days on Twitch, then 15 days on Kick—and then reveal I was switching to Kick.”

Despite the appeal of the offer, Cenat felt it wasn’t aligned with his values. “I told my team, ‘I can’t do it.’ As soon as I hung up, I got down on my knees and prayed. I said, ‘God, I just turned down a crazy amount of money that would help me for a lifetime. Please keep me on the road of staying focused and achieving my dreams at a natural pace.’ And He answered.”

His commitment and faith have clearly paid off. In November 2024, Cenat regained the title of Twitch’s most-subscribed creator, capping off a year filled with viral moments and appearances by major celebrities like Nicki Minaj and John Cena.

For Kai Cenat, the $60 million deal could have been transformative, but his dedication to authenticity and his long-term vision proved to be far more important.

“Not all money is good money.”