Joseph “Mang0" Marquez, a long-time Smash Bros. player and two-time Evo champion, isn’t getting invited back to the next Beerio Kart World Cup. The esports pro was banned for inappropriate behavior during the livestreamed event and subsequently dropped from his team, Cloud9. “I’m sorry everyone,” he wrote afterwards. “Wish I was better. I had it all and fucking tossed it in the trashcan.”
The Beerio Kart World Cup event was organized by Twitch streamer Ludwig Ahgren and, for anyone unfamilliar with the general concept, featured various online personalities competing in the recently released Mario Kart World while driving under the influence. People got more inebriated as the tournament progressed, with Marquez in particular eventually ditching his Wario costume and walking around shirtless.
A clip from the livestream at one point showed him appearing to drunkenly dry-hump behind Twitch streamer Maya Higa who was sitting next to Emily “ExtraEmily” Zhang while they talked to the livestream camera. Multiple other clips show him seemingly continue to act inappropriately toward the pair at other points during the event. The livestream shows various people calling out Mang0's behavior during the Mario Kart tournament, though it’s not clear that any of the organizers intervened at the time.
“I reached out to anyone who I thought might have felt uncomfortable and talked to them but also, and I already told Mang0 this, no longer inviting Mang0 to Mogul Moves events,” Ludwig said in a June 22 livestream, referencing his company that organized the tournament. “It’s a privilege to go to an event, the whole point of an event is it’s a fun thing to do, to have a good ass time and if somebody appearing jeopardizes somebody else having a good time that just can’t be a thing.”
On June 23, Marquez acknowledged the incident and said he had a problem with alcohol. “Sorry to everyone I’ve let down or hurt,” he wrote on X. “I know it just looks like I’m trying to save face but I genuinely feel so awful about it.. all I’ve done is reflect on my life and realized I’m a broken human I will try and redeem myself over time as I always do Gonna stop drinking immediately and get it together.”
Later that day, however, Cloud9, the team which Marquez has been representing in Smash Bros. tournaments for over a decade, announced it was parting ways with the esports player. “Following an internal evaluation, we have made the decision to release mang0 from Cloud9,” it wrote in a statement. “Regardless of tenure or accomplishments, the behavior demonstrated is entirely unacceptable and directly conflicts with our organization’s core values. We maintain a zero-tolerance stance regarding harassment or any other form of inappropriate conduct.”
It’s unclear how the Beerio Kart World Cup incident will impact Marquez’s involvement in the Smash Bros. competitive scene moving forward. One of the next big events, Supernova 2025, takes place in August. Currently ranked third among all Melee players, Marquez suggested he might be taking a break. “C9 dropping me. Probably getting banned from tourneys. Fucking shit man,” he wrote on X. “No one to blame but myself but man. Never though I could hit this low. Probably won’t hear from me for a while I’m sorry everyone.”
Update, 6/25/2025 9:19 a.m. ET: Marquez reiterated his apology in a new extended statement and directly addressed what happened at Ahgren’s livestream event. “I want to start by being real about what happened. I made multiple people feel uncomfortable while drunk at Beerio Kart,” he wrote. “There’s no excuse. It was messed up, it hurt people, and I crossed a line. I take full responsibility for it. I’ve already reached out to the people involved to try to make things right.”
The full statement is below:
I want to start by being real about what happened. I made multiple people feel uncomfortable while drunk at Beerio Kart. There’s no excuse. It was messed up, it hurt people, and I crossed a line. I take full responsibility for it. I’ve already reached out to the people involved to try to make things right. I also let down my family and close friends. I want to apologize to my son. I know this is something he’ll have to carry. And Joseph, if you ever see this, I’m sorry. I’m going to be better for both of us. When I talked to my mom about everything, I said I was glad my grandma wasn’t around to see this. She passed away recently, and I hadn’t said anything publicly. But saying that out loud to my mom just broke me. I started crying, and I don’t think I’ve done that with her since I was a kid. What hit me hardest was realizing I never took my grandma to see the pope like I always said I would. I kept putting it off to drink or go to events. And now I can’t. That fucking sucks. That regret is going to stay with me. After reflecting on the worst moments of my life, I see a pattern: alcohol has always been involved. I understand that my words mean nothing right now, and alcohol excuses 0 percent of my actions, but I promise I’m gonna beat this and show you that I can be a greater man without the influence of alcohol. I know my grandma is looking down and rooting for me. Next, I don’t want anyone to defend me for my actions. I was in the wrong 100 percent and there’s no one to blame but myself. I crossed lines/boundaries and no matter the circumstances, once you make someone else uncomfortable, even if you think what you’re doing isn’t bad in the moment, lines get crossed and its just over. It’s on me and not anyone else. I’m sorry to everyone I hurt in this process, including everyone watching and the melee community Since all this happened, I’ve talked to a lot of people. This letter is mostly for them. I lost my C9 family. People I’ve known for years. People I care about. That phone call with Jack hit hard. It felt like I let down someone who was like a second dad to me. I still don’t really know how to think about it. As for the ban, I support it. I’ve always wanted what is best for Melee. If I never get to come back, I accept that. What matters most now is fixing what I can and making sure I never become that person again. Trust takes time, and some people might never want me around again. I respect that fully. My next step is to focus on real recovery. I’ve already started researching rehab and will be checking into one when I find the right fit. My relationship with alcohol was always a problem and I just kinda made it my thing, so it was easy to brush a lot of the behavior and comments off. That lifestyle has caught up to me and I need to make a change for the better, and the only way to do that is to move forward and accept that I need to leave the person who I was behind. For the near future, I’m going to take a step back from streaming and social media. Hopefully next time you see me, things are better. No matter how long it takes. Thank you -mang0
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