The recent death of Raphaël Graven, a prominent French streamer widely known by his online alias Jean Pormanove, has sent shockwaves through France and the global streaming community. Graven, 46, died on Monday, August 18, 2025, near Nice during a marathon broadcast on the Kick livestreaming platform that had been running for more than 298 hours—nearly two weeks straight. His passing, which occurred on air and in the presence of fellow streamers, has unleashed a torrent of outrage, soul-searching, and urgent calls for reform across the digital media landscape.
According to CNN and AP, Graven was found unconscious and lying on a bed by his co-streamers, who soon interrupted the broadcast. Emergency services were called, but he could not be revived. The Nice prosecutor, Damien Martinelli, confirmed that an autopsy performed on Thursday, August 21, revealed Graven's death was not caused by trauma and was not related to the intervention of another person. However, additional medical and toxicological analyses have been ordered to determine the precise cause of death.
Graven's online persona, Jean Pormanove, had attracted a massive audience—over a million followers across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and, most recently, Kick. While he began as a gaming content creator, his streams on Kick became infamous for their extreme and often disturbing content. As reported by Mediapart and cited by AP, Graven's broadcasts increasingly featured him being humiliated and subjected to violence, with videos showing him chained, lying on the ground in apparent pain, suffering blows, strangulation, insults, and even being doused with paint. Viewers, often egged on by the promise of more shocking content, donated money throughout these broadcasts—one final donation counter showed roughly 36,000 euros (about $42,000) amassed over days of streaming, according to CNN.
The judicial investigation into Graven's death is not a new development. French authorities had already opened a probe in December 2024, prompted by investigative reports from Mediapart about what was described as the "online abuse business." The investigation is focused on "deliberate violence against vulnerable persons" and "spreading recordings of images related to offences involving deliberate violations of physical integrity." Two of Graven's co-streamers, Owen Cenazandotti and Safine Hamadi, were briefly taken into custody in January 2025 but were released pending further investigation. Both, as well as Graven himself before his death, denied being victims of real violence, insisting that the events were staged to generate buzz and income. "All those scenes are just staged, they follow a script," said Yassin Sadouni, a lawyer for one of the co-streamers, in an interview with BFMTV.
Still, the evidence—and the videos reviewed by CNN and Mediapart—paints a grim picture. In dozens of clips, Graven appears to be the target of relentless jokes, harassment, physical assaults, and demeaning stunts. At times, his fellow streamers competed to see who could strangulate him the longest, or they shot paintballs at him and doused him with water. During the final broadcast, participants were awakened by the roar of a motorbike in the shared bedroom or by an air blower. In one particularly distressing moment, Graven was roused when a bucket of water was poured over him. The broadcasts seemed designed to push the boundaries of what viewers would pay to see, with little regard for the impact on those involved.
Behind the scenes, Graven reportedly suffered from cardiovascular problems and was seen in videos mentioning his need for medication. In a series of messages to his mother, read aloud by Cenazandotti during a stream, Graven expressed feeling "kept in captivity" by his fellow streamers. "The game has gone too far," Cenazandotti said on air, quoting Graven's words: "I feel like I’m being held captive because of their vile concept." In another exchange, Graven's mother confronted the streamers about their treatment of her son, including pulling his hair. Yet, according to Sadouni, she sometimes participated in staged stunts herself. The lines between reality and performance, manipulation and consent, were often blurred—raising troubling questions about the ethics of such content and the responsibilities of those involved.
Public reaction to Graven's death has been swift and fierce. Clara Chappaz, France's deputy minister in charge of artificial intelligence and digital affairs, condemned the violence Graven endured as an "absolute horror." In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), she wrote, "Jean Pormanove was humiliated and mistreated for months live on the Kick platform. The responsibility of online platforms regarding the dissemination of illicit content is not optional: it is the law." Chappaz confirmed she had contacted Kick's management for an explanation and called for platforms to be held accountable for removing illegal content.
Kick, the Australian-based video streaming platform that has attracted influencers banned from other sites like Twitch, responded by banning all of Graven's co-streamers who participated in the broadcast pending the outcome of the investigation. "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jean Pormanove and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and community," Kick said in a statement on X. "Our priority is to protect creators and ensure a safer environment on Kick." The company also pledged to cooperate fully with authorities and undertake a comprehensive review of its French-language content.
The permissive moderation policies of Kick have come under renewed scrutiny. Unlike Twitch, Kick allows gambling activities, sexually suggestive content, and even broadcasts involving humiliation or violence without automatic sanctions. Its community guidelines claim to "support creators expressing themselves freely," but also state that "content that depicts or incites abhorrent violence including significant harm, suffering or death" is not permitted. However, the guidelines do not specify how such content is to be handled by moderators, and critics argue that enforcement has been lax at best.
As the investigation continues, no charges have yet been announced by the Nice prosecutor's office. Authorities have seized a large amount of material and video footage and are conducting further interviews with those present at the time of Graven's death. The case has also spurred debate about the responsibilities of online platforms, the ethics of extreme content, and the vulnerability of those who participate in such broadcasts—often for the promise of fame or financial reward.
In a gesture that underscores the reach and notoriety of the case, American internet personality Adin Ross and Canadian rapper Drake announced they would cover the costs of Graven's funeral. "This won't bring his life back, it's the least we can do," Ross wrote on X, describing the death as "horrible and disgusting." The move has drawn further attention to the case, highlighting the global nature of the streaming community and the sometimes tragic consequences of its excesses.
As France—and the world—grapples with the fallout from Graven's death, the incident stands as a stark warning about the darker side of online fame and the urgent need for greater safeguards to protect those at the heart of the digital entertainment revolution.
