State Farm Arena shuts down Kai Cenat’s Atlanta Streamer University event over safety concerns

State Farm Arena has stopped Kai Cenat’s Streamer University”auditions due to what officials say were safety concerns after thousands of content creators gathered in downtown Atlanta with the hopes of meeting one of the world’s biggest streamers.

In a statement, State Farm Arena said that the “overwhelming number of people” attending the Streamer University event on Wednesday led them to stop the event and ask all participants to leave the long line outside the arena.

In the past few years, Cenat has become so famous that celebs like Mariah Carey, LeBron James, Drake, John Cena, and more have come on his live stream.

And his influence has even reached everyday lingo. If you’ve heard someone say “rizz,” they most likely got it from him. It even became Oxford Word of the Year. Rolling Stone ranked Cenat No. 1 on its Most Influential Creators list. Forbes lists him as a top-earning creator, bringing in an estimated $8 million a year.

“I love Kai Cenat. You know, he’s the biggest—he’s the biggest freaking streamer. I love him. I want to see him, and I want to glaze him off so hard,” New York City native Jeffrey Chong told CBS Atlanta before the event was canceled. “I want to get into Streamer University and stuff. You know, I want to make it big.”

Although he has two homes in metro Atlanta, nearly all of Cenat’s events are online. So bringing Streamer University to State Farm Arena is the first time many creators will have a chance to meet him and possibly get selected to be part of Streamer University, a program the streamer founded last year to help content creators flourish financially.

Police watch over the large crowds that came to audition to be part of Kai Cenat’s Streamer University.CBS News Atlanta
“This event is so important to Kai and our entire team,” Matthew “Bake” Michaels, a creative director on Cenat’s team, said before the event was stopped. “Streamer University is our baby, and we’re so excited to be able to do it in Atlanta finally, with in-person auditions.”

Atlanta is the second city that California resident Mak Aozami had traveled to with the hopes of meeting Cenat.

“I just really love his content style and how he can just put a smile on everyone’s faces,” Aozami said. “I got a chance to speak to Kai a little bit, which was really awesome.”

Although Aozami says she was selected to speak with Cenat, she still doesn’t know if she earned a seat in the highly-coveted Streamer University.

“We’re looking for the next big streamers, no matter how big or small, male or female. As long as you’re over 18 and you stream, you’re good to go,” Matthews said.

Lamar Giles drove from Beverly, New Jersey to attend the event.

“He’s been putting a lot of people on a bigger platform, and if I were, by the grace of God, to get in there, I know that my personality and who I am will… If I go on that platform and he gets me up there, I know that I will skyrocket,” Giles said.

In a statement, the Atlanta Police Department said that there were “no significant incidents or public safety events” while the auditions took place. Officials say they arrested one man, who was charged with being a pedestrian in the roadway.

Authorities said a video shared on social media that claimed an explosion happened during the event was inaccurate and that “there is no such incident within our jurisdiction.”