NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

FaZe gaming clan owner in public row with model ex-girlfriend

By Jack Gramenz
news.com.au·
4 Dec, 2019 10:47 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

A seemingly innocent tweet sparked allegations against a celeb gamer from his ex. Photo / Instagram

A seemingly innocent tweet sparked allegations against a celeb gamer from his ex. Photo / Instagram

One of the owners of eSports and entertainment "gaming clan" FaZe has been drawn into an epic Twitter spat with his model ex-girlfriend, who's publicly accused him of cheating on her and being a bad father to their dogs.

The fight started when professional video game player Richard Bengtson, 28, better known as FaZe Banks posted a seemingly innocuous tweet earlier this week saying "I love you".

Ms Violet replied to the tweet with a screenshot of a text thread between her and a contact named in her phone as "scumbag".

I love you

— FaZe Banks (@Banks) December 2, 2019

READ MORE:
• Banned Fortnite star FaZe Jarvis makes $40,000 from apology vid
• Professional gamer FaZe Jarvis banned from Fortnite for life for using aimbots
• Gamer mocked for dumping 'world's hottest weather girl' reveals truth
• Rugby League: Poor turnout doesn't faze coach

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In the text she accuses the person of cheating on her multiple times, and went on to make further allegations on Twitter.

According to Ms Violet, Mr Bengtson allegedly broke eight of her phones as well as smashing the window of a car she had been given by a friend.

Responding to questions on Twitter, she said she caught him cheating.

I couldn’t take care of them? I want them to have a good life? Why are we doing this online?

— FaZe Banks (@Banks) December 2, 2019

"I was asleep upstairs with our dogs and he wasn't next to me so I checked our guesthouse and caught him naked in bed with a random girl," she explained to one Twitter user, before clarifying it was in the guest wing of the house, rather than a stand-alone guesthouse.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"I could spend the next few minutes listing all the horrible things Alissa has done to me and why we didn't work and why I did what I did," he shared.

"Obviously there's two sides to every story and neither of us have been perfect.

Alissa pic.twitter.com/sxtZ2cbgrh

— FaZe Banks (@Banks) December 3, 2019

"Rather than contribute to all of that I'm going to do the right thing and take responsibility for where I've gone wrong in this."

Mr Bengtson said he and Ms Violet had been "having issues" before he did "something really stupid and hurtful".

Discover more

Entertainment

Emma Stone's sweet engagement announcement

05 Dec 02:36 AM
Lifestyle

Sex 'chore' that is ruining my marriage

08 Dec 06:07 PM

"There's additional context and it's not as simple as who's right and who's wrong," Mr Bengtson claimed, before declaring "it doesn't even matter at this point".

A censored version of the text thread Alissa Violet posted in response. Photo / Supplied
A censored version of the text thread Alissa Violet posted in response. Photo / Supplied

"What matters is we're both humans and we've both definitely hurt each other."

It's understood the pair split in July of this year, but Mr Bengtson said the incident happened "a full year ago".

"What that girl and I shared was special. One in a billion special. Something that I don't expect to share with another human for as long as I'm alive," Mr Bengtson said.

The former couple in happier times. Photo / Instagram
The former couple in happier times. Photo / Instagram

"I think I speak for both of us when I say the love was and always will be a very REAL thing. Which is why I refuse to let our very intimate, private relationship become a spectacle online," Mr Bengtson said in his response to the accusations, which has since been retweeted more than 90,000 times.

He closed his statement by saying he understood why his former lover was hurt, but that "hurting me won't make you feel better".

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ms Violet rose to prominence as a model and member of YouTube influencer Jake Paul's marketing management agency and social media incubator Team 10.

FaZe Jarvis released a tearful apology video after his cheating ban last month. Photo / Twitter
FaZe Jarvis released a tearful apology video after his cheating ban last month. Photo / Twitter

Her and Mr Paul sold merchandise bearing the name "Jalissa" but denied actually dating.

Just a faze?

Mr Bengtson clanmate Jarvis Kaye, 17, better known as FaZe Jarvis, recently went through his own cheating scandal.

Mr Kaye was banned from popular game Fortnitelast month for using "aimbot" cheating software.

It's understood he used the software as a demonstration only for a video and wasn't using it when competing in competitive tournaments.

He later apologised in a tearful video that made him an estimated $37,300.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The teenager has taken time off creating content following his lifetime ban from Fortnite, but said in a recent video he would return in some form.

"One thing I've been thinking about the most is how to move forward," Mr Kaye said in the video. "I want to let you all know is that you're going to make mistakes in life, but the most important thing is how you learn from those mistakes and become a better person."

The FaZe clan appear to have a similar cohabitation arrangement as the Team 10 group, with many of the members living together in a Hollywood Hills mansion.

The group have a second house right next door for "clan adjacent" influencers.

Mr Bengtson claimed he spends $100,000 a month on rent earlier this year.

He has plans to expand into a larger media and entertainment business after first finding an audience by making "quickscope" and other Call of Duty trick shot videos on YouTube in 2010, around the height of that game's popularity.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Earlier this year the company received an investment from Atlanta rapper Offset, one-third of rap trio Migos and husband of fellow rapper Cardi B.

He cited anecdotes that both his four-year-old child and 21-year-old brother played Fortnite as evidence the eSports was the "future" and he wanted to be a part of it.

The Bad and Boujee hit maker didn't disclose how much he had invested but said he was attracted to the group because they were "like rock stars".

"They're living like how I'm living as an artist … these guys are influencing things for the culture. This is what I believe in. This is what I do my art for," the 27-year-old rapper said at the time.

His late-20s age and love of video games isn't all he shares with Mr Bengtson though.

Offset has had his own problems with infidelity in the past so may be able to offer some advice, should Mr Bengtson ask for it.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Yesterday Offset was accused of sliding into the DMs of rapper-turned-snitch Tekashi 6ix9ine's ex-girlfriend, which both Cardi B and Offset said was the result of a hack.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Lifestyle

I thought I was a ‘moderate’ drinker until I started tracking my alcohol

18 Jun 12:00 AM
Premium
Lifestyle

UK sculptor claims NZ artwork copied his design, seeks recognition

17 Jun 10:23 PM
New Zealand

Wapiti burger takes Rotorua eatery to Wild Food Challenge final

17 Jun 08:58 PM

Sponsored: Embrace the senses

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
I thought I was a ‘moderate’ drinker until I started tracking my alcohol

I thought I was a ‘moderate’ drinker until I started tracking my alcohol

18 Jun 12:00 AM

Telegraph: Many of us are prone to wishful thinking when it comes to our alcohol intake.

Premium
UK sculptor claims NZ artwork copied his design, seeks recognition

UK sculptor claims NZ artwork copied his design, seeks recognition

17 Jun 10:23 PM
Wapiti burger takes Rotorua eatery to Wild Food Challenge final

Wapiti burger takes Rotorua eatery to Wild Food Challenge final

17 Jun 08:58 PM
Premium
How to tackle your to-do list if you struggle with executive functioning

How to tackle your to-do list if you struggle with executive functioning

17 Jun 06:00 PM
Help for those helping hardest-hit
sponsored

Help for those helping hardest-hit

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP