{"id":885842,"date":"2026-10-17T19:52:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T19:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/885842\/"},"modified":"2026-10-17T19:52:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T19:52:08","slug":"smash-bros-pro-barred-from-event-following-bed-bug-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/885842\/","title":{"rendered":"Smash Bros. Pro Barred From Event Following Bed Bug Concern"},"content":{"rendered":"

Super Smash Bros. Melee pro Jason Zimmerman, better known as \u201cMew2King,\u201d was scheduled to appear at Austin\u2019s Xtreme Fighters Showdown this weekend. That was until yesterday, when event staff decided to bar Zimmerman from appearing at the last minute. The decision came following concern over a viral post from the player. Asking fans about sores along his arms and legs, other attendees were growing antsy that Zimmerman would spread bed bugs<\/a> through the competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor the safety of our event, XFS 2026, we have politely informed Mew2King,\u201d posted event staff<\/a>, \u201che will not [be] able to participate or attend our event this weekend due to a self-reported health concern.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a now deleted post, Zimmerman asked the public to help clear up a health anxiety on Thursday. Riddled with swollen red marks, he was convinced he had been bitten by fleas off a house mate\u2019s cat, though others suggested the bites originated from a bed bug infestation.<\/p>\n

Made a post about my thoughts on things. Ngl im turning off replies cuz of the types of mean msgs many ppl sent me that i dont want to see or deal with. I wont be streaming or around for a while (maybe weeks idk). Thx for those who do care appreciate youhttps:\/\/t.co\/kJsNRn4jsz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jason Zimmerman (@MVG_Mew2King) October 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201c[I] had like a hundred of these on my body 2 months ago,\u201d posted Zimmerman. \u201cLike my entire body. This isn\u2019t even nearly the worst picture, not even close.\u201d He continued to explain that the bites had been reoccurring and was half the reason he was considering a move to California from Ohio. Whatever the cause, Xtreme Fighters Showdown moved to prevent other guests from potentially suffering the same.<\/p>\n

Despite stereotypes about the Smash Bros. community<\/a>, everyone that gives sidewalk mattresses a wide berth will attest that bed bugs are notorious hitchhikers. Capable of hiding in the seams of clothes and furniture and passing along to new hosts. Though not the end of the world, they can be a trial to clear<\/a> from a home once infested. Other competitors have come to Zimmerman\u2019s defense following the ridicule. \u201c[Please] have some grace and don\u2019t bully another member of the community into further mental decline,\u201d posted Team Liquid co-owner Juan \u201cHungrybox\u201d DeBiedma<\/a>. \u201cHe relies on the few friends he has to be able to live anywhere and often those living conditions aren\u2019t ideal. He was told he shouldn\u2019t go to the event, and he listened and agreed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zimmerman has since responded to the ban, regretting the initial post and saying the photos were being blown out of proportion. Living in a home with 10 house pets and a caretaker, he\u2019s still more certain that the bites came from something off a cat, and that most of the subsequent scabbing came from his own intrusive habits. He also stresses that the photo of his leg is outdated, with the situation improving since then. He was wondering if the more recent hand swelling was related, as he had been putting his fingers through strain from practice. He adds that if he truly felt he was putting the community at risk, he would have stepped down before causing an outrage.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like I could have just said nothing ever and been fine,\u201d wrote Zimmerman in a statement<\/a>. \u201cMakes me think how many people might potentially have a bad situation themselves but just not stupidly say anything publicly\u2026 I feel quite bad, dumb and frustrated.\u201d<\/p>\n

For the time being, Zimmerman says he will be stepping back from competing and streaming, continuing to improve on his health, as he said he had been focussing on over recent months.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Super Smash Bros. Melee pro Jason Zimmerman, better known as \u201cMew2King,\u201d was scheduled to appear at Austin\u2019s Xtreme…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":885843,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[86769,371643,168045,105091,371644,74],"class_list":["post-885842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-esports","tag-fgc","tag-fighting-games","tag-super-smash-bros","tag-super-smash-bros-melee","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=885842"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/885842\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/885843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=885842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=885842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=885842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}