After a recent video, fans (more than ever) wanted to know what happened to Kai Cenat's online friend Ray.
Ray (aka @rayasianboy) is a popular TikTok and YouTube star who rose to fame after appearing on several of Cenat's uber-popular online streams over the years. The two developed a rapport after first meeting in Ray's home country of Taiwan, and Ray would even be flown out to America by Cenat to collaborate.
However, Ray's appearances online have grown more and more sparse over the last few months, including a lack of cameos on Kai Cenat content.
Where Is Ray from Kai Cenat?
There is a pretty big reason for Ray's (aka RayAsianBoy) absence from Kai Cenat's streams as of late.
While Ray was banned from Twitch last summer (read about Ray's controversial Twitch band here), that is not why his presence has been lacking online as of late.
It turns out that he returned to his home country of Taiwan to perform the mandatory military service that is required of all Taiwanese citizens. In Taiwan, it is compulsory for every person holding Taiwanese citizenship to participate in at least one year of military service starting at 18.
Service can be deferred for the right reasons, but must be completed by the age of 36.
Kai Cenat (a close collaborator of Ray's) said as such on a January livestream of his, remarking that fans are "not really hearing nothing from Ray:"
"Y'all are not really hearing nothing from Ray, and it is a little tough right now, because behind the scenes there is pressure for him to go and serve in the millitary."
On camera, Cenat noted that Ray was trying to get an American Visa to move stateside and avoid compulsory military service, but those hopes may have been for naught.
Ray previously expressed interest in avoiding the mandatory year of service, asking on Twitch (sometimes jokingly) if there was a way to "skip that sh*t."
He has been seen doing the same thing on Kai Cenat's channel as well, with one popular clip from a November 2024 stream seeing the online personality making a plea to be granted American citizenship.
In the time since Ray went offline stateside, some have begun to spread rumors that he may be streaming in Taiwan, but that does not look to be the case. This bout of misinformation seems to stem from a clip of Ray making the rounds that seemingly sees the online personality in some level of distress.
That clip, however, seems to be from an older stream and was not recorded during his current online hiatus.
Did Ray Die After Leaving Kai Cenat?
Another popular rumor going around about Ray's recent lack of online presence has been that the streamer died, thus meaning he cannot appear on streams like had been doing with Kai Cenat. That, however, seems to be totally false.
Cenat and Ray had previously joked about the streamer meeting his untimely demise while on his mandatory military stint, but that does not mean it has happened.
Back in June 2024, Ray joked to Cenat on stream that "if he dies" his fellow internet personality needs to "pick up his Reboot Card," referencing the rival item used in the uber-popular online game, Fortnite.
In a more recent stream, in which Cenat was playing through the Batman: Arkham games, the streamer again addressed Ray as if he was alive, just unable to communicate with him at the moment.
"I ain't gonna lie, I miss Ray," Cenat lamented on stream, saying he felt bad for his fellow online creator feeling like he has "no control" over his life after his meteoric rise thanks (in part) to Cenat's popularity.
It seems as though Ray is either currently serving as a part of his mandatory military service or is prioritizing getting out of it and has simply decided to take a step back from content creation while he does so.
Either way, Ray will more than likely be back online at some point soon, hashing it up with Kai Cenat yet again in a more permanent fashion.
Ray can be followed online on Instagram (@rayasianboy), and Kai Cenat can be seen on his YouTube and Twitch channels (where he just completed the mega-streaming event dubbed 'Mafiathon 2').
