Professional Super Smash Bros. player Jason ‘Mew2King’ Zimmerman has been banned from a competitive tournament after posting photos of his concerning skin condition and complaining about a bug infestation in his home. On the morning of October 16, 2026, Zimmerman went viral due to a thread of posts he had posted on Twitter/X the day before. In the posts, he complained of suffering from swelling in his hands, which he attributed to playing too much without rest or being bitten by insects at home. “My hands are slightly swollen (could be from all the Fox SSBMs or the bugs in the house that bite me every day), pink/red and swollen/fatter than usual, is there a way to fix this ASAP? I’m boarding my flight to Texas now,” he wrote. 25 Best Super Smash Bros. Characters He went on to share a photo of his hand and one of his right leg, which was covered in painful-looking red bumps that appeared to be insect bites. Zimmerman said these bites happen to him “every week” and are a determining factor in his decision to move from Ohio to California. “Two months ago I had like a hundred of these on my body. Like all over my body. This is not even close to the worst picture, not even close,” she explained in another post. “It’s all insect bites from the house. I lived like this all year long. Or the last few months.” Others urged him not to get on a plane or stay in a hotel, saying it could spread suspected bed bugs, which are known to sneak into luggage and clothing to lay eggs at your next destination. Image Credits: Twitter/X: Mew2King News of Zimmerman’s condition spread quickly online, sparking endless discourse within the fighting game community, to the point where the tournament he was competing in, The tournament’s CEO posted a statement about the situation on Twitter/X, alerting the public that Mew2King was no longer invited to participate in the competition as a direct result of his health issues. “For the safety of our event, XFS 2026, we have politely informed Mew2King that you will not be able to participate or attend our event this weekend due to a self-reported health issue,” the statement read. “The health and well-being of our attendees is our priority. Thank you and we will see you this weekend.” Good evening, a message from our CEO, M333: For the safety of our event, (@xfshowdown) October 16, 2026 Zimmerman has not provided any public updates following this latest development and has since deleted all tweets discussing his skin condition. This is the latest viral moment to make headlines within the competitive gaming space after professional DotA 2 player ’23savage’ was forced to play in front of police officers after authorities raided one of his team’s training camps. And in September, Pokémon VGC regional champion Donghun Youm claimed he lost a match due to his opponent’s overwhelming stench, sparking a community-wide push for players to use deodorant in tournaments. Virginia (she/her) is News Editor at IGN. With ten years of experience reporting on gaming and entertainment, he has experience in the fighting game community, influencer news, and viral online trends. Find her on Twitter at @TheeMissGlaze.
