Backyard Breaks co-founder Grant Telford returned to live-streaming Wednesday after stepping away from the company following a series of sexually explicit remarks earlier this year.
Telford and co-host “Bugzy,” who also returned to streaming Wednesday, hadn’t been featured in Backyard Breaks livestreams in nearly three months following a show in January that featured offensive comments.
During that controversial Whatnot stream, Telford and Bugzy exchanged a series of comments about Telford’s hypothetical future daughter, which many characterized as the sexualization of a child.
Due to the sensitive nature of the comments, cllct has opted not to quote Telford directly.
After an attempted apology during a subsequent show, Telford issued a statement apologizing for his remarks. Telford wrote in the apology he would be stepping away from the company to reflect on his actions.
Backyard Breaks later issued an official statement, which said the company was reviewing its policy for livestreams.
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Prior to starting Wednesday’s box break, Telford reconnected with Backyard Breaks customers while largely talking about self-improvement and other positive messaging.
“You guys drove me to be a better person, and I appreciate you,” Telford said during the show.
Elsewhere on social media, Telford’s return was met with ire from members of the trading card community, with many believing Telford — and possibly Backyard Breaks as a company — should be banned from the major streaming platforms permanently.
In addition to the offensive comments, the Backyard Breaks controversy was complicated by what some in the trading card community viewed as inaction from many of the most important companies in the hobby.
Whatnot, the largest collectibles streaming platform in the industry, declined cllct’s request for comment directly after the controversial show. A new request following Telford’s return also went unanswered.
Attempts by cllct to reach Telford and other company co-founders for comment on his return weren’t immediately successful.
To date, the only public action by a Backyard Breaks partner appears to be Whatnot temporarily suspending Telford’s account. That account appears to have been rebranded as Backyard Buzz and was used by Telford on Wednesday.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.