Inside the Chaos of ‘Chud the Builder,’ the Controversial White Streamer Who Messed Around and Found Out
For months, Dalton Levi Eatherly lived behind a screen under the moniker “Chud the Builder.” The Tennessee contractor filmed himself harassing Black bystanders and weaponizing racial slurs for the amusement of a niche internet subculture, racing to see how far he could push the boundaries of online outrage.
But internet infamy has a habit of bleeding into reality—and for Eatherly, that reality arrived in the form of severe felony charges and the prospect of decades in prison.
Chud the Builder engineered a digital platform built entirely around confrontation, betting that his race and his internet following would insulate him from consequence so long as he kept the cameras rolling. He bet wrong.
Even a permanent ban from the streaming platform Kick failed to deter his targeted harassment. Instead, the performative toxicity spilled directly onto the streets, culminating in a shocking daytime shooting outside a Clarksville, Tenn., courthouse that left Eatherly facing an attempted murder charge and a massive $1.25 million bond.
Who is Chud the Builder?
Dalton Eatherly was a local contractor navigating the residential remodeling scene in Clarksville—about 50 miles northwest of Nashville. However, his life fundamentally shifted between 2024 and 2025 following a volatile road rage incident involving a local Black family, according to reports.
When allegations surfaced that Eatherly had targeted the family with vicious racial slurs, he lost his job at a local construction firm, The Mirror reported.
Rather than retreating from the public eye, Eatherly later admitted that the incident motivated him to weaponize his firing—leaning heavily into a free speech patriot-persona to launch a career in provocative streaming.
Viral Rage-Baiting Content
The 28-year-old quickly built a reputation as a volatile, rage-baiting streamer who specialized in racially charged confrontation. Videos of Eatherly spewing the N-word, asking a bystander to give a Black man “a banana,” and intentionally provoking people to “chimp out”—a derogatory slur comparing Black people to monkeys—frequently went viral.
In one widely-circulated clip, Eatherly referred to a Black man as a chimpanzee. When the man confronted him, Eatherly shot back, “America is free speech. Tell me I can’t say something again.”
Soon after, Kick slapped Eatherly with an indefinite ban for public harassment. While Eatherly confirmed the ban on X, he promised his followers that the “Chud Army motion never stops” and that his streams would migrate to alternative platforms like Pump.fun.
Chud the Builder Meets Humble Pie
On May 9, Eatherly allegedly caused a scene at Bob’s Steak & Chop House in Nashville, local news channel Fox 17 reported. After being asked to stop recording inside the venue, he reportedly became belligerent, according to local news station WSMV 4.
The arrest affidavit stated that Eatherly refused to pay a $371.55 bill for the drinks, appetizers and two entrees he had already consumed. He was kicked out by restaurant staff and charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and theft of services.
Shooting Outside of a Courthouse of All Places
Despite his charges, Eatherly upped the ante. On May 13, his pattern of public provocation turned bloody outside the Montgomery County Courts Complex. According to police and eyewitness accounts, Eatherly engaged in a racially charged verbal altercation with Joshua Fox, a Black man whom family members and county officials later identified as a disabled veteran.
When Fox reportedly struck Eatherly in the face, the streamer pulled a handgun from his jacket. In the violent scuffle that followed, Eatherly opened fire in broad daylight—wounding Fox in the stomach and shoulder, and grazing his own arm in the process. Authorities charged Eatherly with attempted murder.
The Fallout
Chud the Builder critics had a field day online after footage went viral showing his stunned reaction to a judge setting his bond at over a million dollars. In the comment section of CNN’s TikTok coverage, viewers showed zero sympathy—instead choosing to troll the news by posting personal milestones.
One user shared a photo from her marriage proposal, another uploaded a picture from a prom and a third posted a gym selfie. The wave of deliberately disinterested comments continued as others shared memes, graduate school announcements and pictures of their dogs.
If convicted, Eatherly faces up to 60 years behind bars, PEOPLE reported. A formal bond hearing is scheduled for May 21, followed by a preliminary hearing on May 26.
