Why did Ray stop appearing on Kai Cenat’s streams?

Fans of the Twitch star, Kai Cenat, will no doubt recognise one of the streamer’s best friends, Ray, AKA “rayasianboy” who frequently appeared on camera with Cenat, and quickly endeared himself to fans. However, the 19 year old has been noticeably absent from streams the last few months, and for an understandable reason.

Last year Cenat and Ray streamed together for what many thought could be the last time. Shortly afterwards he disappeared for a while, and some fans even believed that he had died.

What happened to Ray?

Ray had actually revealed earlier in the year that he would be returning to Taiwan in order to complete his military service. Both Cenat and Ray had been aware of this for a while, as the duo even discussed the prospect of Ray’s mandatory service with guests Druski and Kevin Hart in June. Cenat asks his friend to show how he would hold a gun, and Ray mimes holding a gun and throwing a grenade, prompting Hart to joke, “oh you’re going to die.”

Ray and Kai Cenat have been a fan favorite duo for a long time

The pair’s legendary friendship began when Cenat took a trip to Japan, where he met Ray by chance. Back then Ray was simply a fan of the streamer, but the two got on like a house on fire, prompting Cenat to fly his new friend back to the AMP house in Atlanta, where Ray would stay for a couple of weeks.

From there the two continued to make content together, with Ray fitting in perfectly with the kind of chaotic content Cenat was known for. Of course, they had their ups and downs, and it wouldn’t be uncommon for them to get into minor arguments on stream, but they were clearly very close friends. Fans loved the dynamic between the two, with commenters on YouTube comparing them to bickering siblings. Ray even began streaming himself under the name “rayasianboy.”

What’s going on with Ray’s military service?

Ray revealed to Cenat in May that he would have to return to his country in order to complete a year-long mandatory conscription that all Taiwanese citizens have to fulfill. On August 25th, Cenat recorded a Snapchat of him saying goodbye to his friend prior to his departure from the U.S.

Kai Cenat says goodbye to Ray as he leaves for Taiwan to finish the military 🔥 pic.twitter.com/RSbYH5QWth

— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) August 25, 2024

Fans wished the young streamer luck, while others simply said that they would miss seeing Ray in the streams.

A mere five days later, Cenat updated fans and claimed that Ray in fact did not return to fulfil his military service, but rather he was simply going to see his family for a few weeks. Since then it seems like Ray has been back and forth between the U.S. and Taiwan. He and Cenat have reunited more than once, with Ray returning for a stream in November last year and again in December.

The law in Taiwan states that men between the age of 18-36 with a Taiwanese citizenship are expected to complete a compulsory military service. Perhaps Ray was able to arrange doing it when he’s older, or maybe he’s managed to find a loophole to avoid it entirely.