Chud The Builder: The Rise & Fall Of The Most Racist Streamer

chud-the-builder-rise-and-fall — Source: Handout / Getty

Dalton Eatherly, better known online as “Chud the Builder,” may have built his name off shock value, racism and livestream chaos, but the latest chapter is far more serious than internet trolling. The 28-year-old streamer was charged with attempted murder after a shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville, Tennessee, on Wednesday, May 13. Authorities say Eatherly and another man got into a confrontation that escalated into gunfire, leaving both men injured but stable. Along with attempted murder, Eatherly was also charged with employing a firearm during a dangerous felony, aggravated assault and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon.

According to reporting from the Associated Press, Eatherly was at the courthouse that morning for a separate civil case tied to an alleged $3,300 debt. What happened outside afterward is still under investigation, but officials confirmed that both men were transported for medical treatment. Eatherly later claimed on a livestream that he fired in self-defense after being hit, and at one point appeared to question whether he had accidentally shot himself or had only been grazed. Prosecutors and police have not publicly confirmed that version as fact, which is important because, at this point, his legal fate will be decided by evidence, not livestream commentary.

For people who had been watching Eatherly’s rise online, the violence did not feel random. “Chud the Builder” became known for filming himself in public while antagonizing Black people, using racial slurs and trying to turn real-life confrontations into content. AP described him as a white man who livestreams racially derogatory confrontations, including videos where he uses the N-word and frames his behavior as “free speech.” That was his whole lane: walk into public places, say the most disrespectful racist thing possible, wait for a reaction, then let the internet clip it up.

That is how he got “famous,” if we’re even calling it that. He was not famous for talent, humor, commentary or anything with real cultural value. The Guardian reported that he built a following through livestreams where he deliberately used racial slurs to “rage-bait” people in public, and AP quoted a Clarksville resident saying Eatherly was known locally for antagonizing people just to see what he could get them to do. That is the part that makes this whole story feel less like a surprise and more like the natural ending to a playbook built on escalation.

The courthouse shooting also came just days after another arrest. On Saturday, May 9, Eatherly was arrested in Nashville after allegedly refusing to pay a $371.55 bill at Bob’s Steak and Chop. According to WSMV, an arrest affidavit stated that the restaurant asked him not to livestream or disrupt dining service, but after ordering two entrees, drinks, and appetizers, he was accused of continuing to stream, becoming disruptive, making racial statements, yelling, and refusing to pay. He was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and theft of services, and was booked on a $5,000 bond.

The restaurant incident is important because it shows how fast the “content” was bleeding into real-life consequences. This was no longer just somebody saying wild things on camera and disappearing back into the internet. He was allegedly bringing that energy into restaurants, streets and now outside a courthouse. Local reactions have reflected that exhaustion. AP quoted one Clarksville resident who said he had seen videos of Eatherly carrying a gun and mace while going around “starting things,” adding that it felt like “a matter of time.” That line pretty much sums up the public reaction: a lot of people are not shocked that someone whose brand was built on racist provocation eventually ended up in a violent situation.

So the “rise and fall” of Chud the Builder is really a story about how the internet keeps rewarding the worst people until the real world finally steps in. His audience may have treated the racism like entertainment, but the law is treating the shooting like a felony case with serious charges attached. As of now, Eatherly is being held at the Montgomery County Jail until bond is set at an arraignment hearing, and he still faces separate charges in Nashville from the steakhouse incident. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty, but the bigger picture is already clear: when your whole brand is built on harassing Black people for clicks, the fall is not just inevitable — it usually comes with paperwork, mugshots and consequences.

See social media’s ongoing reaction to Chud below.