Alyssa Mercante Caught in Secret Discord Harassing SmashJT and Grummz

Alyssa Mercante Caught in Discord Plotting Against SmashJT and Grummz — EXPOSED by Gigabear

Alyssa Mercante — failed former senior games journalist from Kotaku and recurring controversy magnet — has now been exposed behind a private, paywalled Discord server associated directly with the Western Kabuki podcast. While I've never personally heard of this "podcast" before, apparently the discord was being used with other failed “games journalists” to dig up dirt on my past employment history, as well as contribute to an orchestrated smear campaign against Grummz.

This secretive digital war room, accessible only to $10+ Patreon subscribers, has now been completely blown wide open thanks to Gigabear, who bravely infiltrated the server and provided screenshots of the damning conversations... And my goodness. The irony of Alyssa Mercante claiming "harassment" against me, when being found in this Discord server digging for dirt to continue harassing me is not lost on me...

Western Kabuki: A Digital Lynch Mob Masquerading as a Podcast

For the unfamiliar, Western Kabuki brands itself as a quirky commentary podcast, hosted by @Birdrespecter, @AGoldmund, and @JUNlPER. While it initially began as a podcast about Nicolas Cage, it's since devolved into a cesspool of online harassment, vendettas, and politically motivated doxing. It's filled with some of the most spiteful and pitiful names in the "games industry" - the usual suspects...

They’re active on:

• YouTube

• Spotify

But beneath the podcast’s public façade lies something far darker and way more sinister: a paywalled Discord server where harassment campaigns are planned and carried out against anyone who goes against "the message".

The Plot Against Grummz and SmashJT

The so-called “Goonergate Megathread” is where the seeds of the operation were sown. Inside this channel, users including Alyssa Mercante, Nick Calandra (Second Wind), and others — McDizzle, Airbagged, thiefpal, Spew — chatted about those they ideologically disagree with like Grummz, the outspoken developer working on EM8er, and some like Alyssa Mercante specifically, plotting further takedowns, including targeting myself (SmashJT) next...

Thanks to Gigabear’s infiltration, we now have ALL the receipts:

In one thread (above), user thiefpal (according to Grummz) accessed stolen data breach credentials — including plain text emails and passwords — to unearth Grummz’s old online ventures. The "shocking reveal"? Over 20 years ago, Grummz apparently operated a softcore anime/BDSM site that published commissioned art and fan-fiction. Fully legal, subscription-based, and tame by today’s standards. I'm not really sure what the big 'gotcha' here was exactly, and the group pathetically spent days hyping the “scoop” only to be left with nothing remotely scandalous — except their own criminal tactics.

This whole thing runs deep with many 'bad actors' trying, and ultimately failing, to expose Grummz. Another user, "Bee" (aka WashYourCrack on X) admitted they couldn’t prove anything… but then proceeded to post Grummz’s private login credentials anyways — which, as far as I can tell, is a blatant violation of federal and state cybercrime laws.

Grummz has announced since on the Flashcast that he fully plans on presenting this information to the FBI for further investigation.

Let’s be clear: this is a coordinated cyberstalking operation. And it's extremely illegal. The fact Alyssa Mercante, who is currently suing me, is caught up in all this nonesense makes it all that much wilder...

Alyssa Mercante’s Role in the Conspiracy

Among the most shocking revelations was Alyssa Mercante herself asking users to investigate my past employers in real life— a clear desperate attempt to weaponize professional history in a personal feud.

This has absolutely nothing to do with journalism at all.. and everything to do with her continued attempts to silence any dissenting voices. She is seen in the same private channel plotting and discussing future targets.

Her presence in this group is not passive — it’s participatory. Again... Beyond insane! And she’s not alone...

Nick Calandra is seen mocking Craig from Sidescrollers.

Airbagged is coordinating brigading efforts on X via Community Notes.

This isn’t discourse. It’s digital mob justice. It goes on and on and on...

Their Goal? Silence the Anti-Woke Movement in Gaming

Gigabear’s screenshots confirm the ultimate objective: to "take out" Grummz and then subsequently, target others critical of the mainstream gaming media’s DEI agenda. They are losing so badly in their efforts that they now have stooped to these levels. This is ideological warfare — and Grummz is public enemy number one to them, precisely because he’s been so effective at rallying developers and gamers who oppose political overreach in games. Probably pisses them off pretty good that Elon Musk now follows Grummz and consistanty interacts and retweets him as well...

Grummz’s success terrifies them — so they’re trying to destroy his reputation, his game, and his family. These people have:

• Doxxed his address and family photos (yeah, they've done this to me as well)

• Posted vague death threats

• Created smear campaigns using impersonators

• Spread false rumors (including the infamous “breast milk theft” lie)

• Published a porn game with the same name as his title to hurt his brand

• Even put out alleged bounties on his life

...Among a slew of other abhorrent actions. These are not isolated incidents. This is a pattern of behavior — and Alyssa Mercante and her clique are central players in this sick campaign. Is Grummz perfect? No. Far from it. In fact I've gone on record multiple times stating that Grummz should focus more on his game and obligation to the backers of his EM8er project... But this is reaching levels of harassment insanity. These people are sick and they will not stop. It's not about Grummz, or his game, or anything of the sort. It's about the ideology and 'the message'. They see Grummz as a major blockade in the way of forwarding their twisted agenda. They need to take him down.

The Law Is Clear: What They’ve Done May Be Criminal

What the Western Kabuki server did isn’t “research” at all. In fact, it’s potentially felony-level cybercrime. Under laws like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), accessing and sharing login credentials from breaches — let alone using them to tie together personal accounts and launch targeted harassment — is a crime. Think about how deranged you'd have to be just to go to these lengths to get at someone...

Doxing, stalking, and publishing private credentials for the purpose of harassment — all of which happened, in writing, in a server they now hide behind a paywall to escape scrutiny. Not that this is anything new. Hell, Alyssa doxed my home address of me and my wife and kids in her lawsuit against me, while redacting her own in fear of... her own safety. A direct attack on my family.

The Curtain Has Been Pulled Back

Thanks to Gigabear’s courage, we all now know what’s really happening behind the scenes at Western Kabuki. No longer is any of this just about small Twitter beefs or internet drama — this is a coordinated network of disgraced journalists, led in part by none other than Alyssa Mercante, who are actively using these criminal methods to silence dissenting voices in gaming.

They thought they could get away with it. But the screenshots are now public. The receipts are in.

The truth is out — and they’ll never be able to hide it again.

...and yes, I have contacted my lawyer, Ron Coleman with this information. That's all I can say about that at this time.

~Smash

EDIT 3/31/25: Clarified involved parties in "The Plot Against Grummz and SmashJT" section.