There was a time when a certain Swedish web video comedian, reviewer and online celebrity Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg was one of the biggest people to come out from the internet video community. With his online handle of Pewdiepie, he created a personal brand so prominent that he became a hot commodity for online-based and multi-channel networks like maker studios, which later became a subsidiary of Disney, giving him an even higher profile and even more clout. One doesn’t join the “100 Most Influential People in the World” list for nothing. Lately, however, some imprudent and inappropriate uploads from PewDiePie have landed him in some boiling water from online commenters.
The adverse reaction grew to the point that his parent companies have decided to let him go over it.
Anti-Semitic content
Kjellberg may be the most highly-paid YouTube talent around as PewDiePie thanks to Disney, but that doesn’t mean he could slack off on certain standards of decency from his uploaded content. While his usual repertoire of gameplay videos with commentary, and later comedy skits both live and animated, were filled with energetic wackiness and a liberal helping of swear words, not a lot has unsettled his loyal fan base until this January. Kjellberg has been noted to have uploaded at least nine YouTube videos since then that were described by viewers as chock-full of either racist or Anti-Semitic remarks, and Nazi imagery, still big no-no’s in being a good online presence.
From an increasing frequency in saying the “N-word,” it escalated into showing video footage of men under PewDiePie’s direction holding up a “Death to All Jews” sign. The there was a vid of a man dressed like Jesus insisting Nazi German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler “did nothing wrong.” After a steady barrage of similarly themed content involving swastikas, the Nazi Party anthem and the Hitler salute, YouTube which hosts the videos have taken action by pulling all ads connected to them.
Eventually, YouTube at the behest of their parent company Google decided to cancel the second season of PewDiePie’s “Red” web series and removing his channel from their Google Preferred program, which would have fed YouTube’s top content to ad brands.
Loss of sponsorship
It needs to be said that PewDiePie did take steps to “clean up” after the heat he has taken from the net, removing three of the nine videos found offensive and posting his own explanation of what he just did, insisting that he was no Anti-Semite and the uploads were actually in good humor.
Too late as on February 13 Disney through Maker Studios has decided to let Kjellberg go, leaving him unattached to any multi-channel network at the moment and his YouTube channel no longer attractive to advertisers. From this time, things are looking down for him.
