Maker Studios, a subsidiary of Disney, has officially severed its deal with YouTube star Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg. The decision was made after it was found out that the internet celebrity has published several videos that included anti-Semitic sentiments.
Kjellberg partnered with Maker Studios in 2016 to create his own entertainment network called Revelmode. The network serves as a platform for Kjellberg and his friends to create videos, games, apps and merchandise, according to Kotaku. Maker Studios also produced the 10-episode YouTube Red original series, “ScarePewDiePie,” which Kjellberg starred in.
“Although Felix has created a following by being provocative and irreverent, he clearly went too far in this case and the resulting videos are inappropriate,” a Maker Studios spokeswoman said. Kjellberg apparently had editorial freedom with his deal with Maker Studios, but he simply crossed a line, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The issue began with Kjellberg’s now-deleted Jan. 11 video wherein he paid two Indian men through Fiverr to display a sign that read “Death to All Jews.” The YouTube star later apologized and reportedly said, “I didn’t think they would actually do it.” The two men holding up the sign also apologized in a video explaining that they “really don’t know what the message meant when making the video.”
The now-deleted video where Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg paid two Indian men to hold up a sign that read,”Death to all Jews.” Photo: Kotaku
Just this past Sunday, Kjellberg addressed the issue on his Tumblr page. “I was trying to show how crazy the modern world is, specifically some of the services available online. I picked something that seemed absurd to me—That people on Fiverr would say anything for 5 dollars,” Kjellberg explained.
“I think it’s important to say something and I want to make one thing clear: I am in no way supporting any kind of hateful attitudes. I make videos for my audience. I think of the content that I create as entertainment, and not a place for any serious political commentary. I know my audience understand that and that is why they come to my channel. Though this was not my intention, I understand that these jokes were ultimately offensive,” he added.
The WSJ also reviewed Kjellberg’s PewDiePie YouTube channel and found that the creator has published nine videos that included anti-Semitic content or Nazi imagery since August 2016. Three of those videos, including the one from Jan. 11, have already been taken down.
Kjellberg currently has over 53 million subscribers on his PewDiePie YouTube channel with over 14 billion video views. Although full details of Kjellberg’s deal with Maker Studios hasn’t been disclosed, it’s likely that the Disney division was also responsible for handling the star’s more technical business matters, as pointed out by Forbes.
With Maker Studios no longer working with Kjellberg, the YouTube star will likely take care of his business on his own. Without a partner media company, this may also mean that he will have to finance his future projects himself. It’s possible that Kjellberg will see a decline in his earnings this year. The YouTube star reportedly made $15 million in 2016 thanks to ads on his videos, his YouTube Red original series, various merchandises and his book, “This Book Loves You.”
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