PewDiePie's 5 most controversial moments

Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg is arguably this generation's most famous internet personality. As the first creator to reach 100 million subscribers on YouTube, Felix is nothing short of a legend on the internet. But his journey to 100 million has not been without controversy.

The YouTuber recently drew a lot of ire from social media after posting a video where he made fun of a deaf woman using sign language. With Twitter blowing up due to the recent controversy, this article will recap some of PewDiePie's most contentious moments.

Note: This list is subjective and is based on the author's opinions.

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List of five controversial PewDiePie moments

5) Accused of anti-Asian stereotyping

In a Q&A in 2019, the YouTuber detailed that his fans from Asian countries such as Malaysia and Singapore were too loud and "scream-ish," as compared it to their Western counterparts, who were "more like me."

He said:

"If you go to countries like Malaysia and Singapore, people are very hectic and scream-ish and crazy, and they lose their minds when they see you... and then you look at countries like, when I go back to Sweden. People are more like me, more reserved, very polite and calm and just... I would say a lot nicer about it."

The comment and comparison sparked quite a backlash as he was accused of stereotyping and racism. In a later video, he apologized, saying he did not mean to offend anyone and was just comparing fan culture.

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4) Censorship in China and India

The two countries that have had major beef with PewDiePie are India and China. He risked facing legal consequences in India during the notorious subscriber war between him and T-Series. Two of his diss tracks were, and still are, banned in the country for alleged racism and defamation.

The censorship in China, however, was due to a political reason. In a video, he showed memes comparing Chinese President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh, which is a point of political contention. The YouTuber had also spoken up about the 2019-20 Hong Kong protests in the video.

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3) Accused of anti-Semitism

In the early months of 2017, PewDiePie paid two men to hold an anti-Semitic sign for a YouTube video that read "Death to all Jews."

The Wall Street Journal called him out for his actions, and the backlash he received was tremendous. Eventually, it cost him his partnership with Disney. In an interview with Insider, the creator described the incident as:

"I go on Twitter, and there's, like, JK Rowling calling me a f*scist, and I'm like, 'How is this happening? This is crazy'."

Since then, the YouTuber has been constantly linked to far-right neo-n*zism. Numerous reports and stories about white supremacists appropriating his brand proliferate the internet even today.

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2) The n-word

PewDiePie's most public show of racism came from a 2017 PUBG stream where he clearly said the n-word out loud while trying to kill an opponent:

"What a f***ing ni***r. Jeeze, oh my god. What the f**k. Sorry, but what the f**k."

The Swedish YouTuber was having some difficulty hitting a person from a distance and cursed at the opposing player, letting the highly racist word slip into the insult. He promptly released an apology video, expressing regret over disappointing his fans and the gaming community.

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1) Name-dropped by Christchurch shooter

Perhaps the most controversial news ever associated with PewDiePie was the Christchurch mosque shootings on March 15, 2019. A lone Islam*phobe and white supremacist entered and shot at two separate mosques, killing 51 people. The terrorist had shouted "Subscribe to PewDiePie" before committing the mass murders.

Already infamous for using N*zi symbology in his videos, the media was quick to put a spotlight on the creator. In a now-deleted tweet, he expressed his horror at the situation and said:

"Just heard news of the devastating reports from New Zealand Christchurch. I feel absolutely sickened having my name uttered by this person. My heart and thoughts go out to the victims, families and everyone affected by this tragedy."

In the aftermath of the tragedy, many creators distanced themselves from the PewDiePie vs T-Series subscriber war. While some journalists have tried to find links to the murderer's radicalization with the creator's videos, a substantial number of people have theorized that the act of using his name was an act of virality and nothing more.