"Went from an edgy creator to a wholesome father": Fans defend PewDiePie as Viral tweet comparing him to Hitler sparks online debate

A tweet comparing YouTuber Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, aka PewDiePie, to Adolf Hitler went viral on X on Tuesday. The original X post by @RetroPrimal24 described three other popular YouTubers, Markiplier, MrBeast, and DanTDM, alongside Kjellberg, as “good people.”

However, an X user, @Woody3930, shared photos of famous historical personalities in the same order. The user seemingly subtly likened the Swedish content creator to the late German dictator. The tweet seemingly compared Markiplier to Martin Luther King Jr., MrBeast to civil rights activist Rosa Parks, and DanTDM to Indian independence activist Mahatma Gandhi.

The tweet likely compared Kjellberg to Hitler due to the YouTuber’s past controversial pranks. In early 2017, the Swedish content creator came under fire for paying two Indian men $5 via a freelance app to make a video of them holding a sign that read, "Death to All Jews."

PewDiePie later argued that the point of the stunt was to critique how internet service can make an individual do or say something questionable for just $5. The Wall Street Journal had criticized the YouTuber for posting a series of videos containing Nazi imagery and anti-Semitic jokes.

These controversies could be the reason X user @Woody3930 drew the comparison between Kjellberg and Hitler. However, the YouTuber's fans came to his defense.

"They hate the successful wholesome arc of anyone who found success. Pewdiepie went from an edgy creator to a wholesome father. It's extremely admirable", wrote one.

"is it just me or does pewdiepie hate come off as REALLY forced?", commented another.

Several fans wrote that Kjellberg's controversies happened years ago, adding the YouTuber apologized for those stunts and eventually improved himself.

"Pewdiepie changed and grew as a person", noted one X user.

"It was literally 8 years ago and he apologized for it", another person mentioned.

Some people guessed the comparison to Hitler might be due to Kjellberg's use of a racial slur during a PUBG gaming session online.

"pewdiepie hate is so forced he said the n word once and he apologized I think he was yelling at a white kid so in this scenario I think its okay to forgive him", said another.

---

PewDiePie's Disney contract loss and livestream bridge controversy

Disney’s Maker Studios cut its ties with PewDiePie after The Wall Street Journal accused the YouTuber of using anti-Semitic jokes in his videos. Alongside paying two men to hold signs mentioning Jews, Kjellberg also paid another person to dress like Jesus Christ and hold a sign that read, "Hitler did absolutely nothing wrong."

Some of his other videos showed fans drawing the Swastika symbol. Another video included the Nazi anthem and the Swedish YouTuber also made a video where he was in a brown uniform, watching a Hitler speech.

Many of these videos were later deleted. YouTube also canceled the second season of the Swedish vlogger's reality show and removed his channel from their advertising program.

However, months after these controversies, Kjellberg landed himself in hot water again for using the N-word in one of his livestreams. In mid-September 2017, while playing the widely known battle royale game PUBG or PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Kjellberg fired shots at an opponent player who eliminated his teammate.

However, the opponent returned Kjellberg's teammate to the game and took the YouTuber down. The unexpected move prompted PewDiePie's outburst:

"What a f***ing n****r! Geez, oh my god! What the f**k!"

Although he instantly apologized, the rant continued:

"Sorry, but what the f**k? What a f***ing a**hole! I don't mean that in a bad way, but Jesus! Why would he do that!"

The interaction was famously dubbed the "bridge incident," as it happened while the players were on a bridge in the game. As backlash followed the livestream, the father of one posted a video on his channel shortly after, saying the N-word slipped out of his tongue at the spur of the moment. Kjellberg explained:

"Whenever I go online and I hear other players use the same kind of language that I did, I always find it extremely immature and stupid. And I hate how I now personally fed into that part of gaming as well."

He continued:

"It was something I said in the heat of the moment. I said the worst word I could possibly think of, and it just sort of slipped out. I’m not going to make any excuses as to why it did, because there are no excuses for it...It’s not that I think I can say or do whatever I want and get away with it. That’s not it at all — I’m just an idiot."

PewDiePie took accountability for his actions and said he should have known better given his role as a popular creator online. Many draw inspiration from:

"I’m really sorry if I offended, hurt or disappointed anyone with all of this. Being in the position I am, I should know better…I owe it to my audience and to myself to do better than this, because I know I’m better than this."

Despite these controversies, PewDiePie, with his current 111 million YouTube subscribers, is considered one of the biggest content creators online and is loved by many fans across the globe.