If Felix Kjellberg thought it wouldn’t get worse, YouTube just changed that. Following the report that Disney had dropped the YouTube sensation from their Marker Network, YouTube has now taken its own action. Pewdiepie’s upcoming second season of his YouTube Red exclusive series, Scare Pewdiepie, has now been cancelled by the video hosting company, while Felix has had his channel taken off the website’s premium “brand-safe” advertising program.
YouTube released the following statement earlier today, announcing their distancing from their biggest channel.
“We’ve decided to cancel the release of ‘Scare PewDiePie’ season 2 and we’re removing the PewDiePie channel from Google Preferred.”
This follows a storm of controversy surrounding a couple of video Kjellberg produced over the past few months, culminating in a trio of videos that were removed from his channel last month. The videos all contained content deemed anti-Semitic, whether it be a spoof of Jesus stating that Hitler did nothing wrong or Pewdiepie hiring freelancers to display a “Death to all Jews” sign for him to react to.
YouTube traditionally has a lenient stance on what is hosted on their website, with the company’s official line condoning certain content on the basis that it’s there for humour. The line is drawn when the content is used specifically to “Incite violence or hatred” which, despite Kjellberg’s defence claiming everything was done in jest, is exactly what at least one video did.
Scare Pewdiepie was a YouTube Red series that revolved around episodes of Felix being scared by real-life situations he had previously encountered in games. The first series is still available on the service, but with no plans to pursue the second anymore fans will only have memories to look back on. As for Kjellberg, it remains to be seen how he will respond to a fairly tumultuous day to his business affairs.
Last Updated: February 15, 2017
For the Emperor!
February 15, 2017 at 07:41
Do it once, it can be seen as a joke made in bad taste. Then you can repent, be forgiven and move on. But multiple videos are a pattern that cannot just be ignored.
Sock-puppet
February 15, 2017 at 07:51
Your comment is the exact same thing my Father said to me after the third time I crashed his car.
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 07:56
I have to ask: 3 times? His car? 3 times? HIS Car? That must strain relations somewhat, even if, for example, a car reversed up a one-way street into his car while you were legally driving.
Trying to imagine what I would be like, as a father. Hmm. (Other than being a bit upset the 3 year old was driving my car). I suppose there is a relationship between a man and his son / daughter, but there is a also one between a man and his car. Most men I know choose a car that “speaks” to them in some way, that is also affordable. I am not sure.
Edit*, also my father died when I was very young, so trying to imagine this one.
Sorry, not trying to rain on your parade, just wondering aloud. Tricky one.
Sock-puppet
February 15, 2017 at 08:09
Incident 1: 16 years old and needed to wash the car, rolled it into a tree without even starting the car. We sold it like that the next day.
Incident 2: in a slipway about to merge when the car in front stopped, I was looking at my blind spot and rammed the golf. Insurance fixed that right up, after a R2500.00 fee for me being under 25.
Incident 3: In Hatfield traffic and had to do an emergency stop because some idiot wanted to turn right while being in the middle of a 5 lane road. Taxi drove straight into the Honda Ballade, which is my father’s car for my mother. Another R2500.00 fine from the insurance because I am under 25.
I am turning 25 this year so hopefully I won’t get into any more accidents. So far my father has been pretty lax because by some miracle only once was it entirely my own fault. His reasoning, explained by him, has been that when he was young he rolled his own car at 22, wrote off his fathers bike at 27 and together with my uncle rolled a bakkie in the middle of nowhere. So a few minor bumps here and there is a lot better than almost dying.
Hope that helps!
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:15
Wow, these seem pretty fair incidents AND your Dad seems very reasonable.
RE, Hatfield, my wife was in 4 car pile-up. Some young man in his Uno hit her from behind, in 5 lane road. He then gets out and starts screaming at her. The guy in the car in front of my wife, which she hit, then told this guy to shut up and get his details. His fault, he hit my wifes car. Cars, fairly often, do not brake in time for the robots that change. Seen many accidents there.
MY best fried took 3 years to get his license. Practise one day:
Dad: pull out slowly.
Dad: bit more power.
Dad: Emergency!
Friend: hits petrol
Car: hits tree across street.
Battery in front falls OUT brackets from impact
Dad: Well, I did say some emergencies need power and I did not specify. Oh well. Try again?
Friend: Not today….
AND enjoy the insurance breaks AFTER you turn 25, be sure to shop around for your own car insurance.
For the Emperor!
February 15, 2017 at 08:31
http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/312/563/05d.jpg
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 07:53
Ok, so a quick look on Google. Still has just over 53 million subs. Surely that will still generate ad review through googles network?
So Google, from what I gather, are no longer punting his channel.
Also, and I cannot stress this enough,of and off are not synonyms.
Alessandro Barbosa
February 15, 2017 at 07:57
He’ll still get money from views his videos generate, but his channel is no longer being shopped around to brands by YouTube directly.
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:00
Yes, but the point is that his income may only be marginally be effected by this action of Google’s.
I wonder if they are doing enough (listen to me, the closet SJW) here?
Alessandro Barbosa
February 15, 2017 at 08:02
Yeah I get you. I think the worst they could do is remove any videos with content that breaks their terms of service, which has already happened (it’s unclear if the videos were removed by him or YouTube).
YouTube itself is a service to share videos, so I don’t see them taking a stance and deleting the guy’s channel per say.
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:04
Not at all, but yeah, did not know the offending videos were gone, that is step 1.
I think they should announce a new system whereby breaking terms of service leads to lower ad category tiers for your videos for x period.
What if, in next six months, he repeat offends? What then?
Alessandro Barbosa
February 15, 2017 at 08:06
Not a bad idea actually, although I’d be scared if YouTube decides to automate such a feature (their copyright claims strike system is bad enough). But that seems like a perfectly fair consequence for breaking the rules.
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:08
I also thought of that. The devil is in the implementation.
No easy answers to life’s difficult questions,
Let that be a lesson for you, young man, always trying the easy answer, the quick solution, the fastest way out. Hah.
Um. Speaking to myself, right? Sigh
PurplePariah
February 15, 2017 at 07:58
I should of known.
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:01
Yes, yes you should off
AND, this is crucial, I did not mention the word “video” that is missing an s as well.
Captain JJ
February 15, 2017 at 08:11
That just gave me a mini aneurysm.
PurplePariah
February 15, 2017 at 08:15
YES!!
Ps, you’re in my LinkedIn recommendations. Your beard is far more fabulous than your infamous eyebrows.
Captain JJ
February 15, 2017 at 08:18
Hehe. Good to hear 😀
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:19
Yeah, LinkedIn. Not on that or any other social media thing.
Why are you on LinkedIn, if I may ask? I am genuinely curious.
PurplePariah
February 15, 2017 at 08:21
Because work? I don’t have many connections, but I was just added by a new connection and was curious as to who else was on my list. I check once a year or so.
Also I do create training videos, some of which have required LinkedIn. XD
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:24
Yeah, I have this small fear: If I ever need to go find another job one day, one of the first questions they will ask is:
We googled your full name and found you came 8th in a chess tournament in 2012, but not much else. If fact, other than a genealogy site, we found nothing. Is this not odd for someone with your years of experience in various different fields, all in IT?
PurplePariah
February 15, 2017 at 08:27
Eh, it’s just a glorified online CV. I keep my actual CV updated, so when/if I’m job searching I update LinkedIn.
For the Emperor!
February 15, 2017 at 08:37
I should probably remove the former strippers and strip club owners from my LinkedIn…
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 15, 2017 at 09:03
*off – opportunity missed.
PurplePariah
February 15, 2017 at 09:06
Um. How so? Both have literally the same impact, except “of” actually happens in real life. People don’t say “should off known”, they say “should of known”. Both are wrong, of course, but the one is an annoying blight on English the world over, the other is just a once-off in joke.
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 15, 2017 at 09:10
Because you responded to a comment which includes “Also, and I cannot stress this enough,of and off are not synonyms.” by using the correct “of” instead of deliberately using the incorrect “off” in your reply.
PurplePariah
February 15, 2017 at 09:12
They’re both incorrect though. Either choice would off worked.
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 15, 2017 at 09:49
Crap, I auto-corrected in my head 😀
BakedBagel
February 15, 2017 at 08:28
This dude has so many projects.
He is his own brand. He knows this.
He understands the outrage, imo its why he did it.
Dare i say it?
M A N U F A C T U R E D O U T R A G E
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:29
So, like a sex video leak for other types of celebs, then.
I mean the video leaks, not the, um, ok the video is release—, um, the sex video is spewed for-.
Oh damn. Any, Celebs, Sex Videos.
BakedBagel
February 15, 2017 at 08:32
To be where he is, he completely understands how all of this works.
He is simply trolling. People can make it more than that, they always do.
But in my opinion, this is exactly like the old school Habbo Hotel raids and shit.
He seemingly trolled not only the left on the political spectrum but the right aswell. All in one.
BakedBagel
February 15, 2017 at 08:35
Right before 2017 he made a video about how the media portrays him.
Its all falling like he planned it would.
Imo 😛
PurplePariah
February 15, 2017 at 07:57
HAHAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.
Cunt. Good on you, YouTube. For once, you’re not the bad guys.
Allykhat
February 15, 2017 at 08:06
And so the wheel keeps turning.
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:09
Your read the Wheel of Time Series? It bloody kept turning so long, the original author did not make it to the end.
Alien Emperor Trevor
February 15, 2017 at 09:01
Thanks for reminding me I’ve never finished reading it. Also not sure if I want to, there’s only so many disapproving sniffs and braid-tugs I can stand.
Captain JJ
February 15, 2017 at 08:11
such a classy man
Original Heretic
February 15, 2017 at 08:12
He’s made his money already. He could retire from doing these videos now and still be a millionaire for the rest of his life.
PurplePariah
February 15, 2017 at 08:16
No, retiring and staying a millionaire requires intelligence and tact. Neither of which describe this tool.
Original Heretic
February 15, 2017 at 08:19
Tool implies usefulness. Is he useful? Cause from what I’ve seen of his stuff, nyet, no use whatsoever.
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:18
Also, when I checked on the income, it is a lot, but not millions of dollars a year. I think they estimated like 1.5 million a year and for such a young man, I fail to see how that can last.
Original Heretic
February 15, 2017 at 08:19
Didn’t he make more than that last year? There was some big story about him making over 4 million, or something.
miaau
February 15, 2017 at 08:20
Ah, I cannot be arsed to look it up now.
What I wrote came from memory. Possibly, yes.
konfab
February 15, 2017 at 09:32
Pewdiepie then does a Grand Tour and does his show on Amazon where they will let him do what he wants. Taking his 53 million subscribers with him.
Banana Jim's Final Form!
February 15, 2017 at 10:33
Lol, I read about the uproar over this, and all I could do was give a facepalm… This is such a non-issue and what’s worse is the reaction from Disney. Pewdiepie a Nazi or a racist? Hahahahahahah! Comeon…
You don’t have to like his videos, or his opinions or his fans but the smear campaign against him is just ridiculous, but I suppose it’s not that surprising since he’s always had a bit of an adversarial relationship with the mainstream media (but this constant misrepresentation is definitely going to bite the mainstream media in the butt).
…
Hail Hydra!
WitWolfy
February 15, 2017 at 10:44
I remember watching a RE7 stream of him and he couldn’t stop saying “Jesus Christ” in a profanity manner. My wife and I felt very uneasy on him just blurting it out as if was just another word that wouldn’t offend anybody. I’m glad, he lost the plot anyways.
RinceThis
February 15, 2017 at 19:40
good