YouTube sensation PewDiePie has been dropped by Google and allegedly by Disney after the star published a series of anti-Semitic content on his personal channel.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Disney has taken action as a result of PewDiePie, real name Felix Kjellberg, and his videos.
“Wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat from President Donald Trump’s campaign, Mr. Kjellberg used a photo of Hitler as a segue between clips,” the paper reports.
“Mr. Kjellberg says the material is portrayed in jest. He showed a clip from a Hitler speech in a Sept. 24 video criticizing a YouTube policy, posted swastikas drawn by his fans on Oct. 15 and watched a Hitler video in a brown military uniform to conclude a Dec. 8 video. He also played the Nazi Party anthem before bowing to a swastika in a mock resurrection ritual on Jan. 14, and included a very brief Nazi salute with a Hitler voice-over saying ‘Sieg Heil’ and the text ‘Nazi Confirmed’ near the beginning of a Feb. 5 video.”
The Disney-owned Maker Studios has removed all trace of Kjellberg from its website.
Meanwhile, Google has released a statement to advise on the status of PewDiePie’s YouTube Red show Scare PewDiePie.
“We’ve decided to cancel the release of Scare PewDiePie season 2 and we’re removing the PewDiePie channel from Google Preferred,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement.
Google Preferred is the company’s elite advertising platform, meaning Kjellberg stands to lose ad revenue as a result of the decision.
The videos have already been removed.
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