Don’t look now, but the Swedish YouTube star known as PewDiePie has done something stupid on camera yet again.
27-year-old Felix Kjellberg was this weekend livestreaming a playthrough of sandbox-shooter PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, when he blurted a racial slur at another player in his line of fire.
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“What a f**king n****r,” he scoffed.
“Sorry but what the f**k? What a f**king a*****e,” he continued.
@pewdiepie RACIST?? @KEEMSTAR @JohnScarce pic.twitter.com/ulAz45ZN28
— Felipe Diaz (@ThatFelipeDiaz) September 10, 2017
A snippet of the stream was republished on Saturday to Twitter, where users flamed the Swedish YouTuber for his choice words.
He didn’t mean to tho so it’s ok
pic.twitter.com/dShFZ9QBbO — Jaime (@High_Mayyy) September 10, 2017
He’s literal trash!
— Adam♕ (@backtowack) September 10, 2017
I thought he was over but y’all keep putting up with his bs pic.twitter.com/nKZ9FSwOsL
— Natasha (@xocluelessxo) September 11, 2017
YOU
DONT ACCIDENTALLY SAY A DEROGATORY TERM so yes, he meant to say it & this backlash for his usage of a slur is what he deserves
— mariah
(@_ultimaweapon) September 10, 2017
Angry users were offset by those defending PewDiePie, suggesting that it was a slip of the tongue. They also cited his apology immediately after the incident.
We all know hes didnt mean it in a racist way
— Zoe I am pigeon|118 (@kittycatcove11) September 10, 2017
It’s just a word
— Kelwin Pereira (@HakaseSensei) September 10, 2017
if this is your evidence that he’s racist you’re a fucking idiot, it was obviously said in the heat of the moment.
— Kalgor (@realKalgor) September 10, 2017
Everyone! He didn’t mean to say that! Felix is a good person! So don’t judge him from he’s bad actions. Judge him from the good+
—
Shiri Yovel (@shiri_yovel) September 10, 2017
He has yet to issue a statement as of Monday morning, but did tweet this on Sunday…
Man, it sure is windy in england right now!
— pewdiepie (@pewdiepie) September 10, 2017
…to which Twitter users replied:
I’m waiting stop trying to act like nothing happened my guy, apologize pic.twitter.com/e3K3bE33m2
— mia
(@marziagalore_) September 10, 2017
With over 57-million subscribers — the fourth most on YouTube — and 16.1-billion video views, PewDiePie is a massively powerful figure on the video network, but he’s no stranger to internet controversy.
In September 2016, Twitter temporarily shuttered his account after the YouTuber joke-tweeted that he had joined ISIS.
Earlier this year, both Disney and YouTube Red dropped the star after his prank on marketplace and services app Fiverr — involving two men holding up antisemitic posters for money — went infamously viral.
To top it off, this week co-founder of Campo Santo Sean Vanaman announced his company will be filing DCMA takedowns “of PewDiePie’s Firewatch content and any future Campo Santo games”.
“I am sick of this child getting more and more chances to make money off of what we make,” he continued on Twitter.
“I’d urge other developers & will be reaching out to folks much larger than us to cut him off from the content that has made him a milionaire.”
Feature image: Sophie Fielding via Flickr (CC BY 2.0, resized)
