PewDiePie Apologizes For Anti-Semitic Jokes, Criticizes Media For Attack

PewDiePie apologized for his recent use of Nazi imagery and anti-semitic jokes, kind of. The famous YouTuber, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, recently lost at least two lucrative deals due to his antics, so naturally, he’s going to be sorry. However, Kjellberg’s apology is lacking in sincerity as it was filled with his disdain for the way he thinks the media has treated him.

Kjellberg recently posted an apology video where he admits that he may have gone too far with his antics. He also uses the time on camera to claim that the media is portraying him unfairly by failing to point out that he is not serious in his anti-semitic posts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwk1DogcPmU

“They don’t call it jokes. They call it posts,” Kjellberg said in the video. “I made a point that the media takes what I say out of context. They take that and put it out of context to use against me to portray me as a Nazi.”

Just to sum up a some of the recent events that have led to reports that PewDiePie might be a Nazi, or at the very least, anti-semitic, here are a few examples. The famous YouTuber recently paid someone on Fiverr to hold a sign up that said “Death to all Jews.”

In his explanation, PewDiePie says that he was trying to make a point about how absurd the Fiverr website is and that you can get anyone to do anything for just five dollars. He did apologize for the stunt, but as Salon points out, the disturbing video was still posted online until recently. It looks like YouTube may have pulled it down now because upon looking up the shocking Fiverr video, users now get a message that says, “This video is unavailable.”

“I do strongly believe that you can joke about anything,” Kjellberg explained. “But I also believe that there’s a right way and not the best way to joke about things.”

“I love to push boundaries, but I would consider myself a rookie comedian and I’ve definitely made mistakes like this before.”

PewDiePie and a handful of other high-profile YouTubers have blasted the media for only reporting about the negative as far as he is concerned. Well, that and how much money he makes. He fails to understand that the media is only writing about things that the public is searching for, which happens to be PewDiePie’s anti-semitic posts and queries about how much the biggest YouTuber is currently earning.

That doesn’t excuse the YouTube star from putting Nazi imagery in his videos, as he has been accused. Or from using Fiverr to hire others to post anti-semitic videos. Of course, it will be reported if PewDiePie says or does something considered to be out of pocket. Even though he is a YouTube star and not a traditional celebrity, that doesn’t mean he has escaped responsibility for his actions and lately, they have been making headlines based on shock factor alone.

“I think it’s important to say something and I want to make one thing clear: I am in no way supporting any kind of hateful attitudes. As laughable as it is to believe that I might actually endorse these people, to anyone unsure on my standpoint regarding hate-based groups: No, I don’t support these people in any way.”

In the video, PewDiePie disavows neo-Nazis and says he would never support them in a recent Tumblr post. However, back in November, this screenshot of Kjellberg responding to a question about supporting Nazis doesn’t seem like a joke nor does it seem funny at all. Due to the graphic nature of the tweet, it was linked rather than embedded, but in it, PewDiePie responds to a question about why he is supporting Nazi’s by saying, “aryan, superior genetics since birth.”

That begs a pretty important question about YouTube, social media, and the way some famous (or infamous) people have been using it. Is PewDiePie not anti-semitic just because he says he is not? It stands to reason that companies like Disney would pull away after such shocking videos and “jokes” have surfaced but should others also follow suit and turn away from the most-watched YouTube star to date? Sound off in the comments section below and tell us if you’ll be watching or avoiding further videos from him on YouTube.

[Featured Image by John Lamparski/Getty Images]