PewDiePie Vows to Stop Making Nazi Jokes in Wake of Charlottesville Protests

PewDiePie is, and has been for a while now, the most popular YouTuber by far. As of the time I am writing this article, he has nearly 57 million subscribers. The guy has more followers than Canada has people. This past February, however, the YouTube star came under scrutiny when he made some anti-semitic jokes, which resulted in Disney ended a previously established partnership with him. The jokes included a video of men holding up a sign that read, “Death to all Jews,” and another video of a man dressed like Jesus holding a sign reading, “Hitler did nothing wrong.” PewDiePie faced some serious media backlash, but retained his position that these were just jokes and that he is not actually a white supremacist or neo-Nazi.

Recently, however, PewDiePie uploaded a video to his channel in which he explains his new stance on Nazi jokes and the like. In the video, he states that, after the recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, he will no longer be making Nazi or white supremacist jokes. For those unaware, earlier this week a group of white supremacists gathered for a white supremacist pride march in Charlottesville. A group of protestors also met in the city to protest against white supremacy. During the protest, a white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of protestors, killing one of them. United States President Donald Trump then released a statement saying that both sides are to blame for the violence. The next day, Trump condemned Naziism and white supremacy, but a day later returned to his original position that the protestors were as much to blame for the violence as the white supremacists. Other notable Republicans, such as Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, have condemned the President’s words while Trump has gained the praise of former Imperial Wizard of the KKK, David Duke.

Given these events, PewDiePie claims to have a new perspective on the issue. He states, “I remember back when everything happened in February, I was sort of like, ‘I mean, they’re just jokes. There’s not actual Nazis out there, what are you talking about?’ And then I look at [the Charlottesville protests], and I’m like, ‘Oh, I see.'” He continues, “Believe it or not, I want nothing to do with these people. I have no hate in my heart. I only have hate for hateful people.” While many of his fans commend him on his new stance, there are also those who are upset, viewing all this as PewDiePie giving in to the demands of the easily offended. To this, PewDiePie says, “Nazi memes are not even that funny anymore. It’s sort of a dead meme. So, just to make it clear: No more. Okay? It’s not me censoring myself, it’s more like, I don’t want to be a part of this. Okay? Just want to move on with my life.” You can watch his full statement below.