Anti-Semitic Jokes Get Pewdiepie Dropped by Disney UPDATED

Here’s a fun fact for ya’ll: world’s biggest YouTube star and anti-puberty advocate Pewdiepie actually used to work with Disney. See, Maker Studios, something he set up, was actually bought out by Disney in 2014, creating a partnership which supplied him with money and support while giving him more-or-less creative freedom over his and his friend’s ability to produce content. It was a pretty sweet deal, the kind of gig you can only really land if you’re top of the YouTube world… but even the kings of Youtube aren’t immune to the might of Disney.

And now, ol’ Pewdiepie has found himself on Disney’s blacklist after a now removed video posted on January 11th depicted two men (who Pewdiepie paid) holding up a sign that read “Death To All Jews”.

Pewdiepie isn’t exactly known for having a highbrow sense of humor, but everything has limits, and this was Disney’s. According to the Wall Street Journal, there are actually upwards of nine videos, posted since August of last year, that have some kind of anti-semitic joke in them, including Jesus holding up a sign that read “Hitler did nothing wrong.”. His antics, however, have cost him more than his partnership with Disney, it also cost the two men who held up the sign on his behalf their jobs, something Pewdiepie has actually tried to undo.

Pewdiepie, of course, is going to be fine with or without Disney. YouTube is still letting him stick around, and by now his fan-base is so devout he could go to Bing Video and they’d all happily follow him there (and Microsoft would be pretty happy about it, too). Still, over Tumblr, he addressed the issue in the most expected way:

“It came to my attention yesterday that some have been pointing to my videos and saying that I am giving credibility to the anti-Semitic movement, and my fans are part of it as well for watching. I don’t want to cite the sources because I don’t want to give them any more attention.
This originated from a video I made a couple of weeks ago. I was trying to show how crazy the modern world is, specifically some of the services available online. I picked something that seemed absurd to me—That people on Fiverr would say anything for 5 dollars.
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.”

While that isn’t his full statement, nowhere in his post is an apology, which is worth noting. Likely because he’s felt he’s done nothing wrong, which, fine, that’s an argument for another day. But Disney clearly disagrees, and in this case, they have the last word.

UPDATE: Following soon after Disney, YouTube has now officially "dropped" Pewdiepie, canceling the second season of Scare Pewdiepie, the premium $10-a-month show that airs on the website, as well as taking him off the list of “Google Preferred" web creators, which gave him extra advertising and exposure on YouTube.

He can still earn money the old fashioned way on YouTube, but it won't be as lucrative. He'll still be richer and more popular than you or I.