Feeling very tired: PewDiePie announces break from YouTube
What's the story
Swedish YouTube star PewDiePie (real name: Felix Kjellberg) has announced that he would soon be taking a break from the video-sharing platform. Saying that he is "feeling very tired", the 30-year-old revealed that he has decided to step away from YouTube in 2020. Notably, it will be the first time that Kjellberg will be away from YouTube ever since joining the website in 2010.
Details
Kjellberg made the announcement in a new video
Kjellberg made the announcement in a new video, that he posted on Saturday. Towards the end of the video, wherein he is seen slamming YouTube's new harassment policy, he said, "I'm taking a break from YouTube next year. I wanted to say it in advance because I made up my mind." "I'll explain that later but I wanted to give a heads-up," he added.
Quote
In August, Kjellberg had hinted at taking a break
Kjellberg had previously hinted at taking a hiatus from YouTube, in August. "I think it would be good for me to take a break. It would be nice to not have YouTube in my brain for the first time in 10 years," he had said.
Controversies
Kjellberg has been accused of making racist content, several times
The announcement from Kjellberg comes after he has been mired in several controversies. He has been accused of making racist comments and cracking anti-Semitic jokes in his videos. Back in 2017, Disney cut ties with him after many of his videos were found to carry anti-Semitic references and imagery. Later that year, he apologized for using the N-word against a fellow gamer, online.
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Kjellberg was also mentioned by Christchurch shooter on livestream
Another major controversy hit Kjellberg when an armed man killed 51 people in a New Zealand mosque, while live-streaming and asking people to "subscribe to PewDiePie." The YouTuber, in response, said he felt "absolutely sickened" by the act, and also removed some of his videos.
Career
PewDiePie is currently the second most-subscribed YouTube channel
Kjellberg started his YouTube career in 2010, as a 20-year-old. In August 2015, he became the most-subscribed user on YouTube. Today, with 102 million subscribers, he is the most-subscribed individual creator on YouTube, and owns the second most-subscribed YouTube channel, next only to Indian music label T-Series (121 million subscribers). Kjellberg's video content mostly comprises live game commentary, vlogs, and animated comedy shorts.