Felix Kjellberg, a.k.a. YouTuber PewDiePie, is facing backlash after using the n-word during a recent livestream of the game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. In ripped footage of the incident, PewDiePie calls a fellow player a "fucking n***er" before claiming he "didn't mean that in a bad way."
PewDiePie's original stream of the exchange—entitled "CALIFORNIA ROLL"—has seemingly been removed, Mic reported Sunday. He has not publicly commented on the incident, which is far from the first time the world's most popular YouTuber has been at the center of controversy.
In a video from January 2017, PewDiePie celebrated his No. 18 position on a ranking of handsome celebrities by telling the camera "18, n***a!"
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In February, Disney ended their relationship with PewDiePie after the discovery of multiple videos including anti-Semitic content. PewDiePie later claimed the offending moments were meant to show "how crazy the modern world is," particularly online. "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," he said.
Following last month's neo-Nazi terror attack in Charlottesville, PewDiePie then shared a video denouncing the groups. "I don't think anyone that watches me thinks I'm an actual Nazi, but I know some people might have some doubts, mainly because of all the jokes that I've been making," he said. "At this point, I really just want to distance myself from all this."
PewDiePie's latest comments may cause the YouTuber to be removed from even more lucrative deals. Sean Vanaman, a co-founder of independent video game developer Campo Santo, announced Sunday that his company had filed a DMCA takedown claim for all PewDiePie content related to its Firewatch title. According to Vanaman, PewDiePie is "worse than a closeted racist: he's a propagator of despicable garbage that does real damage to the culture around this industry."
Vanaman is also calling on other developers to follow his lead.