YouTube star admits jokes ‘offensive’

He said he created the video to demonstrate “how crazy the modern world is” and the variety of gig-economy services people can use online.

“I make videos for my audience. I think of the content that I create as entertainment, and not a place for any serious political commentary,” PewDiePie wrote.

“I know my audience understands that and that is why they come to my channel. Though this was not my intention, I understand that these jokes were ultimately offensive.”

PewDiePie’s channel is one of the most subscribed on Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube service, bringing in millions of dollars in ad and partnership deals for the Swedish celebrity.

While he’s an important figure in video-gaming culture, Kjellberg is also one of the rare YouTube personalities to cross over into the mainstream. TMZ cameras have followed him around in Los Angeles and latenight talk hosts such as Stephen Colbert have welcomed him as a guest.

YouTube decided to remove Kjellberg’s channel from its Google Preferred service and cancelled the release of Scare PewDiePie Season 2, the company said in an email Tuesday. The service says it prohibits content that violates its guidelines on hate speech.

YouTube had banked on Kjellberg as one of the marquee names in its YouTube Red subscription service, which offers original programs such as Scare PewDiePie, a reality-adventure comedy series that had been renewed for a second season.

Kjellberg made about $15 million (U.S.) last year as YouTube’s highestpaid star, Forbes magazine said in December. He had more than 53 million subscribers to his main channel on YouTube as of Monday.

Kjellberg has run afoul of big tech services before. Twitter Inc. briefly suspended his account last year after he posted a profile picture that could be viewed as obscene. With files from USA Today