Disney has decided to cut ties with PewDiePie over allegations of anti-Semitism.
PewDiePie is the world’s highest paid YouTube star.
The decision came after several videos PewDiePie released over the past few months were found to contain Nazi references or anti-Semitic imagery.
PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, accepted the material was offensive, but said he did not support “any kind of hateful attitudes”.
He is reported to have made $15 million through YouTube in 2016.
Image source Wikimedia
The 27-year-old Swede has been associated with Disney via Maker Studios, a company with a network of YouTube stars, drawing several billions of views per month – generating vast income from advertising.
Maker Studios said: “Although Felix has created a following by being provocative and irreverent, he clearly went too far in this case and the resulting videos are inappropriate.”
In one of the controversial videos, Felix Kjellberg paid two Indians through a crowd-sourcing website to hold up a sign which read “Death to all Jews”.
In a response to the criticism, PewDiePie said he was “trying to show how crazy the modern world is, specifically some of the services available online” and that people “would say anything for five dollars”.
PewDiePie said it was “laughable” to suggest he endorsed that message but added that “though this was not my intention, I understand that these jokes were ultimately offensive”.
In other videos PewDiePie also showed swastikas drawn by a fan, played the Nazi Party anthem and did a brief Hitler salute – all of which he says was done as a joke.
In 2016, PewDiePie was temporarily suspended from Twitter after making jokes about ISIS.
YouTuber Calum McSwiggan has appeared in court in LA accused of lying to police over claims he was assaulted in West Hollywood.
The 26-year-old Briton pleaded not guilty to filing a false police report.
Calum McSwiggan claimed that he was attacked by three men near The Abbey gay club on June 27.
The YouTube star, who has more than 64,000 subscribers, posted a photo on Instagram as he lay in a hospital bed after the alleged attack.
Image source Instagram
Calum McSwiggan told his followers that three of his teeth had been broken and he needed six stitches in his head.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said officers investigated but were “unable to substantiate the assault”.
A spokesman said that Calum McSwiggan was arrested for vandalizing a car and was taken to hospital after he began injuring himself with a police station payphone.
Calum McSwiggan, who talks about LGBT issues on YouTube, appeared at the LA Airport Courthouse on September 26.
He entered not guilty pleas to charges of filing a false police report and vandalism.
Calum McSwiggan was ordered to return to the court for a pre-trial hearing on November 7 and refused to comment as he left the building.
After he was charged in June, Calum McSwiggan wrote on Facebook that he’d caused the injury that required the stitches to his head but insisted he was attacked by three men.
“Just because there were no visible marks on my face does not mean I was not attacked,” he wrote.
“Being accused of being a liar and being called a disgrace to the LGBT+ community, a community I’ve dedicated my life to, is more painful than any hate crime could ever be.”
Before the attack, Calum McSwiggan shared photos of himself, fellow YouTuber Riyadh Khalaf, Melanie Murphy and Doug Armstrong online getting ready to go out.
Calum McSwiggan traveled to California in June for online video conference VidCon, an annual event celebrating video bloggers from across the world.
YouTuber Caleb Logan Bratayley has died at the age of 13, his family confirmed.
Caleb Logan was part of The Bratayley YouTube channel.
His mother, Katie Bratayley, announced the news on her Instagram page, saying Caleb “passed away of natural causes”.
She wrote: “Yesterday at 7:08PM Caleb Logan Bratayley passed away of natural causes. This has come as a shock to all of us. Words cannot describe how much we will miss him. His incredibly funny, loving and wonderful spirit made us all fall in love with him as a YouTuber, friend, brother and son. We know you tune in to watch each day and eagerly anticipate new videos, but ask that you bear with us while we deal with this tragedy as a family. Please help us honor our baked potato.”
Caleb Logan Bratayley, along with his younger sisters, had more than a million subscribers on YouTube.
Photo Pinterest
The Brataleys, whose channel focuses on the family’s day-to-day life, started uploading videos in 2010 and have since had a billion views.
The family has shared on their YouTube channel the last video made of Caleb before his death.
In it he answers the question, what would you ask your future self?
Caleb replies: “Is Taco Bell still around?”
At the end of the video, a caption appears reading: “Unfortunately Caleb passed away the day after this video was made.
“He will never get to meet his future self. None of us will and we are very sad because he would have been great.
“Please kiss your kids and tell them you love them every day. You never know what day will be their last.”
Maker Studios, the Disney company which has helped manage The Bratayleys, also confirmed Caleb’s death, tweeting: “We are heartbroken at the tragic loss of Caleb from Bratayley, a beloved member of the Maker family.”
No further information has been shared detailing the cause of Caleb Logan Bratayley’s death.
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