YouTube's biggest star is taking a break after nearly 10 years of producing videos. PewDiePie, also known as Felix Kjelberg, criticized his home website's newest anti-harassment policy in one of his videos. In the same video, he also announced that he would take a break from the site in early 2020.
While he failed to go in-depth as to what the reasons are for him taking a break, he did say that he will release a follow-up video explaining his reasons in the future. One possible reason might be burnout: Felix has been making YouTube videos since 2010 without taking an extended break. In the current world where subscribers regularly expect content from creators, taking a break is akin to losing subscribers and interests, which lead to reduced views and revenue streams.
PewDiePie, however, is the world's largest YouTube creator. It's highly unlikely that he'll be dislodged from that position any time soon. While his channel sits as the second most subscribed channel (Indian Music channel T-Series sits atop), the next English YouTube personality is still several million subscribers away from him, a number that won't be closing any time soon.
Recent Controversies
The internet star hasn't been without controversy, however. In January 2017, he uploaded a video showing him using a racial slur. Another video showed him paying two individuals to hold an anti-Semitic sign. In September of the same year, he used another racial slur directed at another player while playing PlayerUnknown's Battleground. The incident leads to Campo-Santo, the makers of Firewatch, to issue copyright strikes against PewDiePie's video that feature's the studio's game.
The Youtuber's "feud" with Indian music giant T-series is also well documented, with Felix dropping two diss tracks against the Indian channel. "Bitch Lasagna" and "Congratulations" were found by an Indian court to be "abusive, vulgar, and racist," which lead to the two videos being banned in India.
His "Subscribe to PewDiePie" campaign also brought into the spotlight the Youtuber's influence. In March 2019, the Brookly War Memorial was vandalized with the campaign's slogan. However, the most well-known incident is related to the March 15 incident. Christchurch mosque shooting. The preparators live-streamed the incident and uttered the campaign slogan during the tragic event. PewDiePie immediately sent out a tweet in response, claiming disgust over the use of his slogan. The April 27 Poway synagogue shooting also mentioned PewDiePie, claiming that the attack was planned and paid for by PewDiePie. However, no evidence to support this has been found.
A Quiet Life into the future
While the star has his fair share of controversies, its also safe to say that the Swedish internet star beloved for his mostly wholesome personality. His marriage to longtime girlfriend Marzia Bisognin was a trending internet event. The couple both live in Brighton and Hove, England.
He has also documented his love for Japan with multiple trips to the country. So much so that he has recently bought a home there. However, his Japanese home was recently broken into 90% of his wife's valuables stolen.
