Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg has posted an apology video for using a racial slur during a recent livestream almost two days after the initial video was posted.
“I’m disappointed in myself because it seems like I’ve learned nothing from all these past controversies,” Kjellberg said. “It’s not like I think I can say or do whatever I want and get away with it, that’s not it at all — I’m just an idiot. But that doesn’t make what I said or how I said it OK. I’m really sorry if I offended, hurt or disappointed anyone with all of this. Being in the position I am, I should know better.
“I can’t keep messing up like this.”
Kjellberg’s comments resulted in backlash from the streaming community and game developers. Sean Vanaman, developer on Firewatch and co-founder of Campo Santo, tweeted that he would be filing copyright issue takedowns of any video Kjellberg posted playing through the studio’s present and future games.
This isn’t the first time that Kjellberg has posted an apology for something inappropriate he said or did in a video. The YouTube personality has been forced to issue a statement after making Nazi jokes in previous videos. Following a violent rally organized by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia last month, Kjellberg said he’s going to stop making controversial jokes and back away from certain language to disassociate himself from hate groups.
“If for some reasons Nazis think it’s great that I’m making these jokes, I don’t want to give them that benefit,” Kjellberg said at the time. “So I’m going to stop doing it. Nazi memes, they’re not even that funny anymore. It’s sort of a dead meme. So just to make it clear, no more.
“It’s not me censoring myself, it’s more like I don’t want to be part of this.”
Kjellberg’s previous actions have resulted in YouTube canceling his YouTube Red series, Scare PewDiePie, and Disney-owned Maker Studios dropping him from their service. It was only recently that Kjellberg began issuing apology videos for his actions. When news first broke about his anti-Semitic videos, Kjellberg’s immediate response was to point blame at the media, crusading against reporters and outlets.
Polygon has reached out to YouTube about Kjellberg’s comments and will update if more information becomes available.