Back in January, YouTube star PewDiePie took a break from uploading new content to the video hosting platform. He then made his long-awaited return on February 21, commenting on everything fromNinja’s controversial gamer commentsto the ongoing threat of the coronavirus. PewDiePie’s coronavirus jokes have caused a bit of controversy online, with a variety of people condemning the YouTuber on social media.
On February 22, PewDiePie uploaded a new episode of his popular Meme Review series onYouTube, where he covered theIce Agebaby memes, the Bernie Sanders memes, and also reviewed more coronavirus memes. Before reviewing the coronavirus memes, PewDiePie put on a medical face mask and addressed the controversy. “Disclaimer: Just because I laugh at something, does not mean I think it’s funny. If anything, it’s the opposite. Just so we’re clear here: I’m only reviewing this for the sake of historical context and it would be dishonest and disingenuous for me to not review the coronavirus.” Another disclaimer is seen at the bottom of the video during the coronavirus segment, reading: “THE COMMENTS MADE IN THIS VIDEO IS PURELY SARCASM OR HYPERBOLE, DO NOT TAKE ME SERIOUSLY!*** PEWDIEPIE DOES NOT ENCOURAGE OR ENDORSE ANYTHING IN THIS VIDEO!”
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Later in the video, PewDiePie showed an article about Chinese people usingcoronavirusmemes and jokes to cope with the virus themselves. He also ended the segment by offering coronavirus safety tips, telling his viewers to wash their hands and throw away anything that they cough into.
PewDiePie is no stranger to controversy. He has been criticized for offensive comments and jokes in the past, and he has even beenbanned in Chinafor showing support for the Hong Kong protests.
Despite the PewDiePie’s controversies, he has remained the top star on YouTube, and by a considerable margin. PewDiePie’s immense popularity has even seen celebrity guest hosts join him for Meme Review at times, with the likes of Elon Musk andDr. Philhaving appeared on the show in the past.
So far,PewDiePie’s return from break has been a success, with the videos he’s released so far all gaining millions of views in a short amount of time. It will be interesting to see what he does in 2020 to continue growing his platform.
