As Apple hypes original content, Disney & Google sever ties with popular YouTube star PewD...

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Disney and Google have drawn back their support of "PewDiePie," a leading YouTube star and the centerpiece of the YouTube Red subscription service, after a recent video featured an anti-Semitic joke. The shakeup comes just as Apple has begun teasing two upcoming exclusive programs for Apple Music.




Disney has severed all connections with PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, CNET said on Tuesday. Google's YouTube, meanwhile, has removed his channel from a Google Prefered ads program, and cancelled the second season of "Scare PewDiePie," a show available exclusively to subscribers of the paid subscription service YouTube Red.

A since-deleted video uploaded on Saturday showed Kjellberg laughing as two people held up a banner that said "Death to all Jews." Since August last year he has in fact posted nine videos using Nazi or anti-Semitic references in jokes.

On Sunday he acknowledged that the videos were "ultimately offensive," adding that he doesn't support any "hate-based groups."

While Apple isn't planning to compete directly with YouTube, on Monday Eddy Cue, Apple's senior VP of Internet and Software Services, teased two shows the company is hoping will draw people into the paid Apple Music subscription service.

The first, "Planet of the Apps," is a reality TV show based on app development with Jessica Alba, Will.i.am, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Gary Vaynerchuck.




Joining it will be a spinoff of the "Carpool Karaoke" segments on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," featuring celebrities singing along to music while they're driven around town.

Apple is expected to venture more deeply into original programming, including scripted dramas like "Vital Signs," revolving around rapper and Apple employee Dr. Dre.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 23
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Pewdiepie is Trump of YouTube
    tmay
  • Reply 2 of 23
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    PewDiePie is as funny as a kindergartner but people like him. I was gonna suggest Apple recruit him but I read the article and that joke wasn't cool at all. Forget it, no one's gonna want anything to do with him. 
    jbdragon
  • Reply 3 of 23
    mtbnutmtbnut Posts: 199member
    My grandma is really, really interested. In fact, last night she said, "You know, I loved Mary Tyler Moore, so I would love it if there were a show about...app developers on TV." 
    brakken
  • Reply 4 of 23
    cali said:
    PewDiePie is as funny as a kindergartner but people like him. I was gonna suggest Apple recruit him but I read the article and that joke wasn't cool at all. Forget it, no one's gonna want anything to do with him. 
    Did you bother actually checking what happened? He found two people who were willing to hold up a sign with any random text while laughing and being weird. He wanted to see if they would go as far as hold up offensive texts and just laugh about it. The 'laughing' that happened is the same kind of laugh any human would have when something is so ridiculous they just do not know what to do with it. Context is important.
  • Reply 5 of 23
    Welcome to the over sensitive world we now live in. I think some people would benefit from a good old ass whoopin...
  • Reply 6 of 23
    I know someone who's a big fan of PewDiePie, and so I actually watched his response videos to the sign controversy. He basically paid some guys whose entire shtick is to get paid to hold up any sign while laughing and jumping around in a silly way. It was clearly meant to be an obviously over the top joke, and I have to admit that juxtaposition of those silly guys holding up such a ridiculously morose sign was kind of funny. But, clearly, others may legitimately feel differently about it.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 7 of 23
    ireland said:
    Pewdiepie is Trump of YouTube
    Trump isn't anti-Semitic. His daughter is married to Jarrod Kushner.

    Also, this kid "was" the highest paid person on YouTube. He made millions for acting like a moron.
    edited February 2017 techprod1gyboltsfan17cali
  • Reply 8 of 23
    I know I'm frighteningly out-of-touch, but I never knew PewDiePie existed until I read this article.

    I wish the pleasure had been indefinitely postponed.
    caliSpamSandwichjSnivelywatto_cobrabrakkenfrankie
  • Reply 9 of 23
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    ireland said:
    Pewdiepie is Trump of YouTube
    Trump isn't anti-Semitic.
    I meant they both manipulate for attention.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 10 of 23
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    I know I'm frighteningly out-of-touch, but I never knew PewDiePie existed until I read this article.

    I wish the pleasure had been indefinitely postponed.
    Out of touch with this generation is perhaps in touch with yourself.
  • Reply 11 of 23
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,305member
    ireland said:
    Pewdiepie is Trump of YouTube
    You're trying to hard with your HATE!
  • Reply 12 of 23
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,305member
    I know someone who's a big fan of PewDiePie, and so I actually watched his response videos to the sign controversy. He basically paid some guys whose entire shtick is to get paid to hold up any sign while laughing and jumping around in a silly way. It was clearly meant to be an obviously over the top joke, and I have to admit that juxtaposition of those silly guys holding up such a ridiculously morose sign was kind of funny. But, clearly, others may legitimately feel differently about it.
    So how about instead of the normal EASY target like JEWS, He instead do a KILL MUSEUM banner instead and see how that works out for him. how about a KILL GAY's banner and see what happens. I bet the reaction would be 1000 times worse. Jews and Christens. Easy targets these days for the left. Bash away and you're generally just fine. His star power I guess just wasn't enough. I'm not a Jew and I'm a atheist. So the whole JEW thing!??! It's the whole Death to some whole group that's really not cool. Makes you sound like a Terrorist. Paying someone to hold up some sign like this, is this trying to be the whole BORAT type of move. Make people look dumb? Of course he paid people to look dumb I guess. It still really wasn't funny.
  • Reply 13 of 23
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,273member
    For those defending the incident with the "Death to all Jews" sign as "just over the top" and "not to be taken seriously," um ... that attitude could get YOU fired, so maybe you should spend a little time with a Holocaust survivor (while there are still some left) and get a little perspective. But hey, sure, maybe that one time it was just a little tasteless and Disney et al are over-reacting. OH WAIT: from the article -- "Since August last year he has in fact posted nine videos using Nazi or anti-Semitic references in jokes." Um, no. This was not a one-time thing, and his apology rings of a man who just lost a paycheque. Repeated use of Nazi or anti-Semitic references in jokes that you laugh at means you are at best a complete douche; at worst, you find this funny because you are genuinely anti-Semitic. I'm reminded as always of the song by They Might Be Giants, "Your Racist Friend."
    tmaysingularity
  • Reply 14 of 23
    512ke512ke Posts: 782member
    In my strong opinion, it was offensive and, even worse, his apology sucked.

    He said it was "ultimately offensive". Why qualify it with ultimately? It was just offensive, dude.

    And then he tried to defend himself by saying we should know HE would never espouse those views, and besides, he said, those guys were just using anti semitism for "shock value". Screw that. That is a half assed apology if we ever heard one.

    Hey PDP can still make anti semitic videos if he wants. He just won't be making a dime doing so.
  • Reply 15 of 23
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    jbdragon said:
    ireland said:
    Pewdiepie is Trump of YouTube
    You're trying to hard with your HATE!
    *too
  • Reply 16 of 23
    jdwjdw Posts: 1,324member
    Being a white male does make him a target for the political correctness monitors.

    The fact is that Americans are way too sensitive about everything.  Probably why they sue each other so much.  

    If you can live your life without offending anybody, you probably aren't human.
  • Reply 17 of 23
    Before you fall for the media's agenda here I suggest you learn why the two Sri Lanken men were holding signs last month.
  • Reply 18 of 23
    mtbnut said:
    My grandma is really, really interested. In fact, last night she said, "You know, I loved Mary Tyler Moore, so I would love it if there were a show about...app developers on TV." 

    Your grandma is a peach! Apple thanks her for her support.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 23
    I always wondered what PewDiePie was. I watched the "incident" and I don't see what's so bad about it - his reaction when they unveiled the sign was honest enough for me, clearly he was seeing how ridiculous the thing is and how far they would go for cash. But this is the PC-world today, you can't say or do anything without "offending" someone, I think Ricky Gervais said it best...

    "Now, here's the rub: offence, is never given, its taken. If you're not offended by something, then there was no offence, it's as simple as that. If you are offended by something, walk away. I'm offended by things all the time but I haven't got the right not to be offended, and remember this: just because someone is offended it doesn't mean they're right. Some people are offended by equality, some people are offended by mixed marriage, some people are offended by everything. You can't worry about that. And you can't legislate against stupidity."
  • Reply 20 of 23
    mtbnut said:
    My grandma is really, really interested. In fact, last night she said, "You know, I loved Mary Tyler Moore, so I would love it if there were a show about...app developers on TV." 
    You just received 100 points. XD
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