Controversial YouTuber PewDiePie has spoken out in support of Jenna Marbles after the OG content creator announced her departure from the platform earlier this week.
Jenna – who boasts a whopping 20 million subscribers on the platform – released a video earlier this week apologising for offensive videos she had made in the past, before announcing that she’s leaving YouTube, potentially permanently.
Naturally, fans were heartbroken at the news, expressing their disappointment in cancel culture online. But in addition to her loyal fans, fellow YouTuber PewDiePie has also spoken out saying that he’s “disappointed with the internet” for cancelling Jenna for her past mistakes.
“Jenna Marbles was one of the most genuinely good people on this platform and now she gets bullied off the site by mistakes that happened 8-10 years ago.. Who cares? These actions reflect in no way who she is and the content she makes today, anyone who watches her can see that,” he said in a post on his YouTube community page.
PewDiePie – real name Felix Kjellberg – is no stranger to internet controversy himself, being previously called out for racist and anti-Semitic “jokes”.
Despite making some blunt comments like “who cares”, Kjellberg’s statement mostly discusses the importance of giving people some room to grow and learn from their mistakes.
“Some things were more leviant a few years ago – that’s not to say it was right, but where the line is drawn from the past and today seems non existent. I thought the point was to learn from your mistakes and do better? We all have problems in our past, no one in the world is perfect,” PewDiePie said in a statement.
“This site will be filled with nothing but douchetubers who don’t care, while the people who do, gets pushed out. So disappointed with the internet and how far things have gotten.”
Kjellberg’s comments have received mixed responses online, with some Twitter users agreeing that people deserve a chance to learn from their mistakes, while others were quick to point out his own problematic past.
https://twitter.com/captaintld/status/1277007858522079240
https://twitter.com/immaterjal/status/1277021259432427520
Pewdiepie downplaying Jenna Marbles blackface and getting mad at cancel culture is funny cause this man was live on air saying racial slurs and didn’t get cancel when he should of been lol
— Hydro | The High Tier Human @ AX (@StrawHatHydro) June 28, 2020
It’s unclear if and when Jenna (real name Jenna Mourey) will return to the platform. You can view her full announcement below.
