PewDiePie’s anti-Semitic jokes show the peril of backing unpredictable influencers

Disney’s Maker Studios and YouTube have severed ties with gaming influencer Felix Kjellberg, known as PewDiePie, after he posted nine videos with anti-Semitic images and jokes.

The moves came after the Wall Street Journal reported that PewDiePie had posted the videos, which were removed but not before they accumulated 23 million views. PewDiePie has more than 53 million subscribers, and he is YouTube’s biggest star.