Disney's Maker Studios and Google's YouTube are distancing themselves from a top YouTube star after he made jokes construed as anti-Semitic and posted Nazi imagery in his videos.
Felix Kjellberg, known online as PewDiePie, has the most popular YouTube channel, with more than 53 million subscribers.
The Swedish YouTube star rose to fame by posting videos of him playing and commenting about video games, but has more recently branched out into non-gaming videos that show him performing skits, stunts or making jokes.
![Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg in a still from one of his videos.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170607042353im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/c/v/d/m/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gucuay.png/1487108829809.jpg)
Kjellberg (pronounced SHEHL'-burg) is also one of the rare YouTube personalities to cross over into the mainstream. TMZ cameras have followed him around in Los Angeles and late-night talk hosts such as Stephen Colbert have welcomed him as a guest.
However Disney, whose Maker Studios runs Kjellberg's channels and network, said one of his most recent videos crossed the line.
![Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg pictured in 2013.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170607042353im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/c/u/c/0/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gucuay.png/1487108829809.jpg)
The video, from January, shows two Indian men paid by Kjellberg to hold up a sign that says "Death to all Jews".
Kjellberg said the video was meant to demonstrate how far people will go if they get paid to do something, but he didn't think they would actually do it. Other videos show Nazi imagery in a satirical way.
In a blog post Kjellberg said that although it was his intention to entertain, he understands that the content was ultimately offensive.
"I am in no way supporting any kind of hateful attitudes", the blog post reads. "I know my audience understand that and that is why they come to my channel".
Kjellberg's channel was already part of Maker Studios when Walt Disney bought Maker in 2014. Maker contracts with individuals such as Kjellberg to produce videos for various YouTube channels.
Kjellberg pulled the video showing the two men displaying the anti-Semitic sign, but it is excerpted in a Wall Street Journal video. Other videos still on the site show Nazi imagery being used satirically.
"Although Felix has created a following by being provocative and irreverent, he clearly went too far in this case and the resulting videos are inappropriate," Maker's statement said. "Maker Studios has made the decision to end our affiliation with him going forward."
YouTube spokeswoman Michelle Slavich said YouTube has cancelled the release of the second season of Kjellberg's reality show "Scare PewDiePie" and removed the PewDiePie channel from its Google Preferred advertising programme, which aggregates top YouTube content for advertisers to buy time on.
Kjellberg made about $US15 million last year as YouTube's highest-paid star, Forbes magazine said in December.
Kjellberg has run afoul of big tech services before. Twitter briefly suspended his account last year after he posted a profile picture that could be viewed as obscene. Kjellberg made matters more confusing by claiming, in jest, that he had been suspended because he had joined the Islamic State.
The popularity of stars like Kjellberg among young viewers is a principal reason Disney paid $US675 million for Maker Studios in a deal struck in 2014. Disney has been a direct partner with Kjellberg, with Maker co-creating a YouTube network called Revelmode to showcase PewDiePie videos and related programming.
Bloomberg, AP