Full History Of PewDiePie In Timeline From 1957

1957: Birth of Ulf Christian Kjellberg

Ulf Christian Kjellberg, PewDiePie's father, was born in 1957.

1958: Birth of Lotta Kristine Johanna

Lotta Kristine Johanna, PewDiePie's mother, was born in 1958.

October 1989: Felix Kjellberg's Birth

Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg was born in Gothenburg on October 24, 1989, where he was also raised.

December 2006: First YouTube Account Registration

In December 2006, Kjellberg registered his first YouTube account under the name "Pewdie".

April 2010: Registration of the "PewDiePie" YouTube Channel

On April 29, 2010, Kjellberg registered the "PewDiePie" YouTube channel after initially forgetting the password to his first account.

October 2010: First Video Upload

On October 2, 2010, Kjellberg uploaded his oldest available video, titled "Minecraft Multiplayer Fun", to his YouTube channel. The video mainly contained Swedish commentary.

2010: PewDiePie YouTube Channel Registration

In 2010, Kjellberg registered his YouTube channel "PewDiePie", primarily posting Let's Play videos of horror and action video games.

2010: Mother Named CIO of the Year in Sweden

In 2010, Lotta Kristine Johanna, PewDiePie's mother, was named the CIO of the Year in Sweden.

September 2011: Launch of "Fridays with PewDiePie" Vlog Series

On September 2, 2011, PewDiePie began posting weekly vlogs under the title "Fridays with PewDiePie", deviating from his Let's Play videos.

December 2011: Channel Reaches 60,000 Subscribers

By December 2011, PewDiePie's YouTube channel had approximately 60,000 subscribers.

December 2011: Channel subscriber count

By December 2011, PewDiePie's YouTube channel had approximately 60,000 subscribers.

2011: Kjellberg Leaves Chalmers University

In 2011, Felix Kjellberg left Chalmers University of Technology, where he was pursuing a degree in industrial engineering and management.

2011: Introduction to Marzia Bisognin

In 2011, Kjellberg and Bisognin were introduced through a friend of Bisognin's, leading to an online relationship and Kjellberg flying to Italy to meet her.

February 2012: King of the Web contest

In February 2012, Kjellberg ran for King of the Web, winning the "Gaming King of the Web" title and donating his cash winnings to the World Wildlife Fund.

February 2012: Channel video view count

In February 2012, PewDiePie's channel accumulated 25 million video views.

March 2012: Channel video view count

By March 2012, PewDiePie's YouTube channel had accumulated 71 million total video views, with 25 million views in February 2012 alone.

March 2012: Reported video upload frequency

In March 2012, Expressen reported that PewDiePie had been uploading at least one video per day for the preceding seven months.

May 2012: Channel reaches 500,000 subscribers

On May 9, 2012, PewDiePie's YouTube channel reached 500,000 subscribers.

July 2012: Channel Reaches 1 Million Subscribers

In July 2012, PewDiePie's YouTube channel reached 1 million subscribers.

October 2012: Addressing Controversy over Rape Jokes

In October 2012, PewDiePie addressed criticism and controversy surrounding his use of rape jokes in his videos through a Tumblr post, stating he would no longer make such jokes and apologizing if he had hurt anyone.

2012: Fastest-Growing Channel

In 2012 and 2013, PewDiePie's channel was one of the fastest-growing on YouTube in terms of subscribers gained.

2012: Rapid Growth of PewDiePie's Channel

In 2012, PewDiePie's YouTube channel experienced substantial growth, becoming one of the fastest-growing channels on the platform.

April 2013: Cameo in Epic Rap Battles of History

In April 2013, Kjellberg made a cameo appearance in an episode of Epic Rap Battles of History, portraying Mikhail Baryshnikov.

May 2013: Wins Social Star Awards

In May 2013, PewDiePie won the awards for "Swedish Social Star" and "Most Popular Social Show" at the inaugural Starcount Social Stars Awards in Singapore.

June 2013: Publication of "A Funny Montage"

In June 2013, PewDiePie published "A Funny Montage", a compilation of clips from previous uploads, which became one of his most-viewed videos.

July 2013: Move to Brighton, England

In July 2013, Kjellberg and Bisognin moved to Brighton, England. Kjellberg cited the proximity to the sea and better internet connectivity as reasons for the move, also noting he enjoyed the anonymity living in Brighton granted him.

July 2013: Guest Judge on Internet Icon

In July 2013, Kjellberg starred as a guest judge on the second season of Internet Icon, alongside Anthony Padilla, Ian Hecox of Smosh, and Jenna Marbles.

August 2013: Most Subscribed YouTube Channel

On August 15, 2013, PewDiePie became the most-subscribed channel on YouTube, marking a significant milestone in his career.

2013: PewDiePie's Appeal to Fans

Around 2013, PewDiePie's middling gaming skills "was part of his appeal", allowing for him to be seen by viewers as a "big brother" figure.

2013: Fastest-Growing Channel

In 2012 and 2013, PewDiePie's channel was one of the fastest-growing on YouTube in terms of subscribers gained. Billboard reported that the channel gained more subscribers than any other channel in 2013.

2013: PewDiePie Greets Fans at Social Star Awards

In 2013, PewDiePie greeted his fans personally at the Social Star Awards in Singapore, despite security warnings. He later mentioned this event, stating he didn't understand they were screaming for him at first.

2013: Channel growth and viewership

In 2013, PewDiePie's channel experienced significant growth, rising from 3.5 million to just under 19 million subscribers. The channel also gained the most subscribers compared to any other in 2013 and earned 1.3 billion video views in the second half of 2013.

2013: References in Video Games

In 2013, characters from Amnesia: The Dark Descent and Kjellberg were referenced by a McPixel level designed in his honour. Additionally, the video game Surgeon Simulator 2013 featured an organ called "Pewdsball" in the Alien Surgery stage.

2013: High video views

PewDiePie's YouTube channel was the most viewed channel in 2013.

January 2014: Channel reaches 20 million subscribers

In January 2014, PewDiePie's YouTube channel reached the 20 million subscriber milestone. His channel was also the most-viewed that month.

March 2014: Estimated YouTube revenue

In March 2014, Kjellberg made an estimated $140,000–$1.4 million from YouTube revenue.

March 2014: Adjusted video production output

In March 2014, PewDiePie announced he would be scaling down the frequency of his video uploads.

April 2014: Marketing campaign begins

Beginning in April 2014 and spanning into August, PewDiePie and his then-girlfriend Marzia began a marketing campaign for the Legendary Pictures film As Above, So Below.

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June 2014: Charity drive for Save the Children

In June 2014, Kjellberg announced another charity drive for Save the Children, which raised over $630,000, surpassing a $250,000 goal.

June 2014: Statement on religious beliefs

In June 2014, Kjellberg stated that he is an agnostic atheist.

June 2014: Reported earnings for 2013

In June 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported that Kjellberg earned $4 million in 2013; Kjellberg confirmed the figures were close to his actual earnings.

June 2014: Hosting Sommar i P1

On 3 June 2014, Sveriges Radio announced that Kjellberg was chosen to host his own episode of the Swedish radio show Sommar i P1. Due to his international popularity, the episode was recorded in both Swedish and English.

August 2014: Broadcast of Sommar i P1 episode

On 9 August 2014, the Swedish version of Kjellberg's episode of Sommar i P1 was broadcast on Sveriges Radio P1. The English version was published online, and both versions were widely shared.

September 2014: Streaming BroKen on MLG.tv

In September 2014, Kjellberg began streaming BroKen on MLG.tv, co-hosting the series with Kenneth Morrison, also known as CinnamonToastKen.

September 2014: Rob Walker Comments on PewDiePie's Popularity

In September 2014, Rob Walker described PewDiePie's popularity as "insane," questioning if people would recognize him in public. He also commented positively on Kjellberg's intelligence based on his interactions with his audience.

December 2014: Most-Viewed Channel on YouTube

From December 29, 2014, PewDiePie's channel was the most-viewed on YouTube, a position he held until February 2017.

December 2014: Guest-starring in South Park

In December 2014, Kjellberg guest-starred in two episodes of the 18th season of South Park, titled "#REHASH" and "#HappyHolograms". He parodied himself and other Let's Play commentators.

2014: YouTube Creator Classification System

Around 2014, YouTube developed a classification system for its creators, categorizing them based on whether they followed the SNL model (springboarding into TV or film) or the Oprah path (building empires on YouTube).

2014: Changes in Commentary Focus

In 2014, PewDiePie's commentaries began to feature games he was interested in, regardless of genre, shifting from a focus on horror video games. Additionally, in September 2014, he announced he would disable comments on his YouTube videos, citing spam and self-advertisements, but continued interacting with his audience through Twitter and Reddit.

2014: PewDiePie on The Verge's "Verge 50" List

In 2014, PewDiePie, subtitled as the "King of YouTube", was included on The Verge's "Verge 50" list. The outlet wrote that "Kjellberg's real talent is finding the human within games."

2014: PewDiePie Expresses Discomfort with Fame

In a 2014 interview with The Wall Street Journal, PewDiePie expressed discomfort with his fame, calling his influence "kind of scary". He recalled a gaming event near his hometown where he was shocked by the overwhelming attention and security measures.

January 2015: Partnership with Mountain Dew

In January 2015, PewDiePie partnered with Mountain Dew to launch a fan fiction contest, in which winning fan fiction would be animated into video formats and then uploaded onto his channel.

July 2015: High video view count

During July 2015, PewDiePie's videos were documented to receive over 300 million views per month.

July 2015: Voice acting in Oscar's Hotel for Fantastical Creatures

In July 2015, Kjellberg was announced as a voice actor in the Vimeo fantasy series, Oscar's Hotel for Fantastical Creatures.

July 2015: Production company earnings in 2014

In July 2015, the Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that Kjellberg's production company, PewDie Productions AB, earned 63.7 million SEK ($7.5 million) in 2014.

September 2015: Release of PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist

On 24 September 2015, Kjellberg released his own video game, PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist, on iOS and Android. The game was developed by Outerminds in collaboration with Kjellberg.

September 2015: 10 Billion Video Views

On September 6, 2015, PewDiePie's YouTube account became the first to surpass 10 billion video views. He also teased about having a role in a web television series in Los Angeles.

October 2015: Richest YouTube Star

In October 2015, Kjellberg topped Forbes' list of the richest YouTube stars, with a reported $12 million earned in 2015.

October 2015: Release of This Book Loves You

On 20 October 2015, Razorbill, an imprint of Penguin Group, released Kjellberg's This Book Loves You, a parody of self-help books. It became a number-one New York Times Best Seller.

2015: Change in Video Content Style

Around 2015, PewDiePie's video content experienced a change in style, with him taking more risks and experimenting with viral challenges, making fun of other YouTubers, and reviewing meme submissions from his fans.

2015: PewDiePie's "Bro Army"

In 2015, ESPN noted that PewDiePie typically performed a "Brofist" gesture at the end of his videos, and often referred to his fan base as the "Bro Army", addressing his audience as "bros".

2015: PewDiePie on Time's List of Most Influential People

In 2015, PewDiePie was included on Time's list of the 30 most influential people on the Internet. Later in 2015, Kjellberg was featured on the cover of Variety's "Famechangers" issue.

2015: Ross Miller on PewDiePie's Success

In 2015, Ross Miller of The Verge wrote that PewDiePie's success was based on connecting and talking directly to an audience. According to Miller, PewDiePie's success was in playing games but actually connecting and talking directly to an audience without any intermediaries.

2015: The New York Times reader poll and subscriber demographics

In 2015, The New York Times published results of an online reader poll, revealing that only 17% of their digital readers could identify Kjellberg, likely because the median digital subscriber was 54 years old.

January 2016: PewDiePie Announces Revelmode Partnership with Maker Studios

In January 2016, Felix Kjellberg, PewDiePie, announced a partnership with Maker Studios to create Revelmode, a sub-network featuring Kjellberg and his YouTube friends in original series. Eight other YouTubers, including CinnamonToastKen and Jacksepticeye, joined the network upon its creation.

February 2016: Appearance on Conan's Clueless Gamer

In February 2016, Kjellberg appeared on Conan, playing Far Cry Primal as part of the show's Clueless Gamer segment.

February 2016: Charity drive for Charity: Water

In February 2016, Kjellberg organized another charity drive for Charity: Water, raising $152,239, surpassing a $100,000 goal.

September 2016: Release of PewDiePie's Tuber Simulator

On 29 September 2016, Kjellberg released another game developed by Outerminds, PewDiePie's Tuber Simulator. It was released as a free app on iOS and Android devices and quickly reached the number one spot on the App Store.

December 2016: Highest-Earning YouTuber

In December 2016, Forbes named Kjellberg the highest-earning YouTuber, with an annual income of $15 million. This was largely due to his YouTube Red series Scare PewDiePie and his book This Book Loves You.

December 2016: Cringemas livestream for RED

In December 2016, Kjellberg hosted Cringemas, a two-day livestream with other Revelmode creators, raising over $1.3 million for RED to help eliminate HIV/AIDS in Africa.

December 2016: Stylistic changes in content

In December 2016, Patricia Hernandez from Kotaku noted that PewDiePie was distancing himself from his famous Let's Play videos, focusing instead on more experimental content reflecting existential angst related to content creation.

December 2016: Frustration with YouTube's Subscriber and View Issues and Milestone Threat

In December 2016, PewDiePie uploaded a video discussing his frustration with YouTube accounts experiencing subscriber and view losses. He threatened to delete his channel upon reaching 50 million subscribers, a milestone he achieved on December 8th. He received a custom Play Button from YouTube, but ultimately deleted a smaller channel instead, with his threat possibly a promotional stunt for Scare PewDiePie.

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2016: Custom Creator Award received

In 2016, PewDiePie received his Custom Creator Award, nicknamed the Ruby Play Button.

2016: PewDiePie Recognized as Influential Figure

In 2016, PewDiePie was described as YouTube's greatest success by Douglas Holt of Harvard Business Review. Lev Grossman of Time wrote that Kjellberg dominated an entire medium single-handed and pioneered a new form of fame.

2016: Reaches 50 million subscribers

In 2016, PewDiePie's channel experienced decreased viewership due to changes in YouTube's algorithm, but on December 8, it reached 50 million subscribers, becoming the first YouTube channel to do so.

2016: Named One of Time's 100 Most Influential People

In 2016, Time magazine recognized PewDiePie as one of the world's 100 most influential people.

2016: Fans Search for PewDiePie in Kuala Lumpur Hotel

In 2016, during a trip to Kuala Lumpur, fans entered PewDiePie's hotel to search for him, which he expressed annoyance with.

2016: Appearance in YouTube Rewind

Kjellberg appeared in YouTube's annual year-end Rewind series in 2016.

2016: Addressing Content Creator Viewership Issues

Throughout 2016 and early 2017, PewDiePie addressed negative effects on content creator viewership caused by YouTube's new algorithm. He created videos requesting viewers to achieve engagement milestones, with one video accumulating over 5 million dislikes before YouTube made such figures private in November 2021.

2016: Shift in Video Style and Reflection on Past Content

Throughout 2016, PewDiePie's video style shifted away from horror game Let's Plays to a drier humor. He also reflected on his older content, expressing regret for his casual use of derogatory terms.

January 2017: YouTube Trending Score since January 2017

In January 2017, Kjellberg's Minecraft videos led to it registering the largest-trending score on YouTube since January 2017.

January 2017: Controversy Over Antisemitic Content and Subsequent Fallout

In a video posted in January 2017, PewDiePie featured individuals holding a sign reading "Death to all Jews" on Fiverr. The Wall Street Journal reported on this and other instances of antisemitic content in his videos. The controversy led to media backlash, the termination of his partnership with Maker Studios, and the cancellation of the second season of Scare PewDiePie by Google.

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February 2017: End of PewDiePie's Reign as Most-Viewed Channel

In February 2017, PewDiePie's channel ceased to be the most-viewed on YouTube, ending a period that began in December 2014.

March 2017: Comments on daily content creation challenges

In March 2017, PewDiePie commented on the challenges of creating daily content, but expressed his love for the daily grind of making videos.

April 2017: Creation of Netglow and streaming on Twitch

In April 2017, Kjellberg created Netglow, a crowdsourced channel on Twitch, and started streaming Best Club, a weekly live stream show. The first stream amassed around 60,000 viewers.

June 2017: Forbes Includes PewDiePie in "Top Influencers" List

In June 2017, Forbes included PewDiePie in the gaming category of their "Top Influencers" list, despite citing that his brand suffered earlier in the year due to antisemitic content.

October 2017: Partnership with Armin Ibrisagic for Animal Super Squad

On 31 October 2017, Armin Ibrisagic announced his partnership with Kjellberg for his video game Animal Super Squad. Kjellberg helped with the core concept of the game, provided feedback, and offered creative direction.

2017: Income drop

According to Forbes, Kjellberg's income dropped to $12 million in 2017, making him the sixth highest-paid YouTuber that year. This was attributed to the pushback from advertisers due to controversies surrounding his videos.

2017: PewDiePie as Symbolic Figure After Wall Street Journal Article

In 2017, Abby Ohlheiser of The Washington Post stated PewDiePie "became a symbolic figure" in relation to the online culture war around "political correctness" following the Wall Street Journal article.

2017: Content described as irreverent

In 2017, Justin Charity of The Ringer characterized PewDiePie's hosting style as "loopy and irreverent in the extreme," combining elements of stand-up, shock jock, and 4chan.

2017: Clarification on Leaving Chalmers

In 2017, Kjellberg clarified that he left Chalmers University due to a lack of interest in his course of study, not solely to pursue his YouTube career.

2017: Comments on content creation

In 2017, PewDiePie commented on the nature of his content creation process, stating that it's just him, without producers or writers. In July 2017, he mentioned having an office and a limited number of employees assisting him a couple of months prior.

2017: PewDiePie's Channel Demographics

In 2017, PewDiePie shared YouTube data suggesting his largest demographic was among the 18–24 age group, followed by the 25–34 age group. Surveys highlighted that favorable opinions of Kjellberg and his online influence were comparable to mainstream figures within these age ranges.

2017: Subscriber count

In 2017, PewDiePie's channel gained 7 million subscribers

2017: Controversy and Media Scrutiny

In 2017, PewDiePie's content became more controversial due to allegations of antisemitic themes, leading to increased media scrutiny and business partnerships being severed.

2017: Subscriber Growth Amidst T-Series Competition

In December 2018, PewDiePie's channel gained 6.62 million subscribers due to online campaigns to "subscribe to PewDiePie" during the competition with T-Series. This was compared to the 7 million subscribers gained in all of 2017.

2017: Addressing Content Creator Viewership Issues

Throughout 2016 and early 2017, PewDiePie addressed negative effects on content creator viewership caused by YouTube's new algorithm. He created videos requesting viewers to achieve engagement milestones, with one video accumulating over 5 million dislikes before YouTube made such figures private in November 2021.

July 2018: Criticism of PewDiePie's Fan Base

In July 2018, Wired published an article referring to PewDiePie's fan base as "toxic", citing that they've stuck with him despite controversial content.

September 2018: Competition with T-Series Begins

In September 2018, PewDiePie uploaded a LWIAY video discussing T-Series' YouTube channel potentially surpassing him in subscribers, initiating a competitive period.

December 2018: Controversy over Promoting a Channel with Racist and Anti-Semitic Content

In December 2018, PewDiePie promoted a small content creator named "E;R", but after online criticism, it was discovered E;R's channel contained racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic content, including imagery of the Charlottesville car attack. PewDiePie revoked his recommendation and removed the reference from his video.

December 2018: Subscriber growth during T-Series competition

In December 2018, PewDiePie's YouTube channel gained 6.62 million subscribers due to online campaigns to "subscribe to PewDiePie" during the competition with T-Series. The channel also earned over 500 million video views, the single-highest monthly view count at the time.

December 2018: Fundraiser for Child Rights and You (CRY)

On 3 December 2018, Kjellberg announced a fundraiser on GoFundMe for Child Rights and You (CRY) to help Indian children, and hosted a livestream, donating all proceeds to CRY, raising over $200,000.

2018: "A Funny Montage" Still Popular

As of 2018, publications cited the "A Funny Montage" video from June 2013 as one of PewDiePie's most-viewed videos overall, highlighting its lasting popularity.

2018: The Guardian Discusses PewDiePie's Media Coverage

In 2018, Paul MacInnes of The Guardian noted that PewDiePie's content was rarely written about in mainstream media, only breaking through as a result of novelty or scandal. MacInnes added that PewDiePie shares much of the culture of the alt-right movement and amplifies it across the world.

2018: Content Format and the Introduction of Pew News

In 2018, PewDiePie's content format was compared to television programming, featuring series like You Laugh You Lose, Last Week I Asked You (LWIAY), and Meme Review. He also started Pew News, a satirical series parodying mainstream and YouTube news channels.

2018: Inspired to move to Japan

In 2018, a trip to Japan inspired Kjellberg to move to the country.

2018: Competition with T-Series

In late 2018, PewDiePie began a public competition with the Indian record label T-Series to retain his position as the most-subscribed channel on YouTube.

2018: Reaction content focus

Towards the end of the 2010s, in 2018, PewDiePie began to upload reaction-style content, like reaction videos of TikTok compilations.

January 2019: Partnership with G Fuel

In January 2019, PewDiePie announced a partnership with energy drink company G Fuel.

April 2019: Exclusive livestream deal with DLive

In April 2019, Kjellberg announced that he would live-stream exclusively on DLive as part of a deal with the company, shortly before ending his competition with T-Series.

April 2019: "Congratulations" and "Bitch Lasagna" were banned in India

In April 2019, the Delhi High Court in India issued an injunction in favor of T-Series, leading to the ban of PewDiePie's songs "Congratulations" and "Bitch Lasagna". The complaint stated the songs were defamatory and racist. Although a settlement was reached later, the videos remained blocked in India.

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June 2019: Controversy Surrounding Promotion of the Nimses App

In June 2019, PewDiePie promoted the social media app Nimses in a sponsored video, leading to controversy due to the app's privacy settings and concerns about it being a pyramid scheme. Critics warned about promoting a potentially harmful app to a large audience.

July 2019: Sharing about whiskey drinking habit and Buddhism

During a Cold Ones podcast interview in July 2019, Kjellberg shared that he had developed a daily whiskey-drinking habit to cope with the stress of content creation and that a book on Buddhism inspired him to quit the habit.

July 2019: Video view surge

In July 2019, PewDiePie's YouTube channel surged in video views due to his Minecraft gameplay videos. The channel received 573 million video views, then a single-month record for the channel, and his daily number of new subscribers also grew from 25,000 to 45,000 during that month.

July 2019: Fundraiser with Jack Black for NAMI

In July 2019, PewDiePie, whose real name is Kjellberg, partnered with Jack Black to start a GoFundMe fundraiser for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), following the suicide of Etika in June 2019. They streamed Minecraft together to raise money, with Kjellberg donating $10,000 and raising over $30,000 in total for NAMI.

August 2019: Marriage to Marzia Bisognin

On August 19, 2019, Kjellberg married his long-term Italian girlfriend, Marzia Bisognin.

September 2019: Donation to ADL and Subsequent Withdrawal

In September 2019, PewDiePie announced a $50,000 donation to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to celebrate receiving his 100 million subscribers Play Button. Due to criticism from his fanbase, he withdrew the donation, stating he would choose an organization he was passionate about.

September 2019: PewDiePie Ranked on The Sunday Times' List of Influential People

In September 2019, The Sunday Times ranked PewDiePie first on their list of the UK's 100 most influential people online.

October 2019: $69,420 donation to Team Trees

In October 2019, Kjellberg donated $69,420 to Team Trees, a fundraising drive focused on planting trees to combat deforestation. The donation amount was a comedic reference to internet culture numbers 69 and 420.

October 2019: Statement on political beliefs

In October 2019, Kjellberg stated that he is "more apolitical than anything", and that he considers himself "somewhere in between" left-wing and right-wing.

October 2019: PewDiePie's Content Censored in China After Meme Review Episode

In October 2019, PewDiePie uploaded a Meme Review episode reacting to memes about the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, the China–NBA controversy, the Blitzchung controversy, and comparing Xi Jinping to Winnie-the-Pooh. As a result, his channel and content were reportedly censored in China.

2019: PewDiePie's Behavior Following Christchurch Shooting

Following the 2019 Christchurch shooting, Abby Ohlheiser of The Washington Post stated PewDiePie's "behavior has suggested that he more deeply understands the war he began fighting two years ago".

2019: Kevin Roose Analyzes PewDiePie's Career

In 2019, Kevin Roose of The New York Times wrote that during the period in which Kjellberg had the most-subscribed channel, he represented the values of the platform, being lo-fi, authentic, and defiantly weird.

2019: Bought a home in Japan

In 2019, Kjellberg and his wife bought a home in Japan, announcing their intention to permanently move there.

2019: Release of Pixelings and Poopdie

In 2019, Kjellberg released two more video games: PewDiePie's Pixelings on November 15 and Poopdie on December 12. The latter game was rejected from the App Store but is available on Android.

2019: Guest on Cold Ones YouTube podcast

In 2019, Kjellberg was a guest on the Cold Ones YouTube podcast.

2019: Minecraft surge in popularity

In 2019, Kjellberg's Minecraft videos led to a surge of interest in the game, with increased players and searches on YouTube and Google. Many video game media outlets credited Kjellberg with this newfound success.

2019: Receives the Red Diamond Creator Award

In 2019, PewDiePie's channel became the second overall, and the first run by an individual creator, to receive the Red Diamond Creator Award.

2019: T-Series surpasses PewDiePie in subscribers

In 2019, after briefly regaining the title several times, on March 27, T-Series surpassed PewDiePie in subscribers to become the most-subscribed channel on YouTube.

2019: Pew News Episode on Pulwama Attack and Criticism

In March 2019, PewDiePie mentioned the 2019 Pulwama terrorist attack in an episode of Pew News, criticizing T-Series for removing songs by Pakistani artists. He faced criticism for his comments on the heightened tension between Pakistan and India.

2019: PewDiePie Reflects on His Influence

In a 2019 interview with the New York Times, PewDiePie commented on his influence, expressing that he felt it was weird to be in his position and expressed feelings of nostalgia for his early YouTube career. He admitted to periodically thinking about giving up the platform altogether.

2019: PewDiePie Apologizes for Comments About Fans in Malaysia and Singapore

In a 2019 vlog, PewDiePie expressed that fans in Malaysia and Singapore can be "very hectic and scream-ish and crazy" and later apologized, stating that seeing the effect he had "on fans back then [during his 2013 trip to Singapore] was cool".

2019: Continued focus on reaction content

In early 2019, PewDiePie continued to upload reaction-style content, such as videos reacting to various compilations of TikTok videos.

2019: T-Series Overtakes PewDiePie on YouTube

In early 2019, T-Series overtook PewDiePie as the most-subscribed channel on YouTube.

2019: Appearance in YouTube Rewind

Kjellberg appeared in YouTube Rewind in 2019.

2019: T-Series Surpasses PewDiePie and Diss Track Release

On March 27, 2019, T-Series surpassed PewDiePie in subscribers. On March 31, he released a diss track titled "Congratulations", sarcastically congratulating T-Series. The video led to him temporarily regaining the top position.

June 2020: Fundraising for Black Lives Matter

In early June 2020, Kjellberg raised over $116,000 for the Sentencing Project, victims of police brutality, and small businesses impacted by Black Lives Matter demonstrations and riots following the death of George Floyd.

November 2020: Reflection on YouTube Career and Shift to Unstructured Content

In November 2020, PewDiePie reflected on his YouTube career in a Q&A video, stating he felt "retired" from YouTube. He committed to posting more unstructured content, like vlogs.

2020: Signing exclusive streaming deal with YouTube

In 2020, Kjellberg signed a deal to stream exclusively on YouTube. Although he had amassed over 800,000 followers on DLive, his affiliation with the platform became unclear after not streaming there for four months.

2020: Brief YouTube Break and COVID-19 Jokes Controversy

Near the end of 2019, PewDiePie announced a break from YouTube, which lasted a little over a month into early 2020. Upon his return, he made jokes about the COVID-19 pandemic and spoke in mock-Chinese phrases, leading to criticism. He defended his jokes in a subsequent video.

2020: PewDiePie's Popularity Despite Controversies

Shortly prior to his 2020 hiatus, Erin Nyren of Variety commented that PewDiePie's "popularity continues unabated in spite of—or perhaps because of—the fact that he has been the subject of ongoing controversies."

January 2021: Distribution deal with Jellysmack

In January 2021, Kjellberg signed a distribution deal with Jellysmack, where the company would optimize and distribute his content for a Facebook Watch audience, while Kjellberg would still debut content on YouTube.

November 2021: YouTube Hides Dislike Counts

In November 2021, YouTube made dislike counts private, following videos like PewDiePie's that accumulated millions of dislikes due to criticisms of the platform's algorithm.

2021: Raised over $1 million for charities

By 2021, Kjellberg had raised over $1 million for various charities through his YouTube membership donations. Charities included Red Nose Day, Movember, Papyrus, Blue Ocean Foundation, Save the Children Lebanon, and Winston's Wish.

May 2022: Move to Japan

In May 2022, Kjellberg and his wife officially moved to their home in Japan, obtaining a 5-year business visa.

March 2023: Twitch account activity resumes with Trailer Park Boys episodes

In March 2023, Kjellberg's "PewDiePie" Twitch account began streaming episodes of the Canadian sitcom Trailer Park Boys, after years of inactivity. This was part of a test by CoPilot Media.

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June 2023: Announces indefinite hiatus from YouTube

In June 2023, PewDiePie announced that he would be taking an indefinite hiatus from YouTube due to his upcoming fatherhood.

July 2023: Twitch account receives temporary ban

In July 2023, Kjellberg's Twitch account received a temporary ban for ambiguous reasons, after streaming previously aired content.

July 2023: Birth of son

On July 11, 2023, Kjellberg and his wife, Marzia Bisognin, welcomed their first son.

May 2024: Expresses discontent with YouTubers visiting Japan

In May 2024, PewDiePie voiced his frustration with the influx of YouTubers visiting Japan, creating what he described as "obnoxious" content for attention and "hate clicks."

October 2024: Another temporary ban for Twitch account

In October 2024, Kjellberg's Twitch account received another temporary ban for ambiguous reasons.

June 2025: Absence from top ten most subscribed

By June 2025, PewDiePie's channel was no longer one of the top ten most-subscribed on YouTube, due to his absence from the platform's short-form content scene.

2025: Tubefilter Retrospectively Describes PewDiePie's Fan Base

Writing retrospectively in 2025, about PewDiePie's fan base around 2013, Tubefilter's Sam Gutelle stated that Kjellberg's "middling" gaming skills "was part of his appeal", allowing for him to be seen by viewers as a "big brother" figure.