Felix Ulf Kjellberg, aka PewDiePie, has created a platform on YouTube, and is the first individual creator to reach 100 million subscribers. His channel has been booming the past year and a half, gaining more than 40 million subscribers since the start of 2018. His YouTube career has been full of ups and downs, but recently it seems as though everything has gone his way.

PewDiePie hit 100 million subscribers on August 24 2019. He began his channel on April 29, 2010, originally uploading Modern Warfare and horror video game playthroughs. He gained subscribers quick, and was the first YouTuber to hit 10 million. He held the title for the #1 subscribed channel for more than 5 years, losing his rank to T-Series, and Indian music and entertainment company. PewDiePie’s channel got a second wind in late 2018 when the meme “subscribe to PewDiePie” began to gain traction. People were hacking printers, buying billboards, and vandalizing monuments all for the sake of promoting PewDiePie. However, he felt inclined to put an end to the meme when the Christchurch shooter, who killed 49 people, said, “Remember lads, subscribe to PewDiePie.” Felix said he was “absolutely sickened having my name uttered by this person.”

Over the course of his channel, he’s had multiple controversies. From being accused of promoting anti-semitism and being a far-right nazi, to saying the n-word on stream broadcasting to millions, and promoting a channel featuring nazi imagery with footage of the death of a protester in Charlottesville. His contract with Disney’s Maker Studios was terminated and his YouTube Red series “Scare PewDiePie” was also cancelled (Forbes). However, it’s safe to say the star learned his lesson. 

He has begun to gravitate towards more laid back, gameplay videos with a few meme reviews sprinkled in. His favorite series to film is Minecraft, having uploaded 20+ episodes in the past month. He’s even developed a cast of characters in his world; Sven the wolf, Watersheep, Ikea Bird, Ulla Britta the cat, Joergen (1, 2, and 3) the horse, the list goes on. He’s been having a blast playing it, and his fans have had a blast watching. He also beat the game, one of three major achievements for the Swede in the past week.

For PewDiePie, it seems that the stars have aligned. He hit 100 million subscribers, got married, and beat the Ender Dragon all in 7 days. He married the love of his life Marzia Bisognin after 8+ years of dating.

Through his nearly decade of being on YouTube, PewDiePie’s had plenty of highlights and lowlights. After multiple controversies, multiple phases of content, and multiple achievements, everything has come together at just the right time.  Despite these tremendous milestones, he’s nowhere near done. PewDiePie has made it clear to fans that he still has many plans for future videos.