PewDiePie

Biography

Kjellberg's shrieking, unfiltered Let's Plays defined early-2010s YouTube and proved a lone creator could out-draw television networks. The 2019 subscriber race against T-Series became an internet culture war; his later, quieter output from Japan reflects a creator who outlasted his own era.

Swedish creator Felix Kjellberg, whose Let's Play videos made him YouTube's most-subscribed individual creator for nearly six years.

Known for

Gaming and commentary videos as Felix Kjellberg.

Notable works & defining projects

• Let's Play gaming videos
• Bro Army community
• This Book Loves You (book)

Notable achievements

• Most-subscribed individual YouTuber from 2013 to 2019
• First individual creator to pass 100 million subscribers (2019)
• Raised substantial sums for charities including Save the Children and (RED) through fan campaigns

Timeline

1. 2010Started the PewDiePie channel while studying in Gothenburg
2. 2013Became YouTube's most-subscribed channel, a title he held for nearly six years
3. 2019Passed 100 million subscribers; the 'Subscribe to PewDiePie' meme went global

Did you know?

• His username combines 'pew' — the sound of a laser gun — with 'die'; he added 'pie' after forgetting his original password, by his own telling
• He was the first individual creator to pass both 50 million and 100 million subscribers