PewDiePie

Who Is PewDiePie?

Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, better known as PewDiePie, is a Swedish YouTuber best known for his gaming videos. Kjellberg’s popularity on YouTube and extensive media coverage have made him one of the most noted online personalities and content creators. Media coverage of him has cited him as a figurehead for YouTube, especially in the gaming genre.

His channel has accumulated 29.50 billion total views. He holds 110 million subscribers as of the latest count. Furthermore, his cultural impact on gaming, meme culture, and online entertainment cannot be overstated.

Today, Felix Kjellberg, the YouTube legend known as PewDiePie, has quietly reshaped his empire from his family home in Japan, with a family-first pivot defining his latest chapter.

Early Life: Gothenburg, Sweden, and a Childhood Full of Games

Born and Raised in Sweden

Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg was born on October 24, 1989, in Gothenburg, Sweden. He grew up in a country known for its strong gaming culture. From an early age, video games fascinated him. They were not just entertainment. They were a language. They were a world.

School and University

He attended Göteborgs Högre Samskola for secondary school. He later enrolled at Chalmers University of Technology, where he studied Industrial Economics and Technology Management.

However, Felix’s heart was never fully in the lecture halls. He dropped out of Chalmers in 2011 to work at a hot dog kiosk while he developed his channel.

His parents were not pleased. “My parents said that sitting at home playing video games all day won’t bring you anywhere in life,” he later recalled. “Thinking about it now, it was utterly absurd. To get into Chalmers for industrial economics you need straight As, but somehow I was happier selling hot dogs and making my own gaming videos.”

Funding Dreams From a Hot Dog Stand

Following his exit from Chalmers, his parents refused to financially support him. So he funded his early videos by working as a harbor captain, selling prints of his Photoshop art, and working at a hot dog stand.

Therefore, long before the millions of subscribers, there was a young Swede flipping sausages — and quietly building something the world had never seen before.

The Birth of PewDiePie: A Channel That Changed YouTube

The First Account and the First Video (2010)

After initially forgetting the password to his first account, he registered the “PewDiePie” YouTube channel on April 29, 2010.

PewDiePie began to take off after Kjellberg filmed himself screaming his way around the horror game Amnesia, and began to receive requests from viewers for more of the same. He obliged eagerly. He uploaded several clips per day. His energy was raw. His reactions were genuine. His audience grew fast.

One Million Subscribers (July 2012)

He reached his first 1 million subscribers in July 2012. Two months later, he had 2 million.

By December that year, he had signed with Maker Studios — a talent network for video-makers that provides resources, expertise, and help with promotion and marketing — and saw his channel quickly grow from 100 million to 200 million views per month.

Most Subscribed Channel on YouTube (August 2013)

On August 15, 2013, his channel became the most subscribed channel on YouTube. This was a landmark moment. Not just for Felix. But for every independent creator who had ever been told the internet was not a real career.

YouTube Career: Milestones, Records, and Cultural Impact

Content Style and Variety

PewDiePie’s content has never stood still. His content has changed significantly since he began uploading. It now focuses on Minecraft gaming videos and established series such as “You Laugh You Lose” and “Last Week I Asked You” (LWIAY), where he reviews memes his fans post on Reddit.

He started with horror games. He evolved into comedy commentary. He pivoted to lifestyle vlogs. Furthermore, he explored meme reviews, book reviews, and Japanese life vlogs. His versatility kept audiences glued across more than a decade.

The Scare PewDiePie Series and Revelmode

During his peak, Felix expanded beyond his core channel. He launched Revelmode, a collaborative gaming network featuring fellow YouTubers. YouTube commissioned his original series Scare PewDiePie, which featured celebrities and scripted scares. He was, without question, a full media personality — not just a gamer.

Becoming the First Individual Creator at 100 Million (2019)

In August 2019, PewDiePie became the first individual YouTuber to reach 100 million subscribers and received a custom-made Red Diamond Play Button award from the platform.

“I don’t feel worthy, but I’m forever grateful,” Kjellberg said in a tweet regarding the achievement, adding that it was “unreal.”

In a video before the milestone, he said: “Before YouTube I was that kid with no friends, and suddenly there’s so many people who enjoy what I do.”

YouTube Creator Awards: The Full Set

PewDiePie has earned the complete set of YouTube Creator Awards — Gold, Diamond, Ruby, and the ultra-rare Red Diamond Play Button. They are tangible symbols of his incredible journey on the platform.

Total Views: 29.5 Billion and Counting

His channel has accumulated 29.50 billion total views — a figure that places him among the most-watched individuals in the history of online video.

The Great Subscriber War: PewDiePie vs. T-Series (2018–2019)

How it Began

In 2018, he got into a subscriber competition with the Indian record label T-Series. As a response to T-Series’s projection that they would soon surpass his subscriber count, Kjellberg uploaded the diss track “Bitch Lasagna,” which became one of his most-viewed videos.

The Internet Rallied Behind Him

The first prominent YouTuber to support PewDiePie was MrBeast, who bought billboards and radio advertisements in North Carolina urging people to subscribe to PewDiePie’s channel. He also created a video of himself saying “PewDiePie” 100,000 times in a period of over 12 hours.

The internet had never seen anything like it. The “Subscribe to PewDiePie” meme became a global cultural phenomenon. Fans spray-painted it on walls. They printed it on shirts. They shouted it at sporting events. It was one of the internet’s most extraordinary collective movements.

The Outcome

T-Series temporarily overtook PewDiePie in subscribers on numerous occasions in early 2019. On March 27, 2019, it became the most subscribed YouTube channel for five consecutive days before PewDiePie regained the lead. On April 28, 2019, PewDiePie officially announced that he was ending the Subscribe to PewDiePie meme, signing a digital armistice with T-Series. T-Series ultimately won the numbers race. However, PewDiePie had already won something far greater — global cultural relevance.

Controversies: The Storms That Tested His Career

No biography of PewDiePie is complete without an honest account of the controversies that shaped his public image.

The 2017 Anti-Semitism Controversy

The most significant storm hit in 2017. Accusations of anti-Semitic jokes — infamously involving Fiverr actors and an offensive sign — led to a Wall Street Journal exposé. The fallout was massive: Maker Studios/Disney cut ties, YouTube cancelled Scare PewDiePie, and advertisers pulled back.

The series of controversies cost him 2 million subscribers. He also lost his deal with Maker Studios and YouTube Red following the incident.

Later Incidents and Reflection

Later, using a racial slur during a livestream sparked further outrage and brand concerns.

However, Felix did not disappear. He reflected publicly. “Looking back now, I kind of feel very stupid about it, and how a lot of it wasn’t worth it,” Kjellberg said. “Basically, I’m sorry for all the bad things I’ve done. I just want to play Minecraft.”

His willingness to own his mistakes — and to evolve — was part of what kept his audience’s loyalty intact.

Personal Life: Love, Marriage, and Life in Japan

Meeting Marzia Bisognin (2011)

In 2011, Italian native Marzia Bisognin became familiar with Kjellberg’s work when some friends told her to go online to watch “this idiot playing video games.” She became taken by “this idiot” and wrote him a fan email. It didn’t take long for PewDiePie to respond and then fly out to Italy for an IRL date.

Only a year later, Bisognin moved to Sweden and started a YouTube channel of her own. The two bounced between Italy and Sweden before settling in Brighton, England — drawn by the sea air and reliable internet.

Marriage at Kew Gardens (August 19, 2019)

Kjellberg tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, Marzia Bisognin, on August 19, 2019. The marriage was held at Kew Gardens in London, England. It was intimate. It was romantic. It was everything the couple had built together — quiet, genuine, and deeply personal.

The Move to Japan (2022)

Felix Kjellberg and his wife Marzia relocated to Japan after nine years in Brighton, England. They moved there in 2022 with a five-year business visa.

In April 2025, Felix confirmed they were staying permanently. He revealed that he bought land to build a new home in Japan. PewDiePie said that he and Marzia had been looking to buy land for around a year and successfully found the perfect plot after months of searching.

Son Björn Kjellberg (Born July 11, 2023)

PewDiePie and his wife Marzia became parents according to an Instagram post they jointly posted on July 11, 2023. The images depict the couple with their newborn child, whom they named Björn.

The accompanying caption read: “11/07/2023 Welcome to the family, little Björn.”

Fatherhood changed Felix profoundly. In his newsletter, Felix candidly shared how fatherhood flipped his priorities — ditching marathon gaming sessions for personal growth and quick 30-minute play sessions.

Ending the Japan Vlogs to Protect Björn (2026)

Felix Kjellberg announced that he and his wife Marzia are ending their Japan vlog series in September 2026. The reason is their son.

“Now he’s 3 years old, and we feel like it’s a good time to end the vlogs,” Felix explained. “If he wants to be part of it, that should be his choice later.”

Marzia elaborated: “We just feel like the vlogs put too much pressure on his appearance online.”

Felix has not announced any plans to stop creating content generally. The decision is specific to the vlog format and to Björn’s involvement.

Pets Through the Years

The Kjellberg household has always been full of animal love. The couple lived with their two pugs, Edgar and Maya in their Brighton years. Most recently, they have grown their family with new additions like their chihuahua-pug mix puppy, Momo.

Business Ventures and Brand Legacy

Merchandise: Represent and Tsuki

PewDiePie launched his merchandise brand Represent and later, a luxury streetwear brand called Tsuki — in collaboration with Marzia. These ventures allowed him to build a tangible brand identity beyond the screen.

Book: This Book Loves You (2015)

Felix authored This Book Loves You (2015), a comedic self-help parody filled with satirical life advice. It became a bestseller — proving his creativity extended well beyond video content.

Net Worth

Forbes reported the gamer’s earnings as $15.5 million in 2018, when he had 72.5 million subscribers. His estimated net worth is approximately $45 million, built through YouTube AdSense, merchandise, brand deals, music, and business partnerships.

YouTube Career Milestones

Year	Milestone
2010	PewDiePie channel created (April 29)
2012	Reached 1 million subscribers (July)
2012	Signed with Maker Studios (December)
2013	Became the most subscribed YouTube channel (August 15)
2018	T-Series vs. PewDiePie subscriber war begins
2019	First individual creator to reach 100 million subscribers
2019	Received Red Diamond Play Button
2022	Moved to Japan with Marzia
2023	Son Björn born (July 11)
2025	Bought land in Japan; confirmed permanent residency
2026	Announced end of Japan family vlog series (September)