However, PewDiePie's highs were met with many lows. The internet personality made some anti-Semitic "jokes" that cost him his association with Disney's Maker Studios in 2017; his reaction: "I didn't think they'd actually do it" (via Engadget). He defended himself in a since-deleted video, "We're going to have to start separating what is a joke, and what is actually problematic. Is a joke actually pure racism? Is something that would be considered a joke purely homophobic, or anti-Semitic and all these things? Context f***ing matters."
Controversy followed him into 2018, when his title as "Channel Most Subscribed To" was challenged by Indian music company T-Series (via Business Insider). In what became his most-viewed video "b**** lasagna," Kjellberg stated: "You tryna dethrone me from spot on number one, but you India, you lose, so best think you haven't won." With an audience much younger than Kjellberg himself, the Bro-Army made use of all channels to make sure PewDiePie remained at the top, including hacking unsecured printers with flyers that said simply, "1. Unsubscribe from T-Series. 2. Subscribe to PewDiePie" (via The New York Times). Many right-wing extremists and white supremacist "fans" also cited PewDiePie as inspiration for their violence. A white nationalist said, just before going on a shooting rampage, "Remember, lads, subscribe to PewDiePie."
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