PewDiePie Reveals Why He Nearly Quit YouTube Forever

During a video released on Friday, Felix "PewDiePie" Kjellberg brought back "Fridays with PewDiePie," a segment in which he discusses his personal life with his viewers. One viewer took the opportunity to ask the streamer whether or not he ever considered retiring from YouTube over the years. Perhaps unsurprisingly, PewDiePie replied that he was considering doing just that in 2019, before taking a brief break from the website in January 2020. According to the streamer, that break was good for his mental health. Since he began his career back in 2011, PewDiePie has uploaded a new video or livestreamed nearly every day.

"I did more last year, but after my break it kind of gave me some time to understand, which part of it I enjoy, and that I just want to focus on that," said PewDiePie. "I didn't expect to even be making videos now. So anything is a bonus, I'll take it."

It's easy to see how the constant spotlight of streaming can take a toll on creators. While PewDiePie does not see an end to his time on YouTube anytime soon, the streamer did cut ties with Twitter earlier this year. PewDiePie claimed that users of the platform place unfair expectations on those with higher numbers of followers. Some of those expectations, however, might stem from the various controversies the streamer has been involved in over the years. These instances include using racist profanity during streams, and an incident in which he paid two people on Fiverr to unroll an anti-Semitic message.

Despite those issues, PewDiePie signed a major live streaming contract with YouTube back in May. In 2019, PewDiePie was the platform's most-viewed creator. On his channel, the streamer covers games such as Minecraft, PUBG, The Last of Us Part II, and The Dark Pictures: Man of Medan. For the latter game, he even appeared in a trailer alongside several other high-profile streamers, showcasing some of the title's bigger scares. While the streamer does not see an end in sight, he may take another break next January.

"I feel like it's fair. Any other job you get like holidays, and I don't really do that. And this year has been especially kind of crazy. So yeah, I'll probably do that in January to be honest It was good for my mental health," said PewDiePie.

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