“Why does anyone still like this dude?”: Pewdiepie making fun of a deaf woman leaves the internet divided

Pewdiepie is at the center of a debate around ableism following a clip of him mocking a deaf woman (Image via YouTube)
Pewdiepie is at the center of a debate around ableism following a clip of him mocking a deaf woman (Image via YouTube)

Felix "Pewdiepie" has found himself at the center of another controversy due to his most recent reaction video. On July 26, he posted a video titled "My Dog Cringes at TikToks.." for his audience of over 111 million subscribers.

In one of the TikToks, a deaf woman with long nails is seen verbally telling a story accompanied by her signing in ASL. The popular YouTuber paused the clip a few seconds in, claiming he couldn't watch the rest. He then appeared to use his dog to mock the woman's signing as well as her voice.

The clip sparked outrage on social media, with many calling to "cancel" the YouTuber for being ableist towards the woman. He has since edited out the clip from the YouTube video and issued an explanation of his side of events, claiming he was only mocking her nails and was unaware she was deaf.


Pewdiepie divides the internet by mocking deaf woman

The most popular YouTuber on the platform posted a new reaction video called "My Dog Cringes at TikToks..," featuring him watching popular TikTok videos with his pet pug Maya. A TikTok he came across was posted by a woman by the name of Scarlet May. May is deaf and tends to accompany her speech with her signing in American Sign Language.

She was telling a story about her experience at the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant. Pewdiepie only watched the first few moments of the TikTok before stating that he couldn't bear with her hand gestures and long nails:

"No, I'm not listening to this."

He went on to state that Scarlet's nails were crazy and compared them to his dog's. The YouTuber picked up his dog and started waving her front paws around to mock the TikTok creator, also putting on a voice that could be interpreted as him mocking her speech.

The video has stirred up quite a bit of controversy on social media, with many calling out the YouTuber for ableism as well as asking for him to be "canceled."

Some brought up that Pewdiepie infamously called someone the N-word in an extremely negative context during a Player Unknown's Battlegrounds stream, showing that this isn't the first time he's exhibited problematic behavior.

Pewdiepie, while not issuing a direct apology, did edit that portion of the video out as well as leave a comment on the video explaining his side of the story. He claimed of not knowing that she was deaf, didn't pick up on the sign language and said that he was mocking her long nails.

He also said the voice he did in the clip was a running joke with his dog rather than him making fun of Scarlet's voice.

While many called for his cancelation, others defended Pewdiepie, including fellow YouTuber The Act Man.

Despite Pewdiepie's explanation, it seems like many had already made up their minds. With that being said, it may not be possible to truly cancel him, considering his large fanbase and survival from past controversies.

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