PewDiePie appears to poke fun at Justin Trudeau over blackface scandal

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shocked the net after a photo surfaced of the leader wearing brownface makeup at a 2001 “Arabian Nights” themed gala – and the world’s biggest YouTuber is now weighing in on the scandal.

YouTube star Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg addressed the matter during a video uploaded on October 2, which featured one of his signature “you laugh, you lose” challenges.

One of the jokes in his video commented on Trudeau’s brownface debacle – an issue that reportedly occurred multiple times, with video footage later surfacing of the Prime Minister wearing blackface and an afro wig during a boating trip.

https://time.com/5680759/justin-trudeau-brownface-photo/

“He even covered his hands [with paint],” PewDiePie commented. “Who does that? So many times! You know, if you do a mistake once, fine. A couple times, fine. But enough times, and it’s just become real.”

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The YouTuber seemed to realize the irony of his statement, considering his own slew of past scandals, and quickly backtracked, making a point to joke about his controversies in light of Trudeau’s repeated offenses.

(Timestamp: 0:39 for mobile viewers)

“Oh god,” Kjellberg continued. “Oh, no. I take back everything I just said, okay! You can make as many mistakes as possible! It doesn’t mean anything. I swear it means nothing! Coincidence! It’s society, I tell you! At least you won’t catch me in blackface.”

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Thus far, three separate instances have been discovered in which Trudeau wore blackface, with the PM himself dodging questions on how many times he’d worn such offensive apparel – even claiming that he’s “always… been more enthusiastic about costumes than is sometimes appropriate.”

While Trudeau is currently under the magnifying glass of the media, PewDiePie himself has likewise dealt with ample controversies during his career, with his latest scandal related to a Georgian Bolnisi Cross worn during a video rescinding his donation to the Anti Defamation League.

Critics of the YouTuber claimed he was using an alleged “Iron Cross” as a dog whistle to white supremacists – a claim that Kejllberg vehemently denied in a subsequent video, arguing that he wasn’t aware of the potential similarities to the Iron Cross and didn’t “care about these tiny Nazi references.”

PewDiePie is YouTube’s most subscribed independent creator, boasting over 101 million subscribers – but controversy continues to follow the YouTube star in spite of his massive success on the platform, with his comments on Justin Trudeau being his latest statement in regards to his own past scandals.