PewDiePie brings back PewNews to defend iDubbbz amid “simp” controversy

Felix ‘PewDiePie’ Kjellberg brought back his PewNews show to give his take on the “simp” backlash surrounding YouTuber Ian ‘iDubbbz’ Carter.

iDubbbz has been facing criticism from segments of his fan base since early March, which culminated with him hitting back at some of his followers in a video he uploaded on the 28th.

Now YouTube king PewDiePie has decided to weigh in on the controversy in his March 29 episode of PewNews. The Swedish entertainer defended the content creator by asking why anyone “cares” about the personality’s personal life.

PewDiePie weighs in on iDubbbz controversy 

The backlash kicked off on March 9 when iDubbbz girlfriend, social media influencer Anisa Jomha, revealed she was posing for photos, and selling the private content through a subscription service. His support for her decision sparked memes about the YouTuber, calling him a “simp.”

While admitting it was awkward to discuss the topic, PewDiePie decided to address it.”This is really awkward, because I really like iDubbbz. I respect him a lot. He’s a good dude. I’ve worked with him. I would even say he’s an important figure for the internet,” he said.

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However, the Swede was confused by people using the ‘simp’ term. “I thought simp was the person that paid for stuff, but didn’t get any of the action. I thought that was the definition. The people who do anything for a woman, just in the hope of something. It doesn’t make any sense. Per definition, you are false,” he continued.

Pewds broke down what he felt was the root of the controversy for some people and explained, “A lot of this boils down to, is you create an intimacy with other people online. Generally in a relationship, having that intimacy, for a lot of people, is something special you two share.”

He also theorized that the backlash was the result of the content creator being so beloved. “I find it hard to believe that this many people care about someone else’s relationship. I think it’s because it’s iDubbbz. The golden boy. If this was anyone else, no one would really give a s**t,” he said.

The entertainer went on to say that he believed no one should care what people choose to do in their private lives. “I wouldn’t be okay with it. But at least he’s exuberating confidence by publicly saying he’s okay with it. If he’s truly okay with it, who cares? Why care?”

(Timestamp 00:32 for mobile users.)

PewDiePie tackled the whole thing from all sides, and agreed that iDubbbz’s response came off “a tad bit defensive” and “cherry picked.” However, he also pointed out that the YouTuber and his girlfriend were likely dealing with stress and harassment behind the scenes.

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While the Swede is mostly known for his gaming and sarcastic reaction content, this goes to show that he’s also willing to tackle touchy subjects that affect the online community.