PewDiePie slams “obnoxious” influencers like Johnny Somali for “ruining” Japan

YouTube star Felix ‘PewDiePie’ Kjellberg slammed content creators like Johnny Somali for “ruining” Japan by breaking laws and filming their unruly behavior.

Several influencers have faced backlash over the last few years for filming themselves engaging in disruptive behavior in Japan — the most notorious of which is Kick streamer Johnny Somali.

But he’s not the only one. Other creators have also come under fire for their unruly content in the country, such as Logan Paul’s infamous 2017 incident in Aokigahara forest and another YouTuber who fled from law enforcement trying to get across the entire length of Japan for free, avoiding paying bus and train fares.

While Somali was arrested and deported from Japan, the phenomenon continues to be a point of contention that has been called out by several high-profile creators… and now, none other than PewDiePie has given his two cents on the subject.

It’s worth noting that PewDiePie is a resident of Japan, who moved to there with his wife, Marzia, in 2022. He’s gone on to share his love for the country in the years following his move and even welcomed his first child in Japan in 2023.

Although he avoided speaking out about the Somali situation to avoid giving the creator attention, he decided to upload a video discussing such unruly influencers after realizing that Japan is taking measures to prevent bad behavior from content creators.

“It’s become an infestation,” Kjellberg said. “All these YouTubers are coming, trying to be as obnoxious as possible, get a bunch of attention, get a bunch of hate-clicks.

“It is really frustrating, because for a lot of people, Japan is an escape from this bad behavior that’s done in public a lot of times,” he continued. “Japan is seen as more polite, and therefore, people want to protect that.”

He went on to call out Johnny Somali, specifically, calling the streamer “such a f*cking idiot” over his antics that got him arrested and hit with a hefty fine earlier this year.

“He got arrested, and now he got deported, and I don’t know if he’s banned for life or anything like that, but I think it will be really difficult for him to enter again, which is good,” Pewds said.

Kjellberg also pointed out an anti-terrorism exercise that Japan’s police and self-defense force orchestrated a year ago, where they simulated an incident using the scenario of “troublemaking YouTubers” attempting to intrude onto an SDF camp.

Footage taken of the exercise shows actors holding up selfie sticks and “spraying” officers with fake spraypaint in faux ‘pranks,’ while law enforcement attempts to push them back.

This isn’t Japan’s only action against unruly foreigners and content creators as of late, either. Recently, the country blocked a famous view of Mt. Fuji, so tourists can no longer block the road by taking photos at the popular spot.

On top of that, Japan also restricted access for foreigners from certain streets in Kyoto’s historic Gion district, famous for its performing Geisha and Maiko, to curb “antisocial” behavior from visitors.

Johnny Somali was one such visitor who was arrested after multiple controversial incidents in Japan, including trespassing on a construction site and broadcasting loudly in a restaurant. He was hit with a ¥200K fine, about $1,400 USD, and later traveled to Israel, where he was also arrested.