The Swedish YouTuber who once ruled the platform has shifted his focus to family life in Japan, but still earns millions from his massive subscriber base
For much of the 2010s, there was no bigger online star than PewDiePie, the Swedish YouTuber whose real name is Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg. But if it feels like you haven’t heard much from him lately, there’s a good reason.
Three years after launching his channel, known for Let’s Play videos of horror and action games, PewDiePie became YouTube’s most-subscribed creator in August 2013, a title he held until April 2019.
The 100 Million Battle with T-Series
That year, he was finally overtaken by Indian record label T-Series, after a months-long public rivalry to see who would be the first to surpass 100 million subscribers. By then, Kjellberg had already expanded beyond gaming, posting vlogs, comedy sketches, and music videos alongside his usual uploads. But the 2020s have taken both the creator and his content in a different direction.
Life After YouTube: Marriage, Children, Japan
Now 36, PewDiePie has shifted his focus away from YouTube. In August 2019, he married longtime girlfriend Marzia Bisognin, herself a popular creator in the beauty and lifestyle space. That same year, the couple purchased a home in Japan, though they weren’t able to move there permanently until 2022 due to pandemic-related delays.
Their first child, a son, was born in June 2023, and as any new parent knows, raising a toddler doesn’t leave much time for anything else, YouTube included. That said, PewDiePie certainly hasn’t disappeared. He still uploads occasionally to his more than 110 million subscribers, with videos now focused mainly on his and his family’s life in Japan.
What is PewDiePie’s Net Worth?
Once the world’s highest-paid YouTuber, Kjellberg’s current net worth is estimated to be between $45 million and $60 million. Not bad for a 36-year-old who’s essentially semi-retired.
