YouTube has dropped its support for PewDiePie - one of the platform's most successful stars - and cancelled his reality show in the wake of the anti-Semitism video row.

Google's video streaming website has removed the paid advertising from the Swedish star's account, which currently has over 53 million subscribers, as well as axing the second season of his reality TV show Scare PewDiePie, available on the online giant's YouTube Red service.

The 27-year-old star, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, sparked controversy after one of his videos featured two men who he had paid to hold up a sign with the text, "Death to all Jews", which he claimed was "to show how crazy the modern world is".

In an official statement, Kjellberg conceded that the material was "offensive", but strongly denied that he supported "any kind of hateful attitudes".

PewDiePie Facebook

In a statement to Variety, a YouTube spokesperson said: "We've decided to cancel the release of Scare PewDiePie season 2 and we're removing the PewDiePie channel from Google Preferred."

The men in Kjellberg's controversial video, which has since been removed from his channel, had been employed via Fiverr, a crowdfunding site where people can offer their services on a freelance basis.

"I was trying to show how crazy the modern world is, specifically some of the services available online," Kjellberg wrote of the vid. "I picked something that seemed absurd to me.

"I think it's important to say something and I want to make one thing clear: I am in no way supporting any kind of hateful attitudes."

Felix's full statement, which he posted on Tumblr, continued: "I understand that these jokes were ultimately offensive.

"As laughable as it is to believe that I might actually endorse these people, to anyone unsure on my standpoint regarding hate-based groups: No, I don't support these people in any way."

Disney's Maker Studios previously said of its decision to sever ties with Kjellberg: "Although Felix has created a following by being provocative and irreverent, he clearly went too far in this case, and the resulting videos are inappropriate."

PewDiePie has built up a large following online by creating YouTube content around video games. He was previously banned from Twitter after he began tweeting fake news about himself, including a claim that he had joined terrorist group ISIS.

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Laurence Mozafari Editor Laurence Mozafari is Digital Spy’s Editor, specialising in TV, movies, music and gaming - he won PPA's 30 Under 30 and was voted BSME Best Deputy 2018.

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