PewDiePie has branded the media "attacks" against him "insane", after he was dropped by a series of collaborators.

The YouTube star, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, has run into controversy after a run of videos that appeared to joke about using anti-Semitic imagery, including one that paid two men to hold up a sign reading "death to all Jews". Since the Wall Street Journal showed those videos to Disney, both it and YouTube have dropped Mr Kjellberg from important partnerships.

But the 27-year-old Swede said that the report was unfair and that the media was launching an attack on him by presenting the videos without making clear that they are intended as jokes.

Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 Show all 10 1 /10 Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 1. PewDiePie ($15 million) (Real name Felix Kjellberg) Getty Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 2. Roman Atwood ($8 million) Getty Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 3. Lilly Singh ($7.5 million) Lilly Singh Getty Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 4. Smosh ($7 million) (Real names Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla aka Smosh) Getty Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 5. Rosanna Pansino ($6 million) Getty Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 6. Tyler Oakley ($6 million) Getty Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 7. Markiplier ($5.5 million) (Real name Mark Fischbach) Getty Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 8. German Garmendia ($5.5 million) Getty Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 9. Rhett and Link ($5 million) (Real names Rhett McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln 'Link' Neal) Getty Forbes' Highest-Paid YouTubers of 2016 10. Miranda Sings ($5 million) (Real name Colleen Ballinger) Getty

"They don't call it jokes. They call it posts," Kjellberg said in a video posted soon after the controversy erupted.

"I made a point that the media takes what I say out of context. They take that and put it out of context to use against me to portray me as a Nazi."

Mr Kjellberg said in the video explanation and other posts that he made the videos as a way of demonstrating how "crazy" the modern world is, because it was possible to pay someone to do anything. He demonstrated that by picking "something that seemed absurd" – which included two men and one dressed as Jesus saying anti-Semitic slogans.

But he accepted that he may have made a mistake in making the post – even while calling the attacks against him "insane".

"I do strongly believe that you can joke about anything," he said on his apology. "But I also believe that there's a right way and not the best way to joke about things.

"I love to push boundaries, but I would consider myself a rookie comedian and I've definitely made mistakes like this before."

Pewdiepie dropped by Disney over YouTube star's anti-Semitic videos