He said he held off saying more in March since he "didn't want to give the terrorist more attention" or to "make it about me." Even so, he didn't want "hateful acts" to overwhelm the "amazing things" done in his name.

The internet celebrity also acknowledged that two diss songs attacking T-Series, his rival for the most number of YouTube subscribers, had offended others. He said they were "not meant to be taken seriously" and that he wanted to stop the "negative rhetoric."

PewDiePie's request echoes an all-too-familiar pattern on the internet: he's trying to contain a relatively innocent meme co-opted for other, sometimes malicious purposes. And like in those cases, there's not much the originator can do to officially stop it. However, PewDiePie has the luxury of a massive audience for his thoughts. He may stand a better chance than others in trying to disassociate himself from hateful acts.