YouTube star PewDiePie made $15 million in 2016
YouTube video gamer PewDiePie has assembled more than 50 million subscribers in his “bro-army” and made a fortune while doing it.
He made $15 million in 2016 according to Forbes, which puts his net worth in the $60 to 80 million range. PewDiePie has made $124 million since 2010 and falls in the 56 percent income tax bracket in Sweden, according to Coed.com.
The 27-year-old’s funny and clickbaity YouTube videos have attracted legion of fans online. He is also creating a television series with YouTube called “Scare PewDiePie”.
PewDiePie regularly pokes fun at those who paint him as a greedy YouTuber and points to his charity efforts. Still, Felix Kjellberg detractors are few and far between judging from his following and the engagement on his channel. Here’s what you need to know about the Swede’s net worth.
1. PewDiePie’s Book ‘This Book Loves You’ Sold 112,000 Copies
Kjellberg started posting on his YouTube channel in 2010, and now he’s distilled all his gaming knowledge into this book: “This Book Loves You.” The book claims to contain, “beautifully illustrated inspirational thoughts and sayings.” It has been a hit with younger audiences becoming a number one New York Times bestseller and first in the Teen & Young Adult Internet Books category on Amazon.com. Here’s a snippet from the book’s description on Amazon:
PewDiePie was sent to planet Earth to dispense wisdom, teach us common sense, and instruct us in the ancient art of Inspirology.
Kjellberg announced the book was coming out in October 2015 in a YouTube video where he dressed himself and his dog as academics extolling the wonders of ‘This Book Loves You’. The book has sold over 110,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan.
2. PewDiePie’s Channel Got 50 Million Subs and He Threatening to Delete It
Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. Kjellberg threatened to delete his Youtube channel when it reached 50 million subscribers, but called the whole thing a joke before the deadline he set for 5 pm GMT on December 9. In the video published on December 2, he accused YouTube of manipulating how videos get searched. Creators who uploaded regularly saw views migrate to racy and clickbait content, he said.
News that the most subscribed YouTuber was going to pull the plug on his channel quickly circulated online. Media such as Fortune, Venture Beat and Mashsable picked up the story. The BBC News reported that YouTube said it had made no changes to its “suggested videos” algorithm contrary to what Kjellberg had said. It appears that the social media frenzy though, was much ado about nothing. About an hour before the deadline Kjellberg called the whole ordeal a joke before renewing his promise to delete his channel at 100 million subscribers.
3. ‘Scare PewDiePie’ Television Show Contributed to the YouTuber’s Net Worth
What do you get when you combine a talking electric wheel chair, asylum and PewDiePie? YouTube hoped it would be a recipe for more subscribers to its premium YouTube Red channel. The ‘Scare PewDiePie’ series features an infusion of horror and humor based games PewDiePie played. With Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman as one of its executive producers, the show is preparing for Season 2. The videos are listed as levels of a video game, with the last one released on April 6 titled “Level-10 Game Over”. The full episodes of ‘Scare PewDiePie’ are on YouTube Red, which has a $10 monthly subscription fee.
Kjellberg has asked his followers to consider subscribing to the ad-free subscription service. The rise of ad-blockers has siphoned money from creators, which the subscription service can help alleviate, he said. YouTube has said the premium tier would make more revenue for its creators, and agreed to pay its creators during the free-trial period.
4. PewDiePie Bought an Old Nissan Model With His Hard Earned YouTube Money
After watching vlogger after vlogger boast about their new Lamborghini, Kjellberg decided he had had enough. He was going to blow his hard-earned money on his own ride. He revealed his choice in a YouTube video earlier this year, which has since been deleted because of copyright infringement. Instead of a Ferrari or Lamborghini, Kjellberg revealed an old Nissan model as his “sweet new ride.” In the video, Kjellberg showed off the car’s accessories before taking it on a ride with music blaring.
5. PewDiePie’s Girlfriend CutiePieMarzia Has a Net Worth of $2 Million
Kjellberg’s girlfriend ‘CurtiePieMarzia’ is a beauty vlogger who has her own YouTube channel withnearly 7 million subscribers. Marzia Bisognin has a net worth of $2 million, Celebrity Net Worth reports. In addition to vlogging, Bisognin designs her own clothing and published a horror book in 2015 called “Dream House”.
Kjellberg and his girlfriend have been in a relationship since 2011, and the pair have appeared together several times in PewDiePie’s videos. Bisognin met Kjellberg on the Internet after a friend recommended she watch the “idiot playing video games.”