It’s PewDiePie’s Diamond Play Button, and he’ll cry if he wants to.
The world’s most-subscribed YouTube star has a bone to pick with the platform in a half-serious — thought notably heated — video posted to his channel earlier today. PewDiePie, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg wants YouTube to send him his Diamond Play Button — which the company announced at last year’s VidCon as a means of recognizing creators with 10 million subscribers.
Kjellberg, who currently counts over 44 million subscribers, has yet to receive the plaque. “Listen YouTube, I had enough of your bullsh-t. I’m calling you out right now,” he shrieks in the faux-rant. Kjellberg then tells his legions of fans — his so-called ‘bro army’ — to target the company on social media using the hashtag #givepewdshisdiamondplaybutton. “I want that sh-t trending on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr. Harass them anywhere — Instagram — I don’t give a f-ck.”
He’s been waiting so long, Kjellberg jokes, that he will only be satisfied if YouTube meets his demands, which now include four Diamond Play Buttons smothered in glitter and delivered by a beautiful bearded man on a horse with a written apology.
YouTube, for its part, had the perfect response to Kjellberg’s tantrum, tweeting him a single diamond emoji. The company also hands out Silver Play Buttons to channels with more than 100,000 subscribers and Gold Play Buttons to those who have passed the one million subscriber threshold. (Kjellberg has both of these, but notes that his Gold Play Button was destroyed by FedEx in transit. “This is clearly trash,” he says of the broken plaque. “Like, what am I gonna do with it? I’m legit pissed.”)
So when should Kjellberg ultimately expect to receive the award? YouTube says that qualifying creators should look out for a notification on their channels in the month after they hit the milestone. After a shipping address is provided, YouTube says, the awards take eight to twelve weeks to process and ship.
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