Ethan Klein, a left-wing YouTuber and comedian with two channels and a combined following of more than nine million, had his accounts temporarily suspended after targeting conservative pundit Ben Shapiro with a Holocaust joke. After an online feud in which he placed the blame on “Christian nationalists”, Klein issued an apology. But many critics question his apology.
The saga began last Thursday when Klein was giving a monologue about rapper Kanye West’s recent antisemitic comments. Klein suggested that West had learned his antisemitism from Candace Owens, a black conservative pundit who recently joined Shapiro’s organization, The Daily Wire.
“If there’s another Holocaust and people start rounding up the Jews again I hope Ben [Shapiro] gets gassed first. Or last,” Klein said. “Can I not say that?” Klein said, adding, “I’m getting gassed, too. Do you think it would be more justice if he got first or last?”
“I am Jewish by the way. Just putting that out there. 99.7% Ashkenazi Jew, B***H,” Klein added. “No one can even step to me. I’m the king of the Jews. Jesus ain’t no king, I’m the king. You’re afraid of gas? I was born in the gas.”
Shapiro responded on Twitter, “If there were another Holocaust, I would hope that Ethan and his family escaped. But maybe that’s just me.”
If there were another Holocaust, I would hope that Ethan and his family escaped. But maybe that’s just me. https://t.co/8zBZXdVro1
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) October 20, 2022
Klein responded, “Sure, in poor taste, but not as poor taste as you platforming antisemites who spread dangerous conspiracies that leads to REAL violence against Jews.”
Ironically, Klein is Jewish and an Israeli-American dual citizen. His YouTube endeavor includes his wife Hila Klein, an Israeli-American fashion designer. The two met at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Israel while Ethan was on a Birthright trip and Hila was on leave from the IDF.
Klein has since removed the video. He blamed his suspension on “white supremacists” who support Shapiro.
A few white supremacists successfully lobbied YouTube to suspend me, a Jewish dual citizen of Israel & USA, for anti-semitism. Ben Shapiro & friends can virtue signal all they want but ultimately they are the ones platforming dangerous anti-semites. All I did was point it out.
— Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) October 20, 2022
In a later tweet, Klein identified these “white supremacists” as “tiki torch carrying, white Christian nationalists”, for whom Shapiro is a “useful idiot”.
Klein went on to reject previous criticism by Shapiro in which the YouTuber claimed Owens praised Hitler. In that Twitter rant, Klein described former Prime Minister Netanyahu as a “warmonger”, Jewish “settlers” as “shameless and hateful”, and excused Hamas’ crimes.
For his part, Shapiro did not support Klein’s suspension, tweeting, “I don’t believe that Ethan Klein should be suspended from YouTube for his awful garbage. But I’ll shed no tears for a person who has routinely engaged in the cancellation of others. World’s smallest violin.”
Klein posted an apology on Twitter.
“I owe everyone a huge apology for my actions these past 2 years. Ive hurt a lot of people & in the process ruined my good reputation. But Im trying my hardest to be better, to win you back. Ive already lost 25 pounds in the past 2 months. Im very sorry for becoming fat.”
Critics of Klein noted the ambiguous nature of the apology as it made no mention of his Holocaust comments or of comments about Shapiro.
I owe everyone a huge apology for my actions these past 2 years. Ive hurt a lot of people & in the process ruined my good reputation. But Im trying my hardest to be better, to win you back. Ive already lost 25 pounds in the past 2 months. Im very sorry for becoming fat.
— Ethan Klein (@h3h3productions) October 22, 2022
