Logan Paul, an American professional wrestler and social media influencer, has garnered over 23.6 million subscribers on his self-entitled YouTube channel.
YouTube temporarily suspended his channel from the YouTube Partner Program in 2018 for his Japan video, where he had shown the corpse of a man who committed suicide.
Highlights
- Logan Paul was widely criticized as insensitive and disrespectful for his video of a lifeless body who committed suicide in Japan’s Aokigahara in December 2017.
- Planeless Pictures sued him for the incident and accused him of posting the video to escape his movie deal of Airplane Mode.
- His NFT-based game CryptoZoo was mocked for using stock images and, in February 2023, faced a class-action lawsuit from investors.
Logan Alexander Paul has been ranked among Forbes’s highest-paid YouTube creators and has run the Impaulsive podcast since November 2018.
The US President Donald Trump appeared on the Impaulsive podcast for a 45-minute interview with him leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
He began creating videos for a YouTube channel when he was only 10 and gained a modest following by the time he was attending college.
Later, in 2014, he dropped out of Ohio University to pursue a full-time career as a social media entertainer and moved into an apartment complex with other Vine stars.
His YouTube compilation video of Vine’s work garnered more than four million views in the first week, and he was ranked as the 10th most influential figure on Vine in 2015.
Moreover, Logan had qualified for the state-level Ohio High School Athletic Association 2013 Division I Wrestling Individual Championships.
He also had a boxing match with KSI, Joe Weller, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and Dillon Danis.
Afterward, he debuted in WWE as a guest of Sami Zayn in an episode of SmackDown on April 2, 2021. He signed a multi-event contract with WWE on June 30, 2022, and defeated The Miz at SummerSlam.
Logan Paul Faced Backlash For Showing The Corpse Of Man Who Committed Suicide
Logan Paul posted a video of a lifeless body who had died by hanging himself in Japan’s Aokigahara “Suicide Forest” at the base of Mt. Fuji on December 31, 2017.
It was supposed to be the third part of his Tokyo Adventures, but he decided to notify the authorities and cancel their plans upon finding the corpse.
YouTube has cut business ties with Logan Paul after his controversial ‘suicide forest’ video pic.twitter.com/jBsTEHcrPT
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) January 11, 2018
It led to a significant public outcry and was widely criticized as insensitive and disrespectful. Moreover, the YouTuber was criticized for other misbehavior he captured on his trip.
It included climbing a moving forklift truck at the Tsukiji fish market, throwing a giant Pokk Ball at passing citizens, and removing clothing on a crowded street to fight with one of his traveling companions.
On February 9, 2018, almost 720,000 signatures petitions were posted to Change.org, urging YouTube to delete his video.
Thus, YouTube removed the video and temporarily suspended his channel, which affected his ad revenue earnings. He has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad revenue since 2015.
Logan removed the video and wrote an apology on Twitter on January 1, 2018, and a subsequent video apology was released on YouTube the next day.
His web film New World Order was placed on hold, and the airing of Logan Paul VS. was also halted. Likewise, he was removed from the fourth season of the YouTube Red series Foursome.
He said he learned a lot from his mistakes and believes he has been treated “fairly.”
Later, he donated $1 million to suicide prevention agencies, a quarter of which is going to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Moreover, Logan hired a marketing manager, Mike Majlak, to ensure nothing bad happened and to improve his reputation.
Afterward, he made efforts to rebuild his public image and returned to YouTube, focusing more on positive and uplifting content.
Logan Paul’s Futher Controversies That Jeopardize His Career
Planeless Pictures sued Logan Paul for the 2017 incident in Aokigahara and accused him of posting the video to escape his movie deal of Airplane Mode.
They claimed that the video led to Google suspending their contract, leaving them in $3 million debt.
Logan Paul receiving backlash for buying a private plane, instead of paying back Cryptozoo victims. #DramaAlert pic.twitter.com/Uwzd4OMjsa
— DramaAlert (@DramaAlert) August 1, 2023
After the suicide video, Maverick Apparel, a brand for juniors and children, threatened Logan Paul with legal action for giving his clothing line a similar name.
Maverick believed shoppers were confused about their line with his brand, “Maverick by Logan Paul,” resulting in a deep sales decline.
YouTube suspended all advertising on his channels on February 9, 2018, due to his “pattern of behavior.” Logan had removed a fish from his pond to give it CPR and tasered two dead rats jokingly.
After suspension, he broadcasted live on Twitch, and YouTube restored ads on his channel after two weeks. However, his channel was still on a 90-day probation period.
His remark on the Impaulsive podcast, “What is it, male-only March? We’re going to attempt to go gay for just one month,” received widespread criticism in January 2019.
Moreover, his NFT-based game CryptoZoo was mocked for using stock images, and YouTuber Coffeezilla released a docuseries that exposed the game’s lack of functionality despite substantial funding.
He apologized, promised a $1.3 million refund for NFT holders in January 2023, and faced a class-action lawsuit from investors in February 2023.
Nonetheless, Logan faced online criticism when The Gentle Barn Sanctuary found his former pet pig, Pearl, abandoned as she was suffering from a potentially life-threatening uterus infection.
Additional Information
- Logan Paul, the son of Pamela Ann Stepnick and Gregory Allan Paul, was born in Westlake, Ohio, on April 1, 1995.
- He studied at Westlake High School, where he was named The Plain Dealer’s All-Star football linebacker in 2012.
- He has acted in Ridiculousness, The Masked Singer, Bizaardvark, Stitchers, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
- His net worth is estimated at $150 million as of 2024.