In May of 2017, YouTube user Logan Paul uploaded a video titled “The Best Of Japan: Sleeping Buddha”. The video was for content that had been posted to social media before by Japanese users and featured various landmarks in Osaka with music playing in the background.
In the description box for the video, Logan mentioned how hungry he was and asked if anyone wanted to make some sushi. He then proceeded to climb into an elevator and invite people to come along as they ate raw fish together.
Within hours of the upload, Paul received backlash for his insensitive behavior and the surrounding controversy. However, this did not stop him or YouTube from giving him more exposure.
He made more videos about his trip to Japan including one where he visited Aokigahara Forest which is known around the world as the suicide forest. Many consider it to be a popular destination for those who wish to end their lives because there are many ways to do so and very few people around.
This gave rise to many theories about whether or not he engaged in self-destruction himself. Some say it is just a place people go to die while others believe he did indeed try to commit suicide but failed.
Since these events happened nearly two years ago, things have calmed down quite a bit. But even now, almost a year later, Logan has still managed to gain fame.
He continues to get paid well for his work while also receiving constant praise and attention.
As mentioned earlier, his channel has over 2 million followers at this time of writing. He seems to focus mostly on filming yourself in various locations and putting up very catchy screen names for the videos such as “logan paul goes nose picking” or “logan paul buys some cookies.”
Some people may find his content funny or entertaining but it is not without controversy. Some say that his antics are disrespectful to the graveyards he films in and can be harmful to his audience who look up to him. Others claim that his fame comes from being vulgar and sensationalist which will only get him more attention.
He has also been accused of cultural appropriation due to his use of Japan-themed settings and costumes. Many Japanese do not appreciate having their culture used for entertainment purposes so there have been many discussions about whether or not it is okay to use their style.
His most famous video was titled “Dead Body In A Room Full Of Candy.” This got him into trouble because he did not obtain permission to film outside an active crime scene and he made fun of how bloated the body was.
This led to lawsuits being filed against him and his company by the family of the deceased person. Luckily, he was able to make a deal with them where he would remove all references to the corpse and donate money to their charity of choice.
Two years ago, 22-year-old YouTuber Jacob "Jacy" Campbell posted to his Instagram story a 15 second clip of him jumping off a cliff in Japan. He called it a suicide video and tagged both himself and Paul in the post.
The two men then quickly received over 1 million views for what they referred to as their "dead body positivity" video. It was heavily criticized for its exploitative content that appeared intended to elicit shock and sympathy.
Since then, Paul has made almost every other controversial YouTube video possible. He now boasts nearly 6 million subscribers and is constantly surrounded by controversy.
His latest feat? Releasing a 5 minute and 51 seconds long "suicide" video of himself and his crew traveling to an open beach in Hawaii and filming someone else's dead body.
He got away with it because he said it was meant to be a joke and not serious. Many people agree but many don't.
Many people have criticized YouTube star Logan Paul for his recent viral sensation, but how he got there is anything but special. In fact, it was quite boring! He made waves in January when he uploaded a short film titled “The Boob Tube.”
In this short movie, he visited Tokyo’s porn store area and filmed himself looking at all of the sex toys while also checking out some breasts.
He later shared the clip on social media sites like Instagram and Twitter to get feedback. Some people praised him for exposing hidden gems, while others were very offended by the content he presented.
Many critics said that what he did was exploitative and offensive towards the Japanese culture. Others accused him of being racist because many of the products featured are typically white or Westernized.
Since then, Logan has lost most of his audience due to these controversies. But before all of that happened, his popularity was soaring fast.
Two years ago, YouTube star Logan Paul uploaded a short film to his channel titled The Final Year. It was called Let’s Play Isolation – or as some referred to it, A Dead Body Game.
In the video, he played an online game where you are tasked with killing yourself in a secluded area within one hour. You have to do this by poisoning yourself, shooting yourself, or hanging yourself.
But before you actually commit suicide, there is another task — finding and retrieving a corpse that has been buried for at least six months.
Paul spent almost two minutes of the video talking about how hard it would be to find such a corpse, until… he found one! He quickly edited out the dead body so people wouldn’t notice, but not before capturing the gory footage.
The reaction was disastrously popular. Within days of its upload, the video had over 100 million views, making it one of the most viewed videos on the platform.
It also earned him international media attention and praise from the internet community. Many admired his ability to stumble upon a hidden body and saved many others the same trouble.
However, other viewers were less impressed. They accused him of being disrespectful to the deceased and promoting suicide. Some even reported him to police.
Since then, he has lost significant fan support and income due to controversy.
As mentioned earlier, his channel has over 17 million followers at this time of writing. He got his start by posting videos of him or others exploring graveyards in Japan to see if there are any hidden treasures.
He would then edit these parts together into one longer video with music and other content he had prepared. This is how most people get exposed to his style of editing and his catchy song lyrics that go along with it!
His popularity really took off when he made a teaser for his new episode titled “The Best Of” featuring a still image and some audio of someone screaming.
Within an hour of uploading, the video was watched more than 1.7 million times and flooded Reddit with comments praising his ability to gain attention.
Many noticed the background noise which sounded like crying and the person saying something in Japanese before the scream took place. Some claimed they knew what was happening even before watching the full length video.
Some said it was just another example of people trying to seem important by acting tough and having a meltdown, while others thought it was genuine. No matter what people believed, everyone agreed it was very shocking to watch.
After the backlash from all sides, he removed the video and apologized. Since then he has focused on giving his audience thoughtful entertainment every week.
He continues to grow his fan base through creative editing and interesting musical choices.
Two years ago this month, YouTube star Logan Paul uploaded a video titled “The Best of Road Trips America! Episode 1: Detroit!” In it he visited Suicide Forest in Japan, an outdoor monument commemorating people who died by suicide.
He then made a joke about finding someone to help him kill himself and filmed his friend doing so. Many found his choice of content disturbing and/or dangerous.
Some even called for his removal from YouTube as he has since gained a significant amount of followers.
Paul later apologized for his actions but not before he received backlash over his lack of empathy for those suffering with mental health issues. He also faced criticism for using social media to gain attention.
Since his downfall, he has been forced to address his past behaviors and efforts to prevent others from copying his bad decisions.
Many people have made a career off of being famous for their outrageous behavior, but none quite as infamous as YouTube star Logan Paul.
Paul is well-known for his tendency to gain popularity by making fun of other people’s cultures or traditions. He sometimes does this while in foreign countries where different customs are practiced, which can be considered insensitive at best and racist at worst.
In November 2017, Paul visited Japan to check out some popular tourist sites. While there, he came across what appeared to be a dead body in a forest. It was later revealed that it was not a human corpse, but instead an animal carcass left behind by hungry animals.
He quickly uploaded a video titled “The Top 10 Things That Were Not In The Guide Book” along with the misleading title “Dead Body In A Forest!” This got him into even more trouble because many people thought he faked the discovery of the body. Some even went so far as to call it fake death propaganda.
Many found his editing skills very questionable since he clearly took additional time to edit the footage down before uploading the video. Others said his tone was very dramatic and sarcastic, adding unnecessary pressure on anyone who may have seen the video.
This resulted in many accusing him of being disrespectful and self-centered. Many felt his lack of sympathy for the victim hurt his reputation even more.
He eventually apologized for the incident, but not for his actions.
Many people have made a career off of being famous for their outrageous behavior, but none quite match the level of attention that YouTube celebrity Logan Paul received this past December.
He traveled to Japan with his friend Suge Duggat to find the recently deceased body of a person in their late teens or early twenties who had apparently committed suicide by ingesting drugs and alcohol.
The two men then edited a video they recorded while exploring the corpse and its surrounding area and uploaded it to YouTube. The three-and-a-half minute clip quickly went viral as users pointed out how inappropriate it was to film such a thing and promote products like self-help books and funeral services.
Some even accused them of exploiting the tragedy for profit.
Many found the duo’s actions distasteful and unacceptable, which is why some say they are responsible for the death of the young person whose body they filmed.
