He’s coming back. Greg Paul, the father of YouTube stars Logan and Jake Paul, has issued a statement on Instagram saying that his eldest son will be returning to vlogging soon.
The 22-year-old came under fire last week after he posted a video to his YouTube page that was filmed in Japan’s Aokigahara forest, where dozens of people take their lives every year, and it showed an alleged suicide victim’s body.
Since the controversy, the web star has been taking some time off but now his dad revealed on Tuesday, January 9, that his son will be back making videos soon. “LOGAN WILL BE BACK! SUPER FANS!! BUS UPDATES! MISTAKES!! We all screw up. It’s a part of life,” he captioned the Instagram clip. “Do I agree with everything my boys do. NO! Do I agree with some of the things my friends do? NO! Do they disagree with some things I do? YES!”
He continued: “Face it folks……. we all f—k up at one time or another. That’s life!! What we do with those mistakes, bad judgement or whatever term you give it, is what matters. I love my boys and I am sooo proud of them.”
Greg also thanked fans for their support. “Logan is coming back. That is a definite,” he says in the video. “The amount of love that has been coming has been unbelievable. The amount of people showing support is unbelievable.”
“The haters think they’re having an effect on us. If the haters knew how much love was out there, how much support was out there, they would shut their freaking mouths. The haters will never, ever have an effect on the Paul family,” he continued. “The love is too strong. We all make mistakes.”
The family weren’t the only ones to catch heat over the disturbing video. Many people were also outraged at YouTube for failing to respond quickly to the insensitive clip. YouTube released an open letter on Tuesday, January 9, condemning Paul’s vlog. “Many of you have been frustrated with our lack of communication recently. You’re right to be. You deserve to know what’s going on,” the statement read. “Like many others, we were upset by the video that was shared last week. Suicide is not a joke, not should it ever be a driving force for views.”
It added that the situation might bring about changes in YouTube policies: “We know that the actions of one creator can affect the entire community, so we’ll have more to share soon on steps we’re taking to ensure a video like this is never circulated again.”
Paul issued an apology about the video on January 2. “I’ve made a severe and continuous lapse in my judgment and I don’t expect to be forgiven, I’m simply here to apologize,” he said on his channel. “So what we came across that day in the woods was obviously unplanned and the reactions you saw on tape were raw, they were unfiltered. None of us knew how to react or how to feel.”
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
