YouTube has suspended all advertising on Logan Paul’s channels after he uploaded several controversial videos in recent weeks.
“After careful consideration, we have decided to temporarily suspend ads on Logan Paul’s YouTube channels,” the video-sharing website said in a statement to Us Weekly on Friday, February 9. “This is not a decision we made lightly; however, we believe he has exhibited a pattern of behavior in his videos that makes his channel not only unsuitable for advertisers, but also potentially damaging to the broader creator community.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Paul’s rep for comment.
Paul, 22, first sparked controversy after he posted a YouTube video on December 31 that showed him and a group of friends discovering the corpse of a man who appeared to have hung himself from a tree in Japan. He deleted the video in response to the backlash and later issued an apology, saying he intended to “raise awareness for suicide prevention.”
YouTube pulled the internet personality’s channels from its Google Preferred advertising service in January. He took a three-week hiatus from the website before returning on January 24 with a PSA about suicide awareness. He said in the video that he planned to donate $1 million to “various suicide prevention organizations, with the first $250,000 going immediately to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline so they can increase their capacity to help those in need.”
Paul came under fire again when he uploaded a vlog on Monday, February 5, that showed him tasering two dead rats and taking a live fish out of his koi pond to pretend to perform CPR. He also encouraged his fans to participate in the viral and dangerous Tide Pod challenge, in which people attempt to eat the detergent capsules. In response, viewers took to social media to question whether the star actually learned his lesson.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
