Logan Paul’s Ads Are Back, but Is He Really off the Hook Just Yet?
YouTube star Logan Paul is back to receiving ad revenue after a short ban, but can he complete his probation without messing up again?
YouTube star Logan Paul’s ad revenue was temporarily suspended in response to a video which featured a suicide victim. Surprisingly, the YouTuber’s ad revenue was resumed just after three weeks, with a ninety-day probation.
The problem started when Logan and his friends went to Japan and decided to visit the Aokigahara forest near Mount Fuji, to document its “haunted aspect” – because it was well-known to be a suicide hub. While in the forest, Paul’s group came across a body hanging lifeless from a tree; and to make matters worse, they did not just show the body (with the face being blurred), but also laughed and made jokes during the encounter.
While Logan clarified that his laughing was only a “coping mechanism”, many followers were not pleased at all, criticizing Paul for being insensitive, making jokes, and uploading the disturbing video on YouTube for everyone to see.
https://twitter.com/aaronpaul_8/status/948032944408444928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.engadget.com%2F2018%2F01%2F02%2Fyoutube-logan-paul-backlash-clip-corpse%2k
After receiving backlash for his video, Logan also issued an official apology on his Twitter account, assuring everyone that he will be more careful next time.
Dear Internet, pic.twitter.com/42OCDBhiWg
— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) January 2, 2018
Unfortunately, things did not stop there. A few weeks after the first disturbing video Paul released another one, featuring him tasering two dead rats, and removing a fish from a pond to resuscitate it by performing CPR. This further added fuel to the fire, and YouTube finally took action by blocking Paul’s ad revenue – one of its severest punishments yet.
Dear @LoganPaul,
How dare you! You disgust me. I can’t believe that so many young people look up to you. So sad. Hopefully this latest video woke them up. You are pure trash. Plain and simple. Suicide is not a joke. Go rot in hell.
Ap
— Aaron Paul (@aaronpaul_8) January 2, 2018
While the block on the YouTube-star’s ads was a severe punishment in its own right, he stated that “It hurts, but it’s not like I’m drowning.” Now that the suspension is over, Logan still faces probation. The probation includes preventing Logan’s videos from showing up in recommendations for non-subscribers (both in the trending tab and notifications), and disqualifies him from the Google Preferred ad program.
With over 16 million followers, Logan still has large viewership even without any recommendations; but after receiving such backlash and penalties, only time can tell if Mr. Paul has indeed learnt his lesson.
