YouTube has cut ties with actor Logan Paul, who posted a shocking video of himself joking and laughing around a dead body. The disturbing video, which became popular as the suicide video, showed a dead body of a man who committed suicide in the Aokigahara forest – also known as ‘Suicide forest’ in Japan.
YouTube cuts ties with Logan Paul
The suicide video uploaded by Paul shows him near the body hanging from a tree. In the video, Paul is seen calling out “Yo, are you alive?” and then, “Are you fucking with us?” Thereafter, he is seen laughing and joking with a friend, which according to him is his way of coping with the grim situation.
The suicide video was uploaded on Dec. 31 and was eventually deleted late on Jan. 1. The video was watched over six million times, and after the huge criticism, it was finally taken down. YouTube had been silent on the whole incident so far until now.
On Wednesday, YouTube finally came up with a statement on the video, stating that “Suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views.”
The company also apologized for the video posted on its platform, and assured to take proper steps while dealing with situations in the future.
In a series of tweets, YouTube said, “It’s taken us a long time to respond, but we’ve been listening to everything you’ve been saying.”
Further, the video streaming platform said that the action of one creator could have an impact on the entire community, and that they will soon share details about the steps that they will take to ensure that such videos are not circulated in the future.
YouTube also said it will strike out Paul from its “Preferred Programme” that enables companies to post ads next to the site’s most popular content creators. Further, the company stated that it would not make any films with the star now. YouTube also cleared that Paul will not be featured in season four of Foursome, and all his new originals are on hold.
Suicide video – YouTube needs to handle the situation smartly
A week back, Paul also apologized for posting the suicide video, and acknowledged deleting the video after the social media outcry. He admitted that he made a grave mistake and is ashamed of himself. Paul did not post any videos in the past week, saying he was “taking time to reflect.”
The incident is similar to what happened in Feb. 2017, when PewDiePie’s second season on YouTube Red was shut down after his video featuring anti-semitic content received backlash. After Paul’s controversy gained attention, PewDiePie stated that if YouTube does not take any stringent action against Paul, then he should also be allowed to release his show, which according to him is already finished, notes Polygon.
Paul is one of the most high-profile creators on YouTube. The YouTube star tasted early success on the Vine platform while still in college. Paul’s YouTube channel, which has more than 15 million subscribers, is still active on the platform.
