Logan Paul – The Controversial YouTube Star Turned Boxer

Logan Paul is a 27-year-old internet personality, actor, boxer, and podcast host. Born on April 1, 1995 in Westlake, Ohio, Logan gained fame in the mid 2010‘s for his viral comedy videos and sketches on platforms like Vine and YouTube.

While his outrageous antics and pranks have earned him millions of passionate fans, Logan has also faced intense backlash and controversy throughout his career. Despite the scandals, Logan continues to have a massive influence on pop culture and social media.

The Early Years on Social Media

Logan started making videos in high school with his younger brother Jake Paul. He joined Twitter in 2009 at age 14 and began posting short comedy sketches and videos a few years later.

His following grew rapidly when the app Vine launched in 2013. Logan quickly became one of the most popular Vine stars in the world, amassing over 3 million followers on the platform. His 6-second videos showcased his wacky sense of humor and high energy personality.

According toTubeFilter, Logan was the 10th most followed account on Vine in 2015. Some of his most popular Vines included stunts like crashing a car into a lake and riding a mattress down a flight of stairs.

When Vine shut down in 2016, Logan shifted his full attention to YouTube. He capitalized on his existing fanbase and started vlogging daily. His vlogs, stunts, challenges, and pranks quickly gained millions of views.

In 2017, Logan‘s YouTube channel became the fastest growing channel on the whole platform. He hit 10 million YouTube subscribers that year and started collaborating with other social stars like Juanpa Zurita and Amanda Cerny.

As of 2023, Logan has over 23 million YouTube subscribers and 5 billion views. He ranks as the 55th most subscribed YouTuber.

Acting and Other Ventures

Capitalizing on his online fame, Logan branched out into acting, music, boxing, and business projects.

In 2016, he played the role of Lance in the YouTube Red movie The Thinning alongside Peyton List. He starred in the sequels The Thinning: New World Order in 2018 and The Thinning: Revelations in 2022.

Logan landed small acting roles on TV shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Weird Loners. In 2017, he released a pop rap single "No Handlebars" featuring Why Don‘t We. The track debuted at #91 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Along with his brother Jake, Logan co-founded Maverick Apparel in 2017, a popular streetwear and accessories brand. He also launched Maverick Media, a production studio.

In 2018, Logan began hosting a hit podcast called Impaulsive with co-host Mike Majlak. Unique episodes feature Logan engaging in irreverent conversations often focused on taboo topics.

Impaulsive gets over 3 million views per episode and has featured guests like Steve-O, Chris D‘Elia, and Mike Tyson.

Controversies and Scandals

While wildly popular with his "Logang" fanbase, Logan has also been embroiled in various controversies throughout his career.

In 2017, Logan was heavily criticized for posting an insensitive video parodying suicide awareness and mental health. After an initial defensive response, he apologized.

But Logan‘s biggest scandal came in 2018 surrounding a trip to Japan‘s infamous "suicide forest." Logan uploaded a YouTube video showing the apparent body of a suicide victim.

The video gained 6.3 million views in 24 hours before being deleted. Logan again issued an apology after facing global backlash, but many saw the video as insensitive, disrespectful, and exploiting tragedy for views.

YouTube cut ties with Logan and temporarily suspended ads on his channel. Some called for his channel to be deleted entirely.

Logan took a social media hiatus for several months. He later produced a documentary called "Suicide: Be Here Tomorrow" exploring suicide prevention.

Despite these scandals, Logan has managed to bounce back and continue to grow his brand. He positions himself as an advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.

Boxing Career

In recent years, Logan has focused intently on a new venture – professional boxing.

His first boxing match was an amateur bout against British YouTuber KSI in August 2018 at Manchester Arena. The fight ended in a majority draw after 6 hard-fought rounds.

Their highly anticipated rematch in November 2019 at Staples Center turned professional. This time, KSI won by split decision.

The KSI vs. Logan Paul fights generated huge buzz and reportedly over 1 million pay-per-view buys worldwide. The rematch was the second largest non-professional boxing event of the decade behind only Mayweather vs. Pacquiao.

In June 2021, Logan shocked the sports world by going the full 8 round distance against boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr in an exhibition bout.

Though no winner was declared, many praised Logan for lasting all 8 rounds against the 50-0 retired champion. The exhibition generated around 1 million PPV buys.

Logan continues to train intensely for boxing with hopes of redeeming himself and becoming a world champion. He has called out stars like Canelo Alvarez and Mike Tyson for future fights.

WWE Career

In 2022, Logan signed a long-term deal with WWE to become a professional wrestler. He made his in-ring debut at WrestleMania 38 in April, teaming with The Miz to defeat Rey and Dominik Mysterio.

However, Logan suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and meniscus during the match. He underwent knee surgery in May 2022 and has been inactive and doing rehab ever since. He hopes to return to WWE in 2023.

Personal Life

Logan dated actress Chloe Bennet from July 2018 to October 2019. For privacy reasons, he does not share much about his current relationship status.

Outside of work, Logan enjoys travel, reading, gaming, and spending time with friends and family. He remains close with his parents Greg Paul and Pam Stepnick, and his younger brother Jake Paul.

Logan lives in a mansion in Encino, California called the "Maverick House" with several other social media influencers. Even during downtime at home, crazy antics and hijinks tend to ensue with Logan at the center.

Why Logan Paul Is So Polarizing

Logan Paul has a knack for attracting both extreme loyalty and extreme hatred. Here‘s a look at some of the reasons this internet personality evokes such polarized opinions:

• His wacky, wild, and sometimes outrageous stunts and content rub many people the wrong way. But his younger fans eat it up.
• He has a rebellious spirit and refuses to play by the rules, which angers traditionalists but endears him to other mavericks.
• His scandals related to suicide insensitivity and disrespectful content were seen as unforgivable by some. But his apologies showed personal growth to others.
• Some appreciate Logan for tackling mental health issues and advocating for social causes. Others see it as a disingenuous PR tactic.
• His brash arrogance and bravado strikes some as obnoxious egotism. But others find his extreme confidence inspiring.

Love him or hate him, Logan Paul has undeniably left his mark on internet culture. His career continues to take unpredictable twists and turns. At just 28 years old, it‘s likely Logan still has many more headlines, controversies, and reinventions left in his story.