The boxing world is gearing up for yet another Jake Paul boxing match. The YouTube star continues to push toward the ring and is scheduled to fight former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley on Sunday, Aug. 29. Jake and his big brother Logan Paul are determined to make a name for themselves in the sport following a long and lucrative career as social media influencers. The siblings have also found a way to stay in the news cycle, usually thanks to something controversial. For example, federal prosecutors recently decided to drop a case related to Jake’s involvement in a mall looting in May 2020 amid the George Floyd protests in Scottsdale, Arizona. But the City Attorney’s Office refiled two criminal misdemeanor charges against the boxer for criminal trespass and unlawful assembly on Aug. 16. He could face a maximum sentence of one year in jail if found guilty. But this isn’t the influencers’ first controversy.
The siblings started out on Vine by sharing prank videos that amassed millions of views. After the video-sharing app shut down in 2016, they took their talents to YouTube and Instagram and continued gaining millions of fans. Controversy and legal issues have followed them ever since, and 24-year-old Jake and 26-year-old Logan have drawn as much attention in real life as they have online. They continued to grow their fame through acting and boxing, making them more than just internet sensations. The Paul brothers’ seemingly endless controversies over the years have been polarizing. Jake has faced multiple lawsuits, sexual assault allegations, has been accused of “terrorizing” his neighbors, and lost his gig on the Disney show Bizaardvark. Yet those scandals seem not to faze their millions of young fans one bit. We did a deep dive into Jake and Logan’s most controversial moments, chronicling four years of scandals.
Jake Paul becomes known as “the neighbor” from hell
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Date: July 2017
Over the years, Jake’s neighbors have shown themselves not to be huge fans of his over-the-top pranks, fast driving, loud parties, and reckless behavior. Earlier in his career, while he was on the Disney Channel, he rented a home in Los Angeles with his influencer squad, Team 10. His neighbors complained about his antics, saying he turned their once-peaceful street into a circus. Local TV station KTLA 5 reported on the complaints and interviewed the social media star, and they filmed him climbing up the news station van during the interview. His fans, meanwhile, celebrated it all. His neighbors held meetings with city leaders, police, and code enforcement officials and considered filing a class-action lawsuit against the YouTuber.
Jake is dismissed from the Disney Channel
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Date: July 2017
Landing a role on a Disney Channel show seems like the ideal opportunity for anyone trying to make it big in Hollywood, but maintaining a good image is part of the package. Jake’s time on the series Bizaardvark was cut short before he finished filming Season 2. “We’ve mutually agreed that Jake Paul will leave his role on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark,” the network’s spokesperson said in a statement at the time. “On behalf of the production company, the cast, and crew, we thank Jake for his good work on the TV series for the past 18 months and extend our best wishes to him.” Deadline reported that his exit from the show would be effective immediately.
The network didn’t reveal the reason for his departure, but the announcement came during the same week that his neighbors complained about his alleged partying and extravagant pranks. The YouTuber released his statement via the Notes app, saying he had “outgrown” the network, and that’s why he and his team agreed to leave the show. “I love my castmates and will continue to support Disney, but I have outgrown the channel and feel its [sic] time to move forward in my career,” he wrote in his statement at the time.
Jake is sued by his landlord
Jake and Logan Paul are sued over controversial YouTube content
Date: October 2017
You can’t get famous and rack up millions of views by being basic. Jake’s whole persona revolves around him behaving outlandishly and creating over-the-top content to get views and attention from his fans. Some of his pranks and videos have landed him in hot water. A California man sued Jake in October 2017 for damages for an injury and emotional distress after the Internet star and his friends drove around LA blaring a loud horn at pedestrians while filming their reactions for YouTube. According to the suit, the man claims the loud noise damaged his hearing.
Jake also once shared a YouTube video titled “I lost my virginity” in January 2018 using a semi-nude thumbnail of himself and then-girlfriend Erika Costel to promote it, even though he has a young fanbase. That same month, TMZ shared a video showing Jake saying the n-word multiple times while freestyling.
Meanwhile, Jake’s brother Logan jeopardized his relationship with YouTube when he published a video on New Year’s Eve in 2017 that reportedly showed a dead body hanging from a tree. The video was filmed in the Aokigahara Forest in Japan, which is also infamously known as the “suicide forest.” Logan was heavily criticized for sharing the insensitive clip with his young viewers. As a result, YouTube temporarily suspended ads and revenue on Logan’s YouTube channels. He was later sued over the video by a production company called Planeless Pictures, which was created in 2016 to produce a film with Logan called Airplane Mode. The production company filed a lawsuit in December 2020 claiming that the fallout from the controversial video caused it to lose the $3.5 million licensing agreement it had with Google, which in 2017 had agreed that YouTube would promote and distribute the movie about influencers.
Jake is accused of “scamming” his fans
Date: 2018
Jake has been accused of scamming young fans by selling them educational programs on becoming rich and famous online. He launched Edfluence in 2018, which he said would be a series of tutorials fans could unlock for $7 to learn how to become an influencer. However, outlets reported that the fee unlocked only a few videos with basic tips, and they had to pay an additional $57 for more in-depth content. It was also reportedly misleading for parents whose credit card information was stored after paying the $7. The child could simply pay the additional amount without asking for further parental permission.
Jake launched a different educational platform called the Financial Freedom Movement in February 2020, charging a $19.99 fee to create an account. He announced an event to launch the platform on Twitter, writing that “the education system is worthless” and that it was “teaching kids 0 real life skills for them to secure there [sic] own future.” Jake said the online platform would feature curated content from himself, other social media influencers, and entrepreneurs. There haven’t been any updates about the platform as of late, and the most recent tweet he shared about the course was in April 2020.
Jake is sued by a neighbor
Date: February 2019
A neighbor sued the YouTube star in February 2019 after he claimed that security at Jake’s home falsely placed him under a citizen’s arrest and said it was “racially motivated.” The neighbor said he drove to Jake’s home in February 2018 to complain about people in the house driving at high speeds around the neighborhood. He said Jake’s friends verbally attacked him and a security guard accused him of trespassing and “grabbed him, twisted his arm behind his back and threw him against his car.” The police were called, but the neighbor was released when no evidence of trespassing was found. In the lawsuit, the man said the citizen’s arrest was made without reasonable probable cause and that he believes it was based on his religion and nationality. He sued the social media star for false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress and is seeking undisclosed damages. Jake’s reps said the YouTuber wasn’t at the house at the time of the incident.
Jake gets into a heated argument with Zayn Malik
Date: February 2020
The Paul brothers and Zayn Malik stayed at the same hotel in Vegas in February 2020 for a boxing match, and their rooms were next to each other. After the fight, Jake reportedly spotted Malik getting off the elevator and asked if the singer and his team were partying, but the former One Direction guy did not respond in a friendly way. “Almost had to clap up zane from 1 direction because he is a little guy and has an attitude,” Jake tweeted at the time. “Zane ik you’re reading this… stop being angry cause u came home alone to ur big ass hotel room hahaha.” He added: “Bro he literally started yelling and freaking the fuck out ‘you wanna test me mate’ lol I feel bad for childhood stars.”
Malik’s girlfriend, Gigi Hadid, responded to the tweet at the time. “Lol cause he doesn’t care to hang w you and your embarrassing crew of YouTube groupies ..?” the model wrote. “Home alone with his best friends like a respectful king cause he has me, sweetie. Unbothered by your irrelevant ugly ass. Go to bed.” Damn, Gigi. Jake deleted the tweets and sent a message the following day, saying, “Someone needs to take my phone when I’m drunk because I am a fucking idiot.”
Jake charged for looting an Arizona mall
Date: June 2020
The social media influencer was charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly, both misdemeanors, after videos were posted on social media of him inside the Scottsdale Fashion Square mall in Scottsdale, Arizona. The mall was looted in June 2020 while protests over the police killing of George Floyd were taking place in the city. “Our investigation has revealed that Paul was present after the protest was declared an unlawful assembly and the rioters were ordered to leave the area by the police,” the Scottsdale Police Department said in a statement at the time. “Paul also unlawfully entered and remained inside of the mall when it was closed. As a result, Paul has been charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly.” Jake denied any wrongdoing and said he was at the mall simply to capture content for YouTube. He also said he had been protesting earlier in the day and that police tear-gassed him at the time.
The FBI raided Jake’s home in Calabasas, California, and another location in Las Vegas in August 2020 while investigating “allegations of criminal acts” surrounding an incident at the Arizona mall, TMZ reported. FBI swat team agents reportedly seized guns from the home. The charges were dropped by the City of Scottsdale when the feds began an investigation, but they decided against prosecuting the social media star and dropped the charges. The City Attorney re-filed the case in August 2021, and TMZ reported that Jake is due in court sometime after Labor Day. He could face a maximum of a year in jail.
Jake got in trouble for throwing a party amid the COVID-19 lockdown
Jake calls the pandemic a “hoax”
Date: November 2020
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Jake called the COVID-19 pandemic a “controversial subject” and a “hoax,” and pushed for the end of the lockdown. “There are people losing jobs, there are small businesses who are going bankrupt, there are millions of people who are unemployed right now, people are turning to alcohol and drugs to cope with everything that’s going on. This is the most detrimental thing to our society,” he said. “COVID cases are at less than 1%, and I think the disease is a hoax.” Jake added: “You know, 98% of news is fake, so how do we know what’s actually real, and what we’re actually supposed to do?”
The YouTube star later claimed he was misquoted in a different interview and backpedaled on his comments about the pandemic. “So this guy, this reporter, he misquoted me. He took what I said out of context, and I told him that. I told him that the whole entire time,” he told The Verge. “COVID is very, very real. COVID is very real, like, it’s killed so many people. It’s killed people I know. It’s killed someone very, very close to me. So that’s what I’m saying. I don’t even know where that came from.” The Daily Beast writer shared the audio from the interview, providing an example for all journalists to save their receipts just in case.
Jake is the subject of sexual misconduct allegations
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Date: April 2021
TikTok star Justine Paradise said in April that the YouTuber sexually assaulted her. Paradise shared a YouTube video alleging that Paul forced her to perform oral sex on him in July 2019 in a bedroom of the Team 10 house in California. She was also staying at the home where Jake and other influencers live together. “Sex is very special and very important to me,” she said in the 20-minute video. “Normally, everybody respects me when I don’t want to do sexual things, so I thought that it was fine if I went in his room. I thought it would be fine to kiss him because I thought he would stop if I didn’t want to do anything else.” She said he touched her in unwanted places in her body without her consent, and she stopped him. Paradise said his response was, “If nothing’s going to happen, what’s the point?” She later told the New York Times that she plans to file charges. He denied the allegations on Twitter, saying they were “100% false.” His lawyer Daniel E. Gardenswartz told People that his client “has every intention of aggressively disproving it and pursuing legal action against those responsible for the defamation of his character.”
Another woman came forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Jake later that month. Model Railey Lollie spoke to the Times and said she began working with him when she was 17. She said the YouTuber referred to her as “jailbait” and constantly made comments about her appearance. She alleged that he groped her after filming a video in 2017, and she said that when she told him to stop, he ran away. She quit working with him after the incident. “I was with Jake for months, and I saw what kind of person he was behind the scenes and what kind of person he put out to the rest of the world,” she told the newspaper. She has not filed any charges against him.
One of Jake’s exes, Alissa Violet, said she dealt with mental and emotional abuse while in a relationship with him. She said that he allegedly dragged her down a flight of stairs during a fight, breaking her iPhone. Other people who lived at his Team 10 house also came forward with allegations of exploitation, harassment, and bullying in an extensive report from the New York Times.
Jake and Logan’s move to Puerto Rico raises eyebrows
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Date: May 2021
Logan moved his businesses from California to Dorado Beach, a location in Puerto Rico known to draw wealthy people from the mainland, and he and Jake allegedly moved into a $10 million beachfront mansion. Refinery29 explored why the brothers chose to move there, primarily due to tax breaks, and pointed out how insensitive they were when talking about the island. “I thought it was more third world than I suspected,’’ the YouTuber said on his Impaulsive podcast. “So I went out there to scout it, and I just fell in love with it.” Puerto Rico’s government has been offering tax breaks to attract wealthy people and businesses to move to the island and boost the economy after Hurricane Maria, adding new policies that allow foreigners to pay little to no income taxes. All they have to do is live there six months out of the year and purchase property. Yet those sorts of tax breaks are not given to native residents.
While staying in Puerto Rico, Jake also violated some rules. In May 2021, authorities investigated him on the island for driving on a beach during turtle nesting season. Videos on his Instagram Story showed him and his team driving on the beach in a cart. Rafael Marchargo Maldonado, Puerto Rico’s natural and environmental resources secretary, released a statement confirming the investigation. “I have ordered an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the use of two motor vehicles on beaches that are presented to be in Puerto Rico,” Marchargo Maldonado said in a statement. “Some media have published today a video of the influencer Jake Paul in a motor vehicle on the beach, an activity that is prohibited, apart from law enforcement agencies. Although the video does not establish where or when it was carried out, the DNER reminds citizens that this type of activity is prohibited by law to protect the environment and the species that can nest or live on the beaches.” He added, “Those who violate the law face fines and other penalties, if applicable.”
Logan’s boxing match with Floyd Mayweather is a circus
Date: June 2021
The Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Logan Paul exhibition boxing match had people talking for weeks. The former five-division world champion and the YouTuber’s fight took place on June 6, 2021, at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Mayweather found himself in an altercation at the news conference with his opponent’s little brother a month ahead of the match. Jake got in the boxer’s face, snatched his cap, and ran away with it, yelling, “Got your hat!” causing a scuffle between the two and security.
Mayweather told The Athletic that he felt there was a lack of respect from Jake. “I don’t want to be disrespected. You can’t keep touching me and disrespecting me,” the boxer said. “Jake Paul wanted some attention, and he got it. And so did I.” Jake got “gotcha hat” tattooed into his lower leg and shared a video on Instagram that showed him sporting a black eye and what looked like a broken tooth. “Honestly have had 3 easy fights as a pro so been itching for some real action,” he tweeted after the incident. “1 of Floyd’s 30 bodyguards got a clean shot on me in the eye RESPECT!!”
