Logan Paul: YouTube parts ways with vlogger who filmed dead body in Japanese suicide forest
Paul faced criticism for a video post in which he jokes near the body of a hanging man

YouTube has severed its business partnership with Logan Paul, a star vlogger who filmed the dead body of a suicide victim in a Japanese forest.
Paul’s channel has been removed from Google Preferred, a platform that links advertisers with top-performing YouTubers, “in light of recent events,” according to a spokesman, Sky News reports.
The 22-year-old first rose to internet fame on clip platform Vine, before building a YouTube channel that now boasts in excess of 15 million followers. He also has a role in sitcom Foursome on the platform’s original content channel YouTube Red.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, the spokesman said that the upcoming fourth season of the comedy “will not feature Logan” and that his other pending YouTube Red projects have been placed on hold.
The announcement follows an open letter earlier this week in which YouTube said “suicide is not a joke, nor should it ever be a driving force for views”.
Logan’s comedy skits frequently feature puerile humour and bad taste pranks, but many felt that a video filmed in a Japanese “suicide forest” went beyond the pale.
In the video, uploaded on New Year's Day, Paul and a number of friends walk through Aokigahara forest, near Mount Fuji, before stumbling across the body of a person who had hanged himself.
Paul shows the body of the victim, whose identity is unknown, from several angles but blurs his face. A member of the group is heard remarking that he “doesn’t feel good”. Paul replies: “What, you never stand next to a dead guy?” and then laughs, The Guardian writes.
The video had millions of views on YouTube before it was taken down, the BBC reports, while online comments slammed the video as “disrespectful” and “disgusting”, and called for Paul's channel to be taken down.
Paul later apologised for the video, claiming he had been “misguided by shock and awe”.
Aokigahara has a reputation in Japan as a destination for people who want to kill themselves.
“Data on the number of suicides there each year is not made public, to avoid publicising the site,” the BBC writes. “Signs are posted in the forest urging people to seek medical help rather than take their own lives.”
Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts can call the Samaritans free on 116 123 or contact them online for confidential, 24-hour support
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 tactically sound cartoons about the leaked Signal chat
Cartoons Artists take on the clown signal, baby steps, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Roast lamb shoulder with ginger and fresh turmeric recipe
The Week Recommends Succulent and tender and falls off the bone with ease
By The Week UK Published
-
Adolescence and the toxic online world: what's the solution?
Talking Point The hit Netflix show is a window into the manosphere, red pills and incels
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson Published
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published