In an interview that aired last Thursday, Good Morning America’s Michael Strahan was the first to speak to YouTube star Logan Paul since posting the viral “Suicide Forest” video.
If you haven’t already seen online, heard from your 12-year-old cousin or any angry parent of a fan of his, YouTuber Logan Paul posted a video on December 31, 2017 of a man who had hung himself with the title being “We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest…”. The group filmed their reactions and at one point, Paul laughs in disbelief and jokes about having never stood next to a dead body.
After a day of posting the video, Paul removed it and issued a written and video apology. YouTube dropped him from their list of Preferred Creators and cancelled his YouTube Red film.
In this first interview conducted by Michael Strahan for Good Morning America, Paul told Strahan, “It’s been tough, ‘cause ironically, I’m being told to commit suicide myself. Millions of people literally telling me they hate me, to go die.”
“So, you don’t think the criticism is fair?” Strahan asked.
“That’s the thing,” Paul responded. “I do.”
Strahan didn’t initially respond, but his face mimicked probably everyone’s in response, including mine, to Paul victimizing himself.
With his youthful fan base, Strahan pushed that Paul should have known better than to publish such a graphic, adult video, based on YouTube’s regulations.
For Paul to claim that he is his own demographic is absolutely wrong. As an influencer on social media, he knows his demographic and what posts will generate the most views and attention.
Logan Paul knows his viewership is comprised of teens and tweens because, I don’t know, he goes out in public. The kids show up at his apartment, ambushed him at VidCon and just genuinely stalk him like all fans do to their favorite celebrities.
The idiot YouTuber has been nominated for five Teen Choice Awards and won two.
Paul profits off children through merchandise, viewership and appearances. He just wishes his fans were older.
When Paul said “I think parents should be monitoring what their children are watching more,” it made me so mad. Parents shouldn’t have to monitor their children when the videos kids watch are produced by a guy who has made videos about kissing a monkey or making the ‘world’s biggest pumpkin spice latte’. The video topics are childish and honestly, no one but children would care to watch Logan Paul buy ‘the biggest pumpkin in California’.
Paul’s insensitive video about suicide lacked taste and only harmed the children who so devoutly love this guy.
In conclusion, Logan Paul sucks and deserves the crap people have been giving him for being so insensitive. I really don’t feel bad for him, it sucks that people are going as far as telling him to commit suicide, but he was wrong and deserves the repercussions.