People have been waiting to see what YouTube would do with Logan Paul after his 'suicide forest' scandal broke and now we know: the website that made him famous has decided to drop him.
YouTube has cut business ties with Paul due to the severe backlash he received for posting a video showing the body of a dead man in Aokigahara, the 'suicide forest' at the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan.
In a statement yesterday, YouTube confirmed that Paul would not be starring in the fourth season of the comedy series Foursome, in which he starred as the older brother of Andie, Jenn McAllister's character.
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The video-streaming website also said it has removed Paul's channels from its Google Preferred programme and has shelved all of his new Original projects. Serves him right?
"In light of recent events, we have decided to remove Logan Paul's channels from Google Preferred," a YouTube spokesperson said, according to the Hollywood Reporter. "Additionally, we will not feature Logan in season four of Foursome and his new Originals are on hold."
YouTube had previously responded to Paul's video with a statement, offering its sympathy to the man's family and saying the content that Paul uploaded is prohibited on the site.
"Our hearts go out to the family of the person featured in the video," YouTube's statement reads. "YouTube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner.
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YouTube's move to pull Paul from the Google Preferred programme will come as a financial hit to Paul, as the programme allows brands to sell ads on the top 5% of the platforms' content creators.
Being removed from the programme won't stop him from running ads like other YouTube channels but will likely earn him less than Preferred creators.
Paul has faced continued censure for posting the video over the festive period, which graphically showed the body of a man who had taken his own life, although the man's face was blurred out.
The video showed Paul and his friends laughing and joking after stumbling upon the dead man's body hanging from a tree in Aokigahara, which is known to be a suicide hot-spot.
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The backlash against Paul led him to post two apologies on Twitter for sharing the video, the most recent a video in which he admitted that he 'made a huge mistake' and was 'ashamed' of himself.
The YouTube star had sought to explain his actions in the video by saying what he and his friends found in the forest 'was obviously unplanned' and their reactions 'were raw, they were unfiltered'.
"None of us knew how to react, or how to feel," Paul said, before adding: "I should have never posted the video. I should have put the cameras down and stopped recording what we were going through."
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Paul's original apology for the video, written in the form of a phone note and posted on Twitter, was criticised for its inappropriate tone, as Paul highlighted the reach of his channel and ended it with the hashtag #Logangforlife.
Paul has not posted on Twitter since Jan 3, saying he was 'taking time to reflect' following the controversy.
'U OK M8?' is an initiative from LADbible in partnership with a range of mental health charities which features a series of films and stories to raise awareness of mental health.
Explore more here and don't suffer in silence. Reach out. It's the brave thing to do.
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Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Logan PaulTopics: TV and Film, Logan Paul, Mental Health, Japan, , YouTube
