Logan Paul Gets YouTube Downgrade: Ousted From Google Preferred, Booted From ‘Foursome’
Video-sharing platform distances its involvement with disgraced vlogger
Meriah Doty | January 10, 2018 @ 3:30 PM
Last Updated: January 11, 2018 @ 9:43 AM
Disgraced YouTube star Logan Paul has gotten a major downgrade by the video-sharing platform owned by Google.
“In light of recent events, we have decided to remove Logan Paul’s channels from Google Preferred,” a YouTube spokesperson told TheWrap in a Wednesday statement. “Additionally, we will not feature Logan in Season 4 of ‘Foursome’ and his new Originals are on hold.”
The two-time 2017 Teen Choice Award winner came under intense fire earlier this month after posting a video titled “We found a dead body in the Japanese suicide forest” that showed a corpse hanging from a tree in Aokigahara forest near Mt. Fuji. He took down the clip a day later, when it had already garnered at least 6 million views and has since apologized for the gaffe multiple times.
“Our hearts go out to the family of the person featured in the video,” YouTube said in a previous statement. “YouTube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner. If a video is graphic, it can only remain on the site when supported by appropriate educational or documentary information and in some cases it will be age-gated. We partner with safety groups such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to provide educational resources that are incorporated in our YouTube Safety Center.”
YouTube issued a Community Guidelines strike to Paul’s channel after he posted the offensive video. The platform also displays Suicide Prevention Resources at the top of the results page for certain suicide-related search queries on YouTube.com.
A person familiar with the matter told TheWrap that YouTube would have taken down Paul’s video if he hadn’t done it first.
Paul has been a lead character in the YouTube Red Original series “Foursome,” about a twenty-something group of friends. Before YouTube decided to reassess its business ties with him, Logan was set to star in “The Thinning,” a thriller distributed by its streaming subscription service. But that project is now on hold.
While Paul will still be able to monetize from his YouTube videos, like any average user, the benefits he reaped from his Google Preferred status, which allows advertisers to identify top content and purchase easy-to-buy ad packages, have been stripped.
12 Super Bowl Commercials That Sparked Outrage (Videos)
GODADDY (2015)
In the ad, a puppy falls off a truck and hearteningly finds its way home. The seemingly sweet commercial shocked viewers as the owner then sells the puppy. Outrage ensued, forcing GoDaddy and ad agency Barton F. Graf to remake the spot, dog-free.
SNICKERS (2007)
After two men accidentally kiss, they respond by having to do something "manly" in this spot for the Mars candy bar. The Gay and Lesbian Anti Defamation League said the ad's message was homophobic, and a few years later it was voted the second worst Super Bowl ad of all time by Ad Age.
NATIONSWIDE'S "BOY" (2015)
This ad depicted the unrealized life of a boy who never grew up after dying in an accident. The spot sparked online debate about the inappropriateness of using tragedy to sell insurance. Nationwide's Chief Marketing officer left the company three months later, and the insurer skipped the Super Bowl the following year.
JUST FOR FEET (1999)
This was considered one of the biggest "oops" commercials of all time. In the spot, a group of men hunts a barefoot Kenyan runner to force shoes on him. After objectors hinted at the ad's blatant racism, the client sued its ad agency, Saatchi & Saatchi. The next year, Just for Feet went bankrupt.
ANTI-DRUG PSA (2002)
This commercial ran shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks and uses the excuse making that's common to narcotics use to suggest a link between drug money and terrorism.
GROUPON (2011)
Starring Timothy Hutton, this spot starts by highlighting the crisis in Tibet, but pivots to a pitch for Groupon, hyping a deal that offered $30 worth of Tibetan food for $15 at a restaurant in Chicago. The slogan, "Save the Money," prompted widespread Twitter indignation.
FEDEX (2008)
This "Wizard of Oz"-inspired commercial was banned for allegedly encouraging viewers to huff substances.
TIM TEBOW FOR FOCUS ON THE FAMILY (2010)
The NFL star and his mother starred in this ad discouraging abortion, enraging many over the commercial's pro-life message.
SKETCHERS DOG RACING (2012)
This spot for the shoemaker outraged animal lovers and was accused of promoting abuse for promoting dog racing. More than 100,000 people signed a petition to get the ad pulled from from the Super Bowl, but it aired any way.
SALESGENIE (2008)
Racism was the charge leveled at SalesGenie for this ad featuring a pair of animated pandas who work in a bamboo furniture store and sport hyperbolized Chinese accents. It was pulled from the airwaves following the Super Bowl.
HOLIDAY INN (1999)
Holiday Inn came under fire first by transgender advocates when it ran this ad comparing the $1 billion worth of upgrades at its hotels to gender reassignment surgery. The commercial was cut shortly after the Super Bowl.
84 LUMBER (2017)
Just weeks after President Trump's inauguration, 84 Lumber made an ad depicting a group of Latin migrants on a journey to America before coming face to face with an imposing border wall. Fox deemed the conclusion of the ad "too controversial" and aired an edited, 90-second version without a wall, with the ad directing people to a website to watch the full version.
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Animal abuse, racism, anti-gay sentiment — they’re not just for football players anymore!
GODADDY (2015)
In the ad, a puppy falls off a truck and hearteningly finds its way home. The seemingly sweet commercial shocked viewers as the owner then sells the puppy. Outrage ensued, forcing GoDaddy and ad agency Barton F. Graf to remake the spot, dog-free.
