January 3, 2018 8:54 am

Updated: January 3, 2018 9:21 am

Logan Paul YouTube video: Suicide prevention groups, others up in arms

By Chris Jancelewicz Senior National Online Reporter, Entertainment  Global News

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WATCH: Logan Paul has made a name for himself as an online jokester. But as Ines de La Cuetara reports, his fame is now under fire.

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YouTube star Logan Paul is under fire from all directions: former fans, suicide prevention groups and families of people who died by suicide have all voiced their opposition to Paul and his posting of a video Monday evening.
Paul is currently touring Japan, and he, along with a group of his friends/followers, visited the “suicide forest” and recorded their experience. (Aokigahara, also known as the Sea of Trees, is a popular locale for people seeking to take their own lives.) Paul’s video briefly shows the corpse of a man who had hanged himself, and the YouTube star is clearly laughing onscreen; in his apology after the backlash, he claimed that laughter is his way of dealing with anxiety.
You can see both apologies, below.
After much backlash on Tuesday, Paul released a second apology, this time in video format.
“There’s a lot of things I should have done differently but I didn’t,” he said tearfully. “And for that, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry … for my fans who are defending my actions, please don’t. I don’t deserve to be defended. My goal with my content is always to entertain; to push the boundaries, to be all-inclusive. In the world live in, I share almost everything I do. The intent is never to be heartless, cruel, or malicious.”
The “suicide forest” video, now deleted from YouTube, can currently be found on other sites and is reportedly being viewed by millions of people. Before it was removed from YouTube, it had been viewed by six million people around the world.
The bulk of Paul fans — most of whom are under 14 years old — are supporting him, but there is a small minority who have decided they’ll no longer watch his vlogs.
While the initial “suicide forest” video was not monetized, his apology video is. In layman’s terms, this means that Paul can make money off the apology video.
Many people are dissatisfied with Paul’s apologies and amends, pointing out that he neglects to link off to or point out any suicide help groups and chat lines for those who need help.
Suicide prevention groups especially are calling Paul out.