You may have seen the name Jake Paul back in the news lately. His California mansion was just raided by the FBI, he’s been throwing parties in the middle of a pandemic, and he also has a new song out. If you’re not across your YouTubers and influencers, you may be asking the same questions as a lot of people. Who is Jake Paul?
Jake Paul started his career on the now-defunct video platform Vine, where he amassed over 5 million followers. Around 2013, as Vine announced it was shutting down, many of its stars, including Jake Paul and his brother Logan, transitioned over to YouTube. In the 7 years that have followed, his following on YouTube has grown to over 20 million, his videos raking in over 6 billion views.
YouTuber, boxer, and internet dunce, Jake Paul is back in the news throwing parties and having his mansion raided by the FBI.
In 2017, Paul launched an influencer collective called Team 10 (not to be confused with the 1950s architecture collective of the same name). For several years, this group of YouTubers lived together creating content and stirring up controversy. In July of that year, Paul and the group made national news for throwing disruptive parties and pulling pranks, causing tension in their once quiet neighbourhood.
His career has since branched out into both music and boxing. His rap career has seen moderate success, with his track It’s Everyday Bro charting at 91 on the Billboard 100 and totalling over 60 million plays on both YouTube and Spotify. Music critic and fellow YouTuber Anthony Fantano also ranked it as the 15th worst single of the 2010s.
Paul has mainly stuck to fighting other YouTubers in the boxing ring. His fight with fellow high profile YouTuber KSI was watched by millions around the world and was estimated to have brought in over $8 million in ticket sales and pay-per-view streams.
Team 10 has since disbanded and his boxing career has gone quiet of late, but Jake Paul’s being talked about now more than ever. In a recent interview with Insider, Paul admitted to throwing huge parties at his California mansion during the coronavirus pandemic, stating “I personally am not the type of person who’s gonna sit around and not live my life.”
On Wednesday, the FBI got involved, searching the 23-year-old’s home, seizing multiple firearms from the property. An FBI spokesperson told Buzzfeed News that they were “seeking evidence in relation to allegations of criminal activity.” The criminal activity in question is alleged looting at the Arizona Mall during the Black Lives Matter protests earlier this year.
Jake Paul’s house is currently undergoing a vibe check
— James Marriott (@JamesMarriottYT) August 5, 2020
Paul denied he participated in any looting or vandalism in a June 1st tweet.
— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) May 31, 2020
With each piece of controversy that surrounds Jake Paul, his profile only seems to grow. You know what they say, any publicity is good publicity.
