YouTuber Logan Paul has taken a break from the platform, after getting major backlash for his vlog recording himself and his entourage finding a dead body in Japan’s Aokigahara forest, also known as the suicide forest.
Although he has publicly apologised, the drama won’t end there.
Masaki Ito, a spokesperson for the Yamanashi prefectural police, told The Sun that while people are not obligated to report a body if found, the police want to talk to Logan about the encounter.
Logan actually did call the police after they found the body, which is important to remember, however police still have questions.
In his apology, he wrote, “This is a first for me. I’ve never faced criticism like this before because I’ve never made a mistake like this before. I’m surrounded by good people and believe I make good decisions, but I’m still a human being. I can be wrong. I didn’t do it for views. I get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity. That’s never the intention. I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought, ‘If this video saves just ONE life, it’ll be worth it,’ I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video. I still am.”
Shortly after, he recorded a video message, which fans later found out earned him thousands of dollars, angering them further.
“There’s a lot of things I should’ve done differently, but I didn’t and for that, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry,” he said. “I want to apologise to the Internet. I want to apologise to anyone who’s seen the video. I want to apologise to anyone who has been affected or touched by mental illness or depression or suicide. But most importantly I want to apologise to the victim and his family. For my fans who are defending my actions, please don’t. They do not deserve to be defended.”