Jake Paul

Paul began his career in September 2013 posting videos on Vine. By the time Vine was discontinued by Twitter Inc., Paul had amassed 5.3 million followers and 2 billion views on the app.[9] Paul launched his YouTube channel on May 15, 2014.[10] His channel became known for pranks, controversies, and his hip hop music.[11]

Paul at Web Summit in 2016

After gaining acclaim on Vine and YouTube, Paul was hired onto the set of the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark, playing a character who accepted dare requests that he would then perform.[12] On July 22, 2017, during the middle of filming the second season of Bizaardvark, the Disney Channel announced that Paul would be leaving the series.[13] The announcement followed a news report from KTLA[14] about public complaints from Paul's neighbors regarding the noise generated by Paul's pranks, parties, hazards and large crowds of fans congregating in their neighborhood.[15][16][17] Paul later confirmed the news on his Twitter page, saying he would now focus more on his personal brand, YouTube channel, business ventures, and more mature acting roles.[13] Paul later revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he was actually fired from Bizaardvark by Disney, which wanted to expedite the process of weaning him off the show due to the KTLA segment.[18]

Paul launched entertainment collective Team 10 in 2016.[19] On January 17, 2017, his 20^th birthday, it was reported that he had launched media company TeamDom with $1 million in funding to create an influencer marketing management and creative agency around teen entertainment.[7] Investors included Danhua Capital, Horizons Alpha, Vayner Capital, Sound Ventures & A-Grade Investments and Adam Zeplain.[20]

Paul released the single "It's Everyday Bro", featuring Team 10, on May 30, 2017. It featured vocals from members of the team at the time, consisting of Nick Crompton, Chance Sutton, Ivan and Emilio Martinez and Tessa Brooks. It drew over 70 million views in one month and became the Youtube's third most disliked video. The song debuted and peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Its title refers to how Paul at the time posted a video every single day.[21] In 2017, Paul released and later deleted singles including "Ohio Fried Chicken," "Jerika," "No Competition," "That Ain't on the News," and "Litmas." The singles were deleted for various reasons, including his 2018 break-up with Erika Costell.

On November 22, 2017, Paul released a remix of "It's Everyday Bro," featuring American rapper Gucci Mane in place of Team 10, alongside the new music video for it. On April 27, 2018, he released the single and music video for "Malibu" with now-former Team 10 member Chad Tepper. On May 11, he released another single and music video for "My Teachers", featuring now-former Team 10 members Sunny Malouf and Anthony Trujillo, along with the music video. On May 24, he released two singles, "Randy Savage" and "Cartier Vision". The former song features Team 10 and hip-hop duo Jitt & Quan, featuring vocals from Team 10 members at the time, consisting of Anthony Trujillo, Sunny Malouf, Justin Roberts, Erika Costell, and Chad Tepper; it was released along with the music video. The latter song features Anthony and the duo as well; the music video was released later on September 12.

On August 15, 2018, Paul released another single titled "Champion," with a music video. The song was a diss track towards Paul's boxing opponent Deji Olatunji (ComedyShortsGamer), the younger brother of British YouTube star, internet personality, boxer, and rapper KSI, Their fight took place ten days later on August 25. Throughout the summer of 2018, Paul and Team 10 went on a tour in North America, performing their songs.[22] Gradually, the Team 10 members split up throughout the year.[23]

Paul's varied business ventures ultimately led to his second place ranking in Forbes' list of highest-paid YouTubers in 2018.[24]

On March 1, 2019, Paul released the track and music video for "I'm Single". The song focused on Paul's feelings about being single and his breakup with Erika Costell. As the social media accounts for Team 10 have been inactive since September 2019,[25] some assumed that Team 10 had disbanded and Paul had formed a new team.[26]

On December 13, 2019, Paul released another single "These Days", alongside a music video featuring model Julia Rose. The song features Jake rapping about his past long-distance relationship with his ex-girlfriend, Alissa Violet.[27] Less than a year later, the song was removed from all streaming services.[28]

Paul in 2019

On July 24, 2020, Paul released the single "Fresh Outta London", which was released alongside the music video.[29] For the video shoot, he threw a party at his home in Calabasas, California on July 11, in which he garnered national attention after being criticized by Calabasas mayor Alicia Weintraub after videos and pictures of the party surfaced online.

On September 10, Paul released another single titled "23", alongside a music video at his house,[30] which only starred his older brother Logan and also featured clips of him and a few of his friends.[31] The title of the song refers to his age at the time, as well as American former basketball player Michael Jordan's jersey number.

On October 15, Paul released the single "Dummy", featuring Canadian rapper TVGucci, who is signed to fellow Canadian rapper Drake's record label, OVO Sound. The lyric video was published on Paul's YouTube channel six days later, on October 21.[32]

In 2021, Paul partnered with serial entrepreneur Geoffrey Woo to launch a capital firm branded as the 'Anti Fund', created to enable investors and fans to raise money through a quarterly subscription by using Angel List's Rolling Funds platform.[33] Later, Anti Fund led investment in sports gambling firm Simplebet Inc. raising $30 million in a financing round in August 2021.[34]

Paul further founded 'Most Valuable Promotions' (MVP) with his business adviser, Nakisa Bidarian in 2021, signing professional boxer Amanda Serrano to a promotional deal in September 2021.[35] In tandem, Paul founded an organization named ‘Boxing Bullies’ to help the youth combat bullying.[36]

In May 2022, Paul featured on the Forbes list for the highest paid athletes in 2022. Forbes estimated that Paul made $38 million from his three boxing bouts, and various other income streams in the period.[37]

In August 2022, Paul founded a sports-media and mobile-betting company, "Betr", alongside Simplebet founder Joey Levy. Paul claims to have received $50 million in series-A funding for this venture.[38]

In January 2023, Paul signed a multiyear contract with the Professional Fighters League to cofound and compete in a new pay-per-view division, known as Super Fight, as well as adopt the official role of “head of fighter advocacy.”[39]

In 2018, Paul made his boxing debut in a white-collar match against English YouTuber Deji Olatunji.[40] Paul vs Olatunji was the co-feature bout to Paul's older brother's fight, Logan Paul, against Olatunji's older brother, KSI. The bout took place on August 25 at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Paul defeated Olatunji via technical knockout in the 5th round.[41]

In 2020, Paul made his professional debut against English YouTuber AnEsonGib. The bout took place on January 30 at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, Florida and was the co-feature bout to the WBO world middleweight title bout between professional boxers Demetrius Andrade and Luke Keeler.[42] Paul defeated AnEsonGib via technical knockout in the 1st round and proceeded to call out KSI.[43] On November 28, Paul returned to the ring against basketball player Nate Robinson and was the co-feature bout to the exhibition match between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.[44] Paul defeated Robinson via knockout in the 2nd round.[45]

In 2021, after a back-and-forth on social media it was announced that Paul headline a bout with former Bellator MMA and ONE Welterweight Champion Ben Askren on April 17, 2021 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.[46] Paul defeated Askren via technical knockout in the 1st round.[47] The event reportedly generated 1.45 million pay-per-view buys as per Triller, however, the legitimacy of both the match and the numbers of the event have been heavily questioned by multiple personalities, fans, MMA fighters and boxers alike.[48][49]

Prior to the Paul vs Askren bout, Paul and one of his cornermen, American professional boxer J'Leon Love, were involved in a backstage confrontation with former UFC Welterweight Champion Tyron Woodley.[50] After Paul defeated Askren, Woodley called him out.[51] On August 29 Paul fought Woodley at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio and defeated him via split decision, with one judge scoring the fight 77–75 for Woodley, while the other two judges scored it 77–75 and 78–74 in favor of Paul.[52] After the bout, Woodley expressed his desires for a rematch and Paul offered him one if he tattooed 'I love Jake Paul' on his body.[53] The event reportedly generated 500,000 pay-per-view buys.[54]

In December, Paul was originally scheduled to face English professional boxer Tommy Fury on December 18 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, but Fury withdrew due to medical issues. On December 6, it was announced that Paul would be rematching Woodley instead.[55] Paul defeated Woodley via knockout in the 6th round.[56] The event reportedly generated 200,000 pay-per-view buys.[57] After the bout, Paul was awarded the ESPN Ringside Award for 'Knockout of the Night' over his victory on Woodley.[58]

In 2022, Paul was scheduled to face Fury for August 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but Fury withdrew once again due to travel issues. On July 7, it was announced that Paul would face American professional boxer Hasim Rahman Jr., however, the event was canceled on July 30 due to weight issues from Rahman.[59]

After the cancellation, it was announced that Paul would be facing former UFC champion Anderson Silva on October 29 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.[60] Paul defeated Silva via unanimous decision with the judges scoring the bout 78–73 (twice) and 77–74 all in flavor of Paul.[61]

After two previous attempts failing, on January 27, 2023, it was announced that Paul would face Fury on February 26 in Saudi Arabia.[62] Fury defeated Paul via split decision despite Paul knocking Fury down in the 8th round. One judge scored it 75–74 to Paul, while the other two judges had it 76–73 to Fury.[63] The event reportedly generated 800,000 pay-per-views.

After the bout, KSI's manager Mams Taylor revealed that he and Paul's team were in negotiations to have a bout with the YouTuber set for August at Wembley Stadium in London, England, however, Taylor stated that after the Fury loss, Paul existed the negations.[64] Paul later confirmed that he opted out and chose to have a bout with Nate Diaz instead, who he deemed was the tougher opponent.[65]

On April 12, it was announced that Paul would face Diaz on August 5 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.[66] Although the fight was originally scheduled to be 8 rounds, it was later extended to 10.[67] Paul defeated Diaz via unanimous decision with the judges scoring the bout 98–91, 98–91 and 97–92 all in flavor of Paul.[68]

On October 16, it was announced that Paul will be returning to the ring on December 15 against a currently unannounced opponent.[69]

Most Valuable Promotions logo

In 2021, Paul, alongside his adviser Nakisa Bidarian, founded a boxing promotion titled 'Most Valuable Promotions.' The promotions first singing was of Puerto Rican boxer and seven-division world champion Amanda Serrano.[70]

In 2022, Paul co-promoted with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing, Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano billed as "For History". It was the first women's boxing match to headline Madison Square Garden, and was described as the 'biggest women's fight of all time'. The fight was universally acclaimed, being named Fight of the Year by Sports Illustrated[71] and Event of the Year by The Ring.[72]

In 2023, Most Valuable Promotions and DAZN announced a new series of events billed as 'Most Valuable Prospects,' which would feature up-and-coming boxers headlining events on DAZN without pay-per-view.[73] Their first event took place on May 26 which headlined Ashton Sylve vs Adam Kipenga at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida. Sylve defeated Kipenga via unanimous decision.[74]

On January 5, 2023, it was announced that Paul had signed a multi-year deal with the Professional Fighters League.[75][76][77] Paul began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu in anticipation of his MMA debut with ADCC head organizer Mo Jassim and ATOS BJJ black belt Michael Perez.[78]

On January 3, 2018, Paul uploaded a video to his YouTube channel titled "I lost my virginity" which used a thumbnail of himself and his then-girlfriend Erika Costell posing semi-nude on top of each other. The video was age-restricted by YouTube as a result, and critics such as Keemstar criticized the thumbnail as being inappropriate for his younger audience. The thumbnail was later changed with both Paul and Costell fully clothed and not touching each other.[82] Two days later, on January 5, TMZ revealed a video in which Paul used the racial epithet "nigga" multiple times while freestyle rapping.[83]

On November 29, 2020, Paul sparked frustration after stating he paved the way for content house creation and boxing matches between high-profile social media stars. Many objected to Paul's claim, observing that he did not create the first content house, nor was he the first YouTube star to fight in a boxing match.[84]

On January 3, 2018, Paul started the website Edfluence, a program claiming to teach younger people how to be successful, learn life skills, and earn money online. The course cost $7 per user, which would allow the user to unlock a series of videos for a "roadmap" to success as an influencer. However, the seven dollars did not unlock the entire program, but only gave a few basic tips. Paul also promised his audience that if they joined the course, they would get to join "Team 1000", which did not happen. Following the situation, Paul was accused of scamming young followers and stealing their money. Then, two years later, on January 31, 2020, Edfluence was shut down, which stopped the course permanently.[85] On February 15, Paul announced that he would partner with Los Angeles-based brand development group GenZ Holdings Inc. to create a $19.99-per-month platform aimed at teaching children how to build an online presence.[86] "The Financial Freedom Movement" promises to give subscribers access to "Jake Paul’s personal experience, rituals and secret formula" and "cutting edge mentorship, coaching, and training".[87] The program has been criticized by some, with one interviewer questioning whether it would send a dangerous message to his young fanbase.[87]

On January 3, 2019, Paul, along with fellow YouTuber RiceGum, came under fire for promoting MysteryBrand, a website that offers the chance to open a digital "mystery box" of pre-selected items with a promise to win one in real life at random. Many users have said they have not received prizes they won through the site.[88]

On February 18, 2022, in a class-action lawsuit filed against the cryptocurrency company SafeMoon that alleged the company is a pump and dump scheme, Paul was named as a defendant along with musician Nick Carter, rappers Soulja Boy and Lil Yachty, and social media personality Ben Phillips for promoting the SafeMoon token on their social media accounts with misleading information as part of the 2022 Safemoon fraud allegations.[89][90] On the same day, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a lawsuit against Bitconnect that the Securities Act of 1933 extends to targeted solicitation using social media.[91] In March 2022, YouTuber Coffeezilla uploaded a video in which he accused Paul of using cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens to scam his fans out of $2.2 million.[92]

In addition to the 2017 public complaints that eventually led to Paul's dismissal from Bizaardvark, Paul's neighbors in the Beverly Grove neighborhood of Los Angeles filed a class-action public nuisance lawsuit against Paul.[93] This came after Paul made his home address public,[93][94][17] leading crowds of fans to gather outside Paul's residence, and noise complaints by neighbors.[94][14][95][96] On April 24, 2018, it was reported that Paul was being sued by Cobra Acquisitions, the company that owns the house, for $2.5 million.[97]

On February 23, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Paul was involved in an altercation with British singer Zayn Malik at Westgate, the hotel near the MGM Grand Garden Arena at which the two were staying. Paul and Malik's rooms were right across from each other and when Paul's older brother, Logan, went to Paul's hotel room, an argument broke out between Malik and Paul because Paul believed Malik was using a rude tone. Following the interaction, Paul posted about it on Twitter, which drew attention from Malik's girlfriend and American model Gigi Hadid. Paul later deleted his tweets which criticized Malik and then posted another tweet stating that he tweeted about the incident since he was drunk, acknowledging the fact in a tweet later in the day, writing, "someone needs to take my phone when i'm drunk because I am a fucking idiot".[98] Logan released the video footage on the 161st episode of his podcast, Impaulsive, in which he explained the whole situation.[99]

On July 11, 2020, Paul threw a large party at his home in Calabasas, California, despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Dozens of people attended without wearing masks and maintaining social distancing. After complaints from neighbors and videos surfaced on social media, Calabasas mayor Alicia Weintraub expressed outrage, saying, "They're having this large party, no social distancing, no masks, it’s just a big huge disregard for everything that everybody is trying to do to get things back to functioning." She continued, saying, "It's really just a party acting like COVID does not exist, it's acting that businesses aren't closed".[100][101][102] She later added that the city was looking into "all of our options" regarding penalties for Paul and the attendees of the party.[103]

On November 25, 2020, Paul attracted further COVID-related controversy due to statements in an interview with The Daily Beast. When interviewer Marlow Stern asked Paul if he regretted his words and actions regarding the July 11 party, Paul responded by saying that COVID-19 was a "hoax", also stating that "98 percent of news [about COVID-19] is fake", and that he believed the measures against COVID-19 in the United States should end, calling them "the most detrimental thing to our society." He then incorrectly stated that the flu had killed as many people in the United States in 2020 as COVID-19 did, and claimed that "Medical professionals have [recently] also said that masks do absolutely nothing to prevent the spread of coronavirus"; he later referred to said professionals as "dozens of my medical friends." When Stern tried to question his claims, Paul told Stern "You're arrogant. You're very arrogant", "you want clickbait", and "I've never even heard of you."[104][105] The interview sparked condemnation from various individuals and media outlets, and fellow YouTuber Tyler Oakley, who called Paul "aggressively ignorant" and "embarrassing."[106]

On May 30, 2020, Paul and a few of his friends came to have dinner at P. F. Chang's outside of Scottsdale Fashion Square in Scottsdale, Arizona, as part of the George Floyd protests, where it escalated quickly and people began looting the mall. Multiple instances of footage show Paul and his friends outside of P. F. Chang's witnessing the riot and they made their way inside the mall where they documented the incident. People on social media criticized Paul for entering the mall and standing in the middle of the mall witnessing people looting stores.[107][108][109] Paul later apologized on social media condemning the violence, and also denied the accusations of looting, instead saying he was filming as a public service for a future video. Paul said, "We filmed everything we saw in an effort to share our experience and bring more attention to the anger felt in every neighborhood we travelled through; we were strictly documenting, not engaging."[110] On June 4, 2020, Paul was charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly, both misdemeanor charges, for being in the mall during the riot.[111] On August 5, 2020, Paul's Calabasas mansion was raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). In a statement to the Los Angeles Times the FBI stated, "The FBI is executing a federal search warrant at a residence in Calabasas in connection with an ongoing investigation." On the same day, the charges were dismissed without prejudice, the Scottsdale Police Department said it was "in the best interest of the community" and would allow a federal criminal investigation to be completed.[112] Paul also explained in a now-deleted video that the raid was "completely related to the looting controversy".[113] In August 2021 it was reported Paul would not face federal charges over the incident.[114][115]

On April 9, 2021, a video was released by TikTok personality Justine Paradise who alleged that Paul forced her into oral sex and touched her without her consent during an incident at the Team 10 House in 2019. Paul responded to the accusations, saying, "Sexual assault accusations aren't something that I, or anyone should ever take lightly, but to be crystal clear, this claim made against me is 100% false."[116][117] In a later video Paradise stated she received harassment and death threats over the accusation.[118]

On April 22, 2021, an article about Paul in The New York Times featured a second accusation by model and actress Railey Lollie. Lollie, who had started working for Paul at 17, alleged that Paul would call her "jailbait", and at one point groped her.[119][120]

On May 15, 2021, Paul was investigated by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources for riding a motorized vehicle on Puerto Rico's beaches, seen on a video that was posted online but then removed. It is illegal to ride motorized vehicles on Puerto Rico's beaches in order to protect natural wildlife such as sea turtles. Paul apologized stating he had intended no harm.[121][122]

In March 2023, Paul was among eight celebrities charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with violating investor protection laws by promoting cryptocurrencies without disclosing that he had been sponsored to do so. He settled the charges for over $400,000 without admitting or denying the claims.[123][124]