Jake Paul is the younger brother of Logan Paul and as younger brothers like to do, he's trying to steal all the attention for himself. We take a look at how Jake broke into the entertainment business and what he's been up to recently in the newest episode of our influencer bio series.
The Paul brothers don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon. How did they get started? We already told you about Logan in the previous episode, now let's see what Jake's been doing.
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Jake Paul: The Early Years
Jake was born in 1997, in Ohio. He grew up there with older brother Logan, but skipped some steps of his brother's path. Being a couple years younger, Jake was able to use his sibling's experience with Vine and create his own huge following before he was done with high school. Unlike Logan, Jake did not attempt to go to university and went straight to Hollywood.
Vine, YouTube and Acting
By the end of 2013, not even 17 years-old yet, Jake Paul could brag to 5 million Vine followers. As the app began to slowly lose its popularity, Jake expanded to YouTube in mid-2014. His entertainment career outside of Vine didn't really blow up until 2016. Coincidentally, the same year Logan's own production began catching the public's attention.
In that breakout year, Jake Paul was casted for the first time. Using the prank & stunt nature of his YouTube content as solid background, Jake got involved with projects like Mono, Dance Camp, The Monroes and Walk the Prank.
Easily the major role of his career was getting to play one of the leading characters on the Disney Channel show Bizaardvark. This is where we reach the inevitable chapter titled "Jake Paul Controversies".
(Some of the) Jake Paul Controversies
To go through all of them would provide for too long of a read and too weary of a write, and the author isn't a fan of either, so we'll simply state that Jake Paul is a scandal machine and pick a few examples.
Fired from Bizaarvark
We set this one up in the previous segment, so we gotta begin here. It was also the first incident of note, which works chronologically too! It was not an isolated action that got Paul booted off the Disney show. It was his partying personality in general, which led to LA neighbors complaining, which led to Disney distancing themselves from the troubled youngster. Jake lasted a season and a half as a Disney star.
Jake Paul Is a Scammer
In the span of one year, to the day, Jake Paul's name was dragged in two separate alleged scams. First, in 2018, he started Edfluence - a program teaching you how to become a successful influencer in exchange for $7. Except, no. Turns out, for that sum, you receive a sliver of the content - basically a few general tips, and that was that. Paul also claimed that signing up for the course would make you a member of Team 1000 (a play on Jake's musical project's name - Team 10, more on that later), which didn't happen as well.
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In 2019, Jake Paul was involved in a similar scheme, but at least that time it wasn't his own product. You've probably heard of the MysteryBrand controversy. Don't worry if you haven't, we'll fill you in. It's a site that's promising to send you a "mystery box" filled with random pre-selected, pre-paid prizes. Thing is, many people complained they never got their boxes. Jake Paul, along with other YouTubers, played the role of endorcer and got a lot of the flame for the entire fiasco. Gotta be more careful what you're influencing.
Jake Paul vs. COVID-19
Jake Paul isn't the biggest fan of COVID-19. He got in trouble with the Calabasas mayor after throwing a huge party at his house, no masks worn of course. The condemnation of the city mayor was just part of a much larger choire of voices that were calling out Paul and the attendants at his house party.
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Later on, when asked about the situation, Jake Paul simply stated that COVID-19 is fake and "all his medical friends" have told him it's no worse than the flu. We can only imagine how that statement sat with the members of the hundreds of thousands of US families that lost a family member to the pandemic.
Career in Music and on the Ring
At first we thought of splitting these two parts of Jake Paul's career because they're not exactly a natural fit with each other. On the other hand, Jake's musical output and his fighting journey are so similar in nature that yes, in a way, mixing the two in one paragraph does feel natural.
The first ever Jake Paul single "It's Everyday Bro" immediately produced a beef with former girlfriend Alissa Violet and YouTuber RiceGum. His subsequent singles were all of similar nature: speaking of Jake's life and dissing his enemies.
One of those disses was aimed towards his first boxing opponent - KSI's brother Deji Olatunji. That one wouldn't count towards his official record, but it was a victory nonetheless. His first success on the ring would give the younger Paul brother the confidence needed to fight in an official professional capacity year later, albeit against another YouTuber - AnEsonGib.
Jake Paul would eventually outgrow fighting celebrities, but not without first embarrassing former NBA player Nate Robinson. Paul's baptism of fire would be versus former MMA fighter Ben Askren. While Askren specializes in wrestling, not boxing, he is still a man who made bread by fighting, so we could call that win the first legitimate one in Jake Paul's three-match long career.
Jake Paul: What's Next?
The Askren match and Paul winning it naturally set up his next opponent. Ben's friend and fellow MMA fighter Tyron Woodley, present at the match, basically challenged Jake Paul then and there. Not long after, it was all settled and we're about to see the two men go at it on August 28, 2021.
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There's also the slight, but very curious possibility that Floyd Mayweather may have a taste of both Paul brothers. The boxing legend expressed an interest in meeting Jake on the ring in the future prior to his clash with Logan. It remains to be seen if Mayweather is still singing the same tune after facing a surprising amount of competition from Logan, who had never fought an actual fighter before. Jake has, so Floyd may want to rethink, especially if Tyron Woodley also falls.
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