Jake Joseph Paul (born January 17, 1997) is an American YouTuber, internet personality, actor, rapper and professional boxer. He initially rose to fame on the now-defunct video application Vine, before playing the role of Dirk Mann on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark for two seasons.
Throughout his career, Paul has become the subject of many controversies due to his behavior including engaging in risky stunts and featuring age-inappropriate material for YouTube content, getting fired from his Disney television show Bizaardvark, and being charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly.
Early life and career
Jake Paul was born on January 17, 1997, in Cleveland, and grew up in Westlake, Ohio, with his older brother Logan, who is also a YouTuber and internet personality. Their parents are Pamela Ann Stepnick (née Meredith) and realtor Gregory Allan Paul. Paul began his career in September 2013 posting videos on Vine. By the time Vine was discontinued, Paul had amassed 5.3 million followers and 2 billion views on the app.
Career
2017–2018: Team 10
Jake Paul at Web Summit in 2016
On May 15, 2014, Jake Paul uploaded his first video to YouTube, titled “Jake Paul Daily Vlogs”. On January 17, 2017, which was Paul’s 20th birthday, it was reported he had launched an entertainment collaborative, titled Team 10, with $1 million in financing to create influencer marketing management and creative agency around teen entertainment. Investors include Danhua Capital, Horizons Alpha, Vayner Capital, Sound Ventures & A-Grade Investments, and Adam Zeplain.
Paul released the single titled “It’s Everyday Bro”, featuring Team 10, alongside the music video, 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. The video accumulated over 70 million views in one month, and became the third most disliked video on the website. 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. On June 17, Paul released the single “Ohio Fried Chicken”, featuring now-former Team 10 members Chance Sutton and Anthony Trujillo, alongside the music video. Following the song, he released a single Jerika with Erika Costell, his then-girlfriend, featuring now-former Team 10 member Uncle Kade, on July 12. However, he deleted the song from streaming services after his breakup with Costell in 2018. On August 5, 2017, Paul released a new single titled That Ain’t on the News, alongside the music video. On October 25, Paul released a single titled No Competition with now-former Team 10 member Dynamite Dylan, along with the music video. However, the latter deleted it from streaming services more than a year later. On November 11, Paul released the single Saturday Night, featuring now-former Team 10 members Chad Tepper and Nick Crompton. Eleven days later, on November 22, 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 December 1, he released an extended play titled ‘Litmas’ with Team 10 for Christmas, but however, he deleted it from streaming services a little less than a year later.
On April 27, 2018, Paul released the single Malibu with now-former Team 10 member Chad Tepper, along with the music video. On May 11, he released another single titled 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, Paul released another single titled Champion, featuring the duo, along with the 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, in which their fight happened ten days later on August 25. Throughout the summer of 2018, Paul and Team 10 went on a tour within the United States, performing songs. Gradually, the Team 10 members all left one by one from the beginning of the year until the end.
2019: Business enterprises and new group
On March 1, 2019, Paul released the single “I’m Single”, which was released along with the music video. The song focused on Paul’s feelings about being single and his breakup with Erika Costell. On July 12, it was reported that Paul had started a new group after Team 10 had disbanded. The group consisted of Adam Quinn, Lauren Dascalo, Brandon Amato, and Payton and Mikahl Caci. On December 13, 2019, Paul released another single “These Days”, but deleted it from streaming services less than a year later.
2020–present: More focus on music
On July 24, 2020, Paul released the single “Fresh Outta London”, which was released alongside the music video. For the video shoot, he threw a party at his home in Calabasas, California thirteen days before, on July 11, in which he garnered national attention after being called out 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, which only starred his older brother Logan and also featured clips of him and a few of his friends. 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 to Paul’s YouTube channel six days later, on October 21.
Controversies
In late 2015, it was announced that Jake Paul would be starring as Dirk in Disney Channel’s new comedy series, Bizaardvark. 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, saying in a statement “We’ve mutually agreed that Jake Paul will leave his role on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark. On behalf of the production company, the cast and crew, we thank Jake for his good work on the TV series for the past 18 months and extend our best wishes to him.” The announcement followed a news report from KTLA about public complaints from Paul’s neighbors regarding the noise generated by Paul’s pranks, parties, fire hazards and the large crowds of Paul’s fans congregating in their neighborhood. Paul later confirmed the news on his Twitter page, saying he would now focus more on his personal brand, his YouTube channel, his business ventures, and more adult acting roles. Paul later revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he was actually fired from Bizaardvark by Disney who wanted to expedite the process of weaning him off the show due to the KTLA segment.
On July 18, 2017, it was reported that Paul’s neighbors in the Beverly Grove neighborhood of Los Angeles were meeting with city council members and police officials about filing a class-action public nuisance lawsuit against Paul. This came after Paul made his home address public, leading crowds of fans to gather outside Paul’s residence, and noise complaints by neighbors. 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.
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. Two days later, on January 5, TMZ revealed a video in which Paul used the racial epithet “nigga” multiple times while freestyle rapping.
On January 3, 2018, Paul started the website Edfluence, a program to teach younger people how to be successful and earn money online. He explained the reason he created the course, writing on Twitter, “Basically i’m sick of our education system and how it’s teaching kids 0 real life skills for them to secure there own future.” He continued, “I’m creating a movement for everyone who wants to take life into their own hands and learn real life skills from actual professionals.” The course cost US$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. Later, on January 31, 2020, Edfluence was shut down, which stopped the course permanently. 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. “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”. The program has been criticized by some, with one interviewer questioning whether it would send a dangerous message to his young fanbase. YouTuber h3h3productions went further, calling the platform a “scam”, and BuzzFeed News reporter Lauren Strapagiel described the service as “deeply underwhelming”.
On January 3, 2019, Jake Paul, along with fellow YouTuber RiceGum, came under fire for promoting MysteryBrand, a website which 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.
On February 23, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada, Paul was involved in an altercation with British singer Zayn Malik at Westgate, the hotel at which the two were staying. They stayed at the hotel since they both separately went to the MGM Grand Garden Arena to watch a boxing match, the rematch between American boxer Deontay Wilder and British boxer Tyson Fury, which occurred the day before. Paul and Malik’s rooms were right across from each other. Paul’s older brother, Logan, went to Paul’s hotel room. At the hotel, Paul attempted to talk to Malik, and Malik reportedly responded in a rude tone, which upset Paul. Following the interaction, Paul posted about it on Twitter, writing, “almost had to clap up zane from 1 direction since he is a little guy and basically told me to fuck off for no reason when i was being nice to him…. zane ik you’re reading this… stop being angry cause u came home alone to ur big ass hotel room hahaha”. In another tweet, Paul wrote, “bro he literally started yelling and freaking the fuck out. ‘you wanna test me mate?’ lol I feel bad for childhood stars”. He then told his brother Logan that he had run into Malik outside, explaining that Malik was not talking in a nice tone and turned him away. Logan then went to Malik’s hotel room, and claimed to hear him screaming; Logan was shown away by a lady in Malik’s room. Paul was recording Logan’s interaction with Malik on camera. Malik’s girlfriend, American model Gigi Hadid, replied back to Paul’s first tweet, writing, “Lol cause he doesn’t care to hang w you and your embarrassing crew of YouTube groupies ..? Home alone with his best friends like a respectful king cause he has me, sweetie. Unbothered by your irrelevant ugly ass. Go to bed …” 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”. Logan released the video footage on the 161st episode of his podcast, Impaulsive, in which he explained the whole situation.
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 a 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. 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 traveled through; we were strictly documenting, not engaging.” On June 4, 2020, Paul was charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly, both misdemeanor charges, for being in the mall during the riot. 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. The affidavit in support of the search warrant has been sealed by a judge and I am, therefore, prohibited from commenting as to the nature of the 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. Paul also explained in a now-deleted video that the raid was “completely related to the looting controversy”.
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”. She later added that the city was looking into “all of our options” regarding penalties for Paul and the attendees of the party.
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 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 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.” The interview sparked condemnation from various individuals and media outlets, such as Page Six, and fellow YouTuber Tyler Oakley, who called Paul “aggressively ignorant” and “embarrassing.”
On November 29, 2020, Jake 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.
Boxing career
Paul vs. Deji
On February 24, 2018, it was announced that Paul and his brother would be fighting KSI and his younger brother, Deji, in two white-collar boxing matches. Paul’s fight against Deji was the chief undercard bout before their older brothers, KSI and Logan Paul, did battle in the main event. Paul won the fight via fifth-round technical knockout (TKO) after Deji’s corner threw in the towel following a flurry of unanswered punches.
Turning professional
Paul vs. AnEsonGib
On December 21, 2019, it was announced that Paul would be making his professional boxing debut against fellow YouTuber AnEsonGib (known as Gib) on January 30, 2020, in Miami. The match between Paul and Gib was the co-feature to the match between professional boxers Demetrius Andrade and Luke Keeler. Paul won the fight via TKO at 2:18 in the first round.
Paul vs. Robinson
In July 2020, it was announced he would be venturing into the ring for a second professional bout, facing professional basketball player Nate Robinson as part of the undercard for the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition match. The event was initially scheduled for September 12 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, however, in August, Tyson revealed the event had been pushed back to November 28 to maximize revenue. Paul won the fight via KO at 1:24 in the second round.
Paul vs. Askren
After back-and-forth in social media, it was announced on December 22, 2020, that Paul will be facing former Bellator MMA and ONE Welterweight Champion Ben Askren on March 28, 2021, in Los Angeles. After Askren accepted Paul’s challenge, rumors of a proposed March 28 date in Los Angeles started circulating. On February 26, 2021, it was announced that the fight will be held on April 17 in Atlanta. UFC President Dana White stated that he’d bet “$1 million dollars” that Jake Paul loses to Askren. Jake Paul responded to White’s statement with excitement and has reportedly doubled the wager.
Personal life
Paul has English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Jewish and German ancestry.
In November 2016, Paul started dating fellow American YouTuber and internet personality Alissa Violet. They broke up in February 2017. In April 2018, Paul started dating American model Erika Costell. The two broke up in November of that year. Paul then started dating fellow American YouTuber and internet personality Tana Mongeau in April 2019. The two jokingly told that they were engaged and married, although not legally, in July 2019. Paul and Mongeau broke up in January 2020. Starting in January, Paul started dating American model Julia Rose but broke up two times that later year.
Professional boxing record
| 2 fights | 2 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 0 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | N/A | N/A |  Ben Askren |
N/A | – (8) | Apr 17, 2021 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
|
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Nate Robinson |
KO | 2 (6), 1:24 | Nov 28, 2020 | Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
|
| 1 | Win | 1–0 |  AnEsonGib |
TKO | 1 (6), 2:18 | Jan 30, 2020 | The Meridian at Island Gardens, Miami, Florida, U.S. |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Dance Camp | Lance | |
| Mono | Dugan | Cameo | |
| 2019 | Airplane Mode | Himself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–2018 | Bizaardvark | Dirk Mann | Main role (seasons 1–2) |
| 2016 | The Monroes | Conrad | |
| Walk the Prank | Himself | Special guest | |
| 2017 | The Price Is Right | Special guest model |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The Mind of Jake Paul | Himself | The main subject of the documentary |
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | EP details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Heat |
US Ind |
||
| Litmas (with Team 10) |
|
2 | 29 |
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US |
CAN |
SCO |
UK Indie |
||||||
| “Shakey” (with Greg Cipes) |
2015 | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||
| “It’s Everyday Bro” (featuring Team 10) |
2017 | 91 | 56 | 42 | 25 |
|
|||
| “Ohio Fried Chicken” (featuring Chance Sutton and Anthony Trujillo) |
— | — | — | — | |||||
| “Jerika” (with Erika Costell featuring Uncle Kade) |
86 | 76 | — | — | |||||
| “That Ain’t on the News” | — | — | — | — | |||||
| “Jake Paulers” | — | — | — | — | |||||
| “No Competition” (with Dynamite Dylan) |
— | — | — | — | |||||
| “Saturday Night” (featuring Chad Tepper and Nick Crompton) |
— | — | — | — | |||||
| “It’s Everyday Bro (Remix)” (featuring Gucci Mane) |
— | — | — | — | |||||
| “Malibu” (with Chad Tepper) |
2018 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| “My Teachers” (featuring Sunny and AT3) |
— | — | — | — | |||||
| “Randy Savage” (featuring Team 10 and Jitt & Quan) |
— | — | — | — | |||||
| “Cartier Vision” (featuring AT3 and Jitt & Quan) |
— | — | — | — | |||||
| “Champion” (featuring Jitt & Quan) |
— | — | — | — | |||||
| “I’m Single” | 2019 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| “These Days” | — | — | — | — | |||||
| “Fresh Outta London” | 2020 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| “23” | — | — | — | — | |||||
| “Dummy” (featuring TVGucci) |
— | — | — | — | |||||
| “Park South Freestyle” | — | — | — | — | |||||
| “—” denotes a single that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| “Chitty Bang” (Erika Costell featuring Jake Paul) |
2018 | Non-album single |
Accolades
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | JakePaul (Vine) | 6th Annual Shorty Awards | Vineographer Award | Nominated | |
| Comedian Award | Nominated | ||||
| 2017 | Himself | Radio Disney Music Awards | Social Media Star | Won | |
| JakePaulProductions (YouTube) | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Music Web Star | Won | ||
| Choice YouTuber | Won |