6 things to know about Logan Paul, the controversial YouTube star who filmed a dead body in Japan's 'suicide forest'

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After the polarizing YouTube star posted a video of himself discovering a dead body in Japan's so-called "suicide forest," Paul has been the subject of online ire, including angry Tweets, memes, and a petition to have both his and his brother Jake's channels removed.

As many have pointed out, the video may have just ended the 22-year-old's career, standing to deplete his following of nearly 4 million Twitter users, 16.1 million Instagram followers, and 15 million YouTube subscribers.

This isn't the first time Paul has been the subject of controversy. Here are 6 things to know about Logan Paul, including why this resistance to his brand may have been a long time coming.

Logan Paul's career began on Vine.

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According to a profile in Business Insider, the Ohio native began posting videos on the internet using an app called Zoosh when he was only 10 years old. By the time Paul reached high school, he began posting short six-second clips on Vine, a now-defunct video-sharing app.

Paul was mostly known for his slapstick style of comedy, sharing footage of himself doing stunts, telling jokes, and playing pranks.

On Vine, Paul amassed a huge amount of followers, in turn earning hundreds of thousands of dollars in advertising revenue and garnering tons of views. He proved himself to be an influential figure online, making the jump from one smaller app to other forms of social media, including Facebook, on which he's earned millions of video views.

Eventually, YouTube became Paul's milieu of choice, and there he's posted videos on two channels, one for vlogs, daily video blogs, and another for more rehearsed or highly-produced "official" videos. According to Social Blade, these channels can earn him an annual $14 million and $1 million respectively.

His brother is also a social media influencer.

Jake Paul/YouTube

Alongside Logan Paul's popularity came the rise of his younger brother, Jake Paul.

Jake Paul also began posting videos on Vine, but eventually, his career split from Logan's. Jake Paul has 10.4 million Instagram followers, 2.86 million Twitter followers, and 12 million YouTube subscribers.

By comparison, Logan Paul's younger brother has always been considered slightly more polarizing, particularly for his attempts at a rap career and his feud with his neighbors, whose complaints about Jake's antics led to his firing from Disney.

The brothers haven't always gotten along. Their feuds and rivalry have been the subject of internet gossip and fan wars over the last few years of their split careers.

He's been the face of several ad campaigns.

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Prior to his now-infamous status, big name brands often used Logan Paul as an ally for marketing and ad campaigns, particularly those in the hopes of garnering millennial and internet-based audiences.

Paul was the face of Dunkin' Donuts' first social media celeb campaign, the star of a cross-channel Hanes ad, and even partnered with Pepsi in the past.

All in all, these campaigns have translated into major earnings for Logan Paul, though he's said it's not nearly enough.

"To be honest, I'm worth three times the amount I'm getting paid," Paul told "60 Minutes" in 2016.

By his own admission, even small features can translate into huge paychecks. For example, Paul was paid $300,000 for wearing a Jimmy John's shirt in a few videos, as he said in the aforementioned interview.

"I can retire if I wanted to," Paul said.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider