Logan Paul Says He’s a ‘Good Guy Who Made a Bad Decision’
YouTube personality Logan Paul appeared on Good Morning America Thursday morning (February 1) to discuss the fallout surrounding his posting of a video that seemed to make light of suicide, and said he, ironically, is getting calls from trolls to kill himself.
Paul, who uploaded a video from Japan's Aokigahara forest about a month ago (the area is notorious for drawing people who are considering ending their lives), has since been on an apology tour, and vowed to donate $1 million to suicide prevention efforts as recently as a week ago. And in his chat with GMA's Michael Strahan, he doubled down on his contrition, and said he's continuing to learn lessons about the severity of mental illness.
"One of the things I'm learning which actually pertains to me as well is crisis passes," Paul said. "Crisis passes, man, and for anyone suffering it's important to know that."
Still, it's been a rough road, he said.
"It's been tough because ironically I'm being told to commit suicide myself," he noted. "Millions of people literally telling me they hate me, to go die in a fire. The most horrible, horrific things."
Now, Paul said he's making a more concerted effort to consider what he uploads, and what message his content sends.
"I will think twice in the future about what I post, probably three times," he said, noting that the video in question represented a "horrible lapse of judgment."
"But at the same time. It's not like I'm a bad guy. I'm a good guy who made a bad decision," he added.
One thing for which Paul will not take responsibility, though, is being a role model for young children, a position he never claimed to assume.
"It's odd, because Michael I'm 22 years-old," he said. "It's not like I'm making content necessarily for kids. Sometimes I cuss, sometimes I make inappropriate jokes. I want to make jokes that kids my age will like. I'm my own demographic...I think parents should be monitoring what their children are watching more."
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