Logan Paul, YouTube Star, Apologizes For Video Showing Dead Body

HOLLYWOOD, CA — Logan Paul, a YouTube star originally from Westlake, Ohio, with more than 15 million subscribers to his online vlog channel, apologized Tuesday for posting a video showing the dead body of man who is believed to have killed himself.

The video chronicled Paul's trip to a Japanese forest known as a frequent site for suicides. He and his companions came across a body hanging from a tree. Many viewers lambasted Paul's decision to post the video, saying it showed insensitivity to suicide and used an individual's personal tragedy to garner attention.

He introduced the video saying it was "the most real vlog I've ever posted on this channel." When he and his companions come upon the body, Paul appears to joke about it, saying, "What, you never stand next to a dead guy?" After making this comment, he laughed.

The video has since been removed from YouTube, but parts of it have been reposted and commented on by other users.

"Where do I begin," Paul said in statement on Twitter after taking the video down. "Let's start with this. I'm sorry."

He said he did not post the video for views. Instead, he said, his intention was to raise awareness about suicide.

"I'm often reminded of how big a reach I truly have & with great power comes great responsibility," he said. "For the first time in my life I'm regretful to say I handled that power incorrectly. It won't happen again."

After this apology, Paul continued to receive criticism. He posted a follow-up apology video on Twitter, saying that he had a "severe and continuous lapse in my judgment."

"I don't expect to be forgiven. I'm simply here to apologize," he said.

YouTube has faced criticism for failing to moderate its content sufficiently.

"Our hearts go out to the family of the person featured in the video," a YouTube spokesperson said in a comment to Patch. "YouTube prohibits violent or gory content posted in a shocking, sensational or disrespectful manner. If a video is graphic, it can only remain on the site when supported by appropriate educational or documentary information and in some cases it will be age-gated. We partner with safety groups such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to provide educational resources that are incorporated in our YouTube Safety Center."

One section of the community guidelines instructs posters:

It's not okay to post violent or gory content that's primarily intended to be shocking, sensational, or disrespectful. If posting graphic content in a news or documentary context, please be mindful to provide enough information to help people understand what's going on in the video.

Watch Paul's apology video below:

Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images