YouTube Star Logan Paul Slammed For Filming Dead Body Of Suicide Victim

YouTuber Logan Paul has been facing major backlash after a video he uploaded to the video sharing platform during the weekend showed him stumbling upon a real-life suicide victim, recorded as he trekked through Japan’s Aokigahara forest, also known as the "Suicide Forest."

This forest is also called the "Suicide Forest" due to the high number of self-inflicted deaths here. According to Japanese police records, in 2010, a total of 247 people attempted suicide here, with 54 of them successfully going through with the act.

(The footage shown in the video linked below is graphic, so viewer discretion is advised.)

You can view part of the graphic video here, however, the full 15-minute version of the video was taken off of YouTube, by Paul himself after severe criticism on social media.

The video was reportedly viewed at least 6.3 million times after it was posted on social media.

Paul officially apologized for the video on Twitter on Monday evening. In his statement posted on Twitter, Paul explained that he has never faced criticism like this before and claimed he didn’t release the video for views.

"I didn’t do it for views. I get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity. That’s never the intention," Paul wrote.

He stated that he simply wanted to raise awareness about suicide and suicide prevention. You can read his full apology below.

In response to the video, several of Logan’s followers and other social media users took to social media to voice their thoughts on the shocking video.

Many characterized the video as disingenuous and found it beyond disrespectful that Paul would even showcase this to his channel of 15 million subscribers. Other users noted the many young viewers Logan Paul has and questioned how this would affect them.

The video posted by Paul, reportedly opened with a disclaimer about the importance of seeking help when struggling with depression, before the YouTuber addressed the camera directly.

"This is the most real vlog I've ever posted on this channel," the 22-year-old said. "I think this definitely marks a moment in YouTube history."

In the video, Paul, who is American, visited Japan with several of his friends. They made a trip to Aokigahara, a forest at the base of Mt. Fuji known for being a common suicide destination and called the "Suicide Forest."

After walking a short distance into the forest, the group discovered a body hanging from a tree. "I really hate to say this, I think there's someone hanging right there," Paul was heard saying to the camera. "I'm not even f-----g kidding."

Paul and his friends are seen filming themselves approaching the body, which was fully blurred out when seen from a distance. However there were several close-up shots of the body where only the person's face was blurred.

"Yo are you alive? Are you f-----g with us?" Paul can be reportedly heard asking. The person, who had been filming the video stood very close to the body, with Paul noting the dead man's "purple hands" and that his pockets were still full.

At several points in the video, Paul was also reportedly seen turning the camera on himself to discuss his feelings of shock after spotting the dead body. He reiterates that this was the "most real" moment he has ever captured on film and claims the group initially intended to "focus on the haunted aspect" of Aokigahara before they even found the body, according to Newshub.