Like many YouTube stars, Jake Paul shot to stardom in an instant and has had quite the journey ever since. From creating diss tracks about his enemies to fake marriages, Jake's never failed to make an impression
Social Media Sensation
With 20.3 million subscribers on YouTube, Jake Paul has become one of the most-followed influencers worldwide. However, before he dominated the vlogging industry, he was just an ordinary teenager living in Westlake, Ohio.
From uploading his very first viral video, appearing in a Disney Channel series, and eventually creating his own influencer house, find out how Jake rapidly rose to fame and everything else that's happened along the way.
Wanted to Be a Professional Athlete
Long before Jake uploaded a single video online, he'd dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. "Growing up, I played football and was always one of the best on the team," said Paul. He was also a competitive wrestler, so he essentially split all of his time between sports and school.
"I wanted to go into the NFL, so when I was 10, my dad got my brother and me a video camera so we could record our games and watch them back," Jake explained. Both brothers were fascinated by the creativity that the camera brought out in them, and they became extremely passionate about creating videos.
Started Making More Money Than His Parents
When Jake was 16, he and his brother, Logan, joined Vine, a platform that allowed users to create and share short videos. "Logan and I got into an argument about who could make a better video," he said. After just one week, one of their videos had gone viral, and this served as a sign that they had to give social media their all.
"Within six months, we were making more money than our parents," Jake revealed. Once he and Logan discovered that they could make quite the profit by creating videos and doing what they love, they knew they had to do whatever it took to thrive in the industry.
Moved to L.A. in High School
"High school came along, and all I did was wrestle, train, wrestle train," Paul explained. "I don't really like school that much, so I started making videos." After his junior year of high school, Jake came to a realization; "Basically, I realized that this is what I truly love, so that's why I moved to Los Angeles."
"I dropped out of high school and finished my high school online," Paul added. So, he and Logan moved across the country in hopes of pursuing careers in entertainment. At first, Jake picked up small acting roles to get his feet in the water, before eventually taking the internet by storm.
Appeared in a Disney Show
One of Jake's first TV roles was on a Disney channel series, Bizaardvark. He was a great addition to the cast, but after a while, he decided to leave the show to focus more on his YouTube career. "I love my castmates and will continue to support Disney, but I have outgrown the channel and feel it's time to move forward," he explained.
"We've mutually agreed that Jake Paul will leave his role on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark," revealed a Disney spokesperson. "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." However, fans suspected there was more to the story.
Determined to Make His Mark
Once Jake parted ways with Disney Channel, he put all of his focus on improving his social media presence in hopes of succeeding as an influencer. "I want to be the Dr. Dre of social media. I want to take my success and replicate it with other artists," said Paul.
"When I moved here, I didn't know anything about the industry. Now I'm ready to take Hollywood by storm." Jake had already made his mark on Vine but wanted to take over every social platform, so he knew he'd need to collaborate with other influencers to continue on his rise to fame.
Created His Own Influencer House
In January of 2017, Jake pursued his dream of becoming "the Dr. Dre of social media," by creating his own influencer house, called Team 10. Paul invited other influencers to live in the house so they could grow their social channels and collaborate on content.
"He took all these people on his own label and grew them out, but he's the center of it," explained Erika Costell, Paul's former girlfriend, and Team 10 member. "It's a whole new model, a whole new everything." Other members included Neels Visser, Alex Lange, AJ Mitchell, Cole Carrigan, and more.
Rollercoaster Relationship With Alissa Violet
When Jake and his brother, Logan, were in a mall in Ohio meeting fans in 2016, Alissa Violet caught his attention. They immediately hit it off, and Jake eventually persuaded Alissa to move to L.A. to be with him, and she became a part of Team 10. "I was head over heels for this kid, I would do anything for him," she explained.
"That's why I signed a contract for five years. I believed in him, and he believed in me." However, "Jalissa" had their fair share of fights, and after a few months, they broke up. "I think she is super talented & means well deep down, however, I can't have her in my space after having my heartbroken," Jake tweeted.
Alissa and His Brother
Once fans started to speculate that "Jalissa" was no longer, Jake kicked Alissa out of the Team 10 house, and according to Superhub, he had been "treating her like sh**." Jake claimed that Alissa had cheated on him with his brother, Logan; "This time I'm not being silent... Alissa f***ed my brother... That's why I kicked her out."
Alissa admitted to getting involved with Logan but said it was after she broke up with Jake. She also revealed that Jake had emotionally abused her; "I can't even remember a conversation where it was like, me walking away feeling good about myself," said Alissa. "I'm still disgusted by it because it's not who I am."
Dropped a Diss Track About Alissa
In June of 2017, following his breakup with Alissa, Jake dropped a diss track on YouTube called, It's Everyday Bro. The track was meant to be about his luxurious lifestyle, but Jake managed to sneak in some insults about Alissa. "And you know I kick them out if they ain't with the crew," Jake rapped in the song.
"Yeah, I'm talking about you, you beggin' for attention talking sh** on Twitter too." Alissa's ex-friend, Tessa Brooks, also took a dig at her former bestie in the song, "Panera is your home? So stop calling my phone." Followers instantly picked up on this reference, as Jake said he'd met Alissa while she was working at Panera Bread.
Jake's Former Classmates Claimed He Was a Bully
After Jake released his diss track, some of his former classmates were offended by the lyrics in one of the songs; "Where was y'all when I was in the lunchroom, stopping kids from getting bullied?" Multiple people claimed that Jake actually used to bully other students, and he was never a hero.
"In 6th grade during a fire drill, Jake picked one of those really tall pieces of grass that kind of looked like cattails from the ground and poked me in the ear with it," revealed a former classmate. "He forreal rode his bike over my friend's car," another former classmate tweeted.
Apologized For His Actions
At the 2017 Teen Choice Awards, while Jake gave his acceptance speech after winning Choice YouTuber, he addressed the accusations made by his former classmates. "The past few months have humbled me quite a bit, and I have to be more mindful of my actions and words and how they impact others," said Jake.
"It's been a crazy journey, and I just want to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart," he added. "I'm gonna forget all the negative press and focus on being the best version of myself." Paul's apology was directed at his former classmates and other individuals who were once hurt by his actions.
Started a Financial Freedom Movement
In 2018, Paul launched a video series called Edfluence, where he promised to teach his younger fans about pursuing a social media career. He emphasized that education was not an essential part of life since he was never passionate about academics and didn't attend college.
"Basically, I'm sick of our education system and how it's teaching kids 0 real-life skills for them to secure their own future," jake explained. "I'm creating a movement for everyone who wants to take life into their own hands and learn real-life skills from actual professionals."
Accused of Scamming Followers
Jake said the cost of Edfluence was only $7, so a lot of fans signed up, hoping to learn to make money through social media. However, many said they paid the fee but weren't given access to the entire program. The payment only unlocked a few videos with basic tips like "have a phone" and "if you like makeup, create makeup videos."
To access the whole series, users had to pay an additional $57. However, they only had to enter a credit card the first time, so they could pay the extra money without re-entering the card since it saved to each person's profile. Countless followers didn't realize they were paying again and claimed Jake had scammed them.
Speculations That His Relationship With Tana Was Fake
In April of 2019, Jake began spending a lot of time with Tana Mongeau, another famous YouTuber, but fans weren't sure if their relationship was genuine or just for the camera. Tana had told followers that Jake was just a rebound after her last relationship, but the two started cozying up on the screen.
Brandon Relph, a brand consultant who specializes in influencers, said it made sense for Jake and Tana to film together since they both sparked a lot of controversy on their channels. After making various public appearances as a couple and confessing their love for one another, it became clearer that the relationship was real.
Cole Carrigan Got in the Middle of Jake and Tana's Relationship
Beauty influencer Cole Carrigan was once a member of Team 10, as he was a close friend of Jake and Tana. While Cole and Jake's friendship was pretty rocky, he still maintained a relationship with Tana, so she invited him to her birthday party in Vegas, even though Jake had instructed her not to.
"You should uninvite him," said Jake. "As petty as that is, it's like our whole squad is gonna be there." So, Tana pretended that she uninvited Cole, and when Jake discovered that he was at the party, after all, he stormed off, causing a massive fight with Tana. However, the couple eventually made up.
Cole Carrigan Exposed Team 10 After Being Kicked Out
After the blowout at Tana's party, Cole Carrigan dramatically left Team 10, and he eventually revealed the truth about why he'd had enough of Jake Paul and his crew. "The environment was very toxic. No one cared about each other. No one supported each other," Carrigan explained.
"They constantly stressed about how we would be provided with literally every resource to create any shape or form of content that we possibly could want and get any brand deal we want and get all this money," he revealed. "The whole three months that I lived there, I didn't get one brand deal from them."
'Fake' Marriage With Tana
After only a few months of dating, Jake proposed to Tana, but there was speculation that the engagement was just a publicity stunt. A month later, Jake and Tana were set to tye the knot, but Tana released a video that morning explaining that they would not be legally married. However, they still had a ceremony.
"I think that legally binding yourself to someone takes away the love," said Tana. Eventually, the couple announced that they had broken up, and Tana revealed, "I feel like he just doesn't have time for me anymore." Jake later shared, "Listen, we all do things sometimes, and sometimes you end up getting fake married."
Told Followers Anxiety is Self-Inflicted
Paul received many negative commentaries after tweeting about anxiety and how he thinks people bring it upon themselves. "Remember anxiety is created by you," he tweeted in February of 2020. "Sometimes, you gotta let life play out and remind yourself to be happy & that the answers will come."
Jake also recommended that his followers should "chill your mind...go for a walk...talk to a friend." People were outraged by his tweet, but he later revealed that he's struggled with anxiety for a while and was trying to spread more awareness about it.
Gigi Hadid Called Him Out
One individual who was incredibly frustrated by Jake's tweet about anxiety was Gigi Hadid. Jake had tried to provoke Zayn Malik to respond to his tweet but never received a response. Instead, Zayn's girlfriend, Gigi, wrote back, "Lol cause he doesn't care to hang out 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 a**. Go to bed," Hadid added. Like many celebrities, Gigi doesn't stand to hear about serious, personal matters from people who don't know all of the facts.
Shane Dawson Told People Jake's a Sociopath
In the fall of 2018, YouTuber Shane Dawson released an eight-part series titled, The Mind of Jake Paul. Throughout the series, Dawson walked viewers through Paul's actions, relationships with others, and implied that he might even be a sociopath. Shane started by describing Jake's mind as a "rollercoaster and a plane crash."
Shane revealed that when he initially tweeted about his plan to create the series, he received a lot of negative feedback from fans and influencers that they would unsubscribe because they didn't want to watch more of Jake Paul. "He's a bad person, he's done bad things, he's a sociopath, he's a liar," Dawson admitted.
Shane Regretted His Tweet
After receiving so many hateful comments about his upcoming series with Jake, Shane had second thoughts about creating it. "I was a little scared and a little regretful that I tweeted it because I didn't know the extent of it. I thought he was just cringy," said Shane.
He reached out to Jake, saying, "If we do a series together, I want to really be honest about it and investigate you and the situation." Shane explained in a video, "I want to talk to a psychologist and see if he is a sociopath... Ironically enough, I was going to do a series about sociopaths before this even happened."
Jake Assured Followers He Wasn't a Sociopath
Ultimately, Jake agreed to be a part of Shane's series and expose many components of his life. However, he wanted to make it clear that he was not actually a sociopath. "Even though [the documentary] is about this sociopath thing, I know I'm not a sociopath," said Jake.
Jake agreed at the claim that maintaining a highly-followed YouTube channel takes a toll on him. "I think that's where a lot of madness and craziness comes in," he explained. Throughout the series, Shane realized that he had a lot more in common with Jake than he'd thought, and the two actually connected on a deeper level.
Martinez Twins Said Team 10 Had Toxic Nature
Two of Team 10's original members, Ivan and Emilio Martinez, released a video in 2017 explaining that living in the house was a traumatic experience. They said they were "afraid to sleep" due to the "constant threat of Jake's pranks." The twins also revealed that they were "made to sleep in the loungeroom," and had no privacy.
"I want you to imagine that you go somewhere that no one talks Spanish or your language, and you see people in the house laughing, and you don't even know what they're talking about," Ivan and Emilio explained. "Then you find out they were talking sh** about you. They were laughing at you. Every single day."
The Drama with FaZe Banks
After Jake and Alissa Violet broke up, she started dating a rapper by the name of FaZe Banks. She wanted nothing to do with Jake anymore, as she'd tried her best to move on until Jake uploaded a video claiming that Banks had assaulted his assistant, Megan.
"Ninety-nine percent of what this kid said in his video was absolutely fabricated and not true," FaZe explained. "It's gotten to the point where this needs to be pursued legally." He also claimed that Jake was guilty of "defamation of character and slander to the highest degree," after making this accusation.
2 Sides to Every Story
Soon after Paul uploaded the video about Banks, Paul started losing subscribers rapidly. FaZe released his own video telling his side of the story and essentially said that Jake had made the whole thing up. Banks revealed a message he received from Team 10 member Nick Crompton, saying, "I need you to apologize to my employee asap."
"She doesn't think you did it on purpose, but she walked by your table last night at Warwick, and you basically clotheslined her," Crompton added. FaZe emphasized that this message didn't match the story Jake was telling, so he wanted to assure his followers that it could not have possibly been true.
Got on the Mayor's Bad Side
In July, Jake threw a party in his house to shoot a music video, and it was discovered that he did not follow COVID-19 guidelines, as he hosted a large crowd of influencers, and no one wore masks. The Mayor of Calabasses, Alicia Weintraub, revealed the details of the event and explained why Jake was at fault.
"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," Mayor Weintraub told Fox 11. "It's really just a party acting like COVID does not exist; It's acting that businesses aren't closed."
FBI Searched Jake's Home
After Mayor Weintraub spoke out about Jake's party, the influencer said he wasn't sure if he would keep partying after the incident. He explained, "Our leadership is failing us, and everyone kind of just doesn't know what to do. But I personally am not the type of person who's gonna sit around and not live my life."
In August, the FBI got a search warrant on Paul's house and said the search wasn't only a result of the party he threw. Jake had previously been charged with trespassing at a mall in Arizona, and an FBI representative said the search was a part of an ongoing investigation from that incident.
Charged With Trespassing
Last May, Jake and some of his friends were spotted outside a mall in Arizona during a protest. The mall had been closed, but Jake's friend was seen stealing a bottle of liquor from a restaurant and then handing it to him. He was then charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly.
The charges were later dropped "so that a federal criminal investigation could be completed," as revealed in a press release. Jake eventually released a video explaining that the search warrant "is entirely related to the Arizona looting situation that had happened, and it is an investigation."
Net Worth is $17 Million
Jake Paul has undoubtedly come a long way since his 16-year-old self, who was fascinated by the world of vlogging and social media. According to Celebrity Net Worth, with 20.3 million subscribers on YouTube and 13.5 Instagram followers, Paul's earned himself a net worth of $17 million.
After making a profit of $21.5 million in 2018, Jake was named the second-highest-paid YouTube star globally. At just 23-years-old Paul, he has already created an empire, and at this rate, his following and net worth will likely continue to increase. There's no stopping Jake Paul!