Why did Disney end its relationship with Jake Paul?
Influencer-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul has been a part of several controversies. While his carefree attitude and larger-than-life persona has helped him gain massive fan following, it has also landed him in trouble, especially when it caused him to lose his role in a Disney channel show.
Why did Disney end its relationship with Jake Paul?
Jake Paul’s exceedingly eccentric behavior and his party-loving lifestyle led to Disney cutting ties with the famous YouTuber.
In July 2017, Paul was let go from the Disney Channel show Bizaardvark. While initially it was thought that this was by mutual agreement, it was later revealed that 'The Problem Child' had been fired.
Paul already had 9 million subscribers on YouTube at the time when the series aired on the Disney Channel, and therefore he did add to the popularity of the show.
According to a Hollywood Reporter article from 2017, Jake Paul was let go after an incident with an LA news crew. Here's an excerpt from the article:
“KTLA had sent a crew to investigate reports that Paul and his YouTuber housemates were making a nuisance of themselves, lighting fires in a drained swimming pool, mounting dirt-bike drag races outside their $18,000-per-month rented house in Beverly Grove, and drawing crowds of fans outside the Kilkea Drive residence."
It also read:
"Paul and his posse responded by ambushing the reporter with a T-shirt cannon, climbing on the roof of the KTLA van, then mocking the reporter's unremarkable shoes (a callback to a popular 2015 meme).”
Paul’s character in the series was also that of a content creator who performed dares given by his audience. Bizaardvark ran from 2016 to 2019 and also starred Madison Hu and Olivia Rodrigo.
What has Jake Paul been doing since severing ties with Disney?
Jake Paul and his elder brother Logan continued to make content on social media after the show ended. Their popularity also kept growing steadily. They are both extremely popular today and are two of the most recognizable faces in the social media influencer community.
In January 2020, Jake Paul decided to follow in the footsteps of Logan and turned to professional boxing. While Logan lost to fellow YouTuber KSI in his first fight, Jake beat AnEsonGib in the first round of their bout.
'The Problem Child' has since amassed a 10-1 record in the professional boxing circuit. His latest win came against former UFC fighter Mike Perry in July. He will take on boxing legend Mike Tyson in a professional boxing contest on Nov. 15. The fight has been heavily criticized for the 31-year age gap between the two.
Paul has not restricted himself to only fighting in the professional boxing world. He co-founded boxing promotion Most Valuable Promotions in 2021. World champion Amanda Serrano is the most notable fighter on the promotion's roster so far. However, it also boasts several other rising prospects.