Things Are Getting Worse For Jake Paul

Even before this week, Jake Paul has been a controversial figure in the world of YouTube content creators. He's come under fire in the past for his behavior and offensive comments on everything from race to other content creators. However, it appears that things are continuing to get more and more complicated for Jake Paul.

It was very recently reported that video footage has surfaced that seemed to show Jake Paul looting during a protest in Scottsdale, Arizona. He may currently be facing charges for this incident, but the YouTuber has vehemently denied those allegations. Unfortunately, for Paul, it appears as though his attempt at making up for this incident has backfired as well. The latest scandal that Jake Paul has found himself embroiled in concerns a charity fund benefiting the Black Lives Matter movement. 

After the whole looting incident blew up, Jake Paul released a YouTube video explaining his side of things. The very title of the video says that it will be deleted in the near future, so there may be more to the narrative that Paul wishes to add in the future. Whatever the case, he told his fans that he was simply on the scene to document the protests, not to participate in any kind of illegal activity. He furthermore told fans that all revenue generated by the video would be donated directly to the NAACP in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. It is a solid gesture, but there is a bit more to it than meets the eye.

The fundraiser that was linked to in Jake Paul's video was organized YouTuber Frederic Chen, which sent money directly to the NAACP. Chen had previously made a video with that very fundraiser attached in hopes that he could get his fans to donate to the cause. Within three days, the fundraiser shared by Chen had raised $32,000. Paul's video brought in an additional $10,000. That's great, right?

Well, in a tweet that has since been deleted, it appears as though Jake Paul has taken credit for raising the full amount raised by the two videos. This obviously didn't sit right with several people, including Chen himself.

A TikTok video from Chen addressed the matter directly. "Imagine you make a video about Black Lives Matter, and you put a fundraiser, and it raises around $32,000 within the first three days," Chen said in his TikTok video. "[And then] you go to Jake Paul's Twitter and you see he's taken all the credit."

While obviously furious about the situation, Chen did clarify later on Twitter that he was happy that the fundraiser was receiving significant donations, regardless of how the exposure came about. He wrote, "we all know the exposure of the fundraiser is good, no matter what. But I'd rather not let Jake Paul once again, manipulate his audience into thinking he genuinely cares about social change."

Chen wasn't the only internet personality to weigh in on the controversy. Another notable response was from Ninja, who has previously been critical of Jake Paul's behavior. To Ninja's credit, he tried to give Jake Paul the benefit of the doubt. Still, it's clear that Ninja seems to disapprove of Paul's actions in this instance in particular. 

Ninja tweeted, "I feel like you truly believe in your head that you are doing the good or right things sometimes, but you always just miss the mark. I recommend getting an advisor or a moral consultant to run your stuff by. Like if you just did YOUR own charity link, no harm here."

It's interesting to see Ninja trying to react to this development with an open mind. Ninja previously came down on Jake Paul's alleged involvement in the looting, referring to it as "classic Jake Paul." However, Ninja is no stranger to controversy himself. It's possible that he understands what it's like to have to attempt to rehabilitate one's public image.

However, as Ninja put it in his tweets regarding the situation, Jake Paul may need some help in making these kinds of decisions. Even something that seems to have been started with good intentions has turned into a bit of a fiasco. Paul is already in hot water for his videos covering the protests; the last thing he needs is to stir up bad blood with other content creators and their followers, no matter what his intentions may have been.

It remains to be seen what will become of the charges that have been leveled against Paul, but we will certainly keep an eye out for any developments.