Jake Paul Reflects on Past 'Reckless' Decisions He Made for 'Attention'
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Jake Paul is learning from his mistakes.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated for the magazine's Power List issue, the YouTuber-turned-boxer opened up about examining his past problematic behavior and finding emotional stability.
"I was really reckless," admitted Paul. "I didn't care about my life. I didn't care about anything that I was doing, really. I was not in a good place. I was lost and chasing all the wrong things to try to find myself."
When asked whether he regrets some of his past actions, he confessed, "There was a lot of fake s--t I did for videos that I don't like, that I did for attention." He referenced his headline-making 2019 marriage ceremony to fellow YouTuber Tana Mongeau, which was not legal: "I literally got fake-married for f---ing attention."
Paul has been at the center of many controversies. In 2017, he was fired from Disney Channel's Bizaardvark after a local TV station reported on Paul’s neighbors considering a public nuisance lawsuit. The following year, he was accused of emotional abuse by ex-girlfriend Alissa Violet. (As mentioned in the profile, Paul admitted in 2018 that he and Violet "did a lot of messed up things to hurt each other."
In 2020, the FBI raided Paul’s house looking for evidence from a looting incident in Arizona, though, as he clarified in the piece, no federal charges were ever brought about.
But Paul says the switch from vlogger to boxing brought him the necessary discipline and allowed him to use his fame in a way that could help others. In 2021, he founded the company Most Valuable Promotions, which connects boxers with promotional opportunities.
Speaking to SI, Paul's brother Logan noted that his sibling's switch to boxing has changed the 26-year-old for the better. "When an individual finds their purpose, they become the best version of themselves," Logan said. "Boxing for him is that purpose. Jake devoted his body and mind to it. And he's become a really great version of himself."
Sports Illustrated’s Power List is available here and inside the issue on newsstands today, July 13.
To purchase a copy of the SI Power List issue continue here.
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