Logan Paul: YouTube cuts ties with controversial star after 'suicide forest' video

The site has expressed regret over allowing the video to be uploaded and for its communication since

YouTube has cut its ties with the controversial star Logan Paul, after he was filmed joking and laughing next to a dead body.

The 22-year-old star said in the aftermath of the video that he felt ashamed of his actions and did not expect to forgiven. After posting that apology, he removed himself from both YouTube and Twitter, and hasn't posted since.

Now YouTube says it will remove Mr Paul from its "Preferred Programme", which allows companies to put ads next to the site's most popular content creators. It also said it won't make any films with the star for now.

The controversial video showed Mr Paul venturing into the Aokigahara Forest, which is known as a frequent site of suicides. When he and his friends came across the body of a man who had taken his own life, they were filmed laughing and joking next to him.

A huge backlash immediately ensued, directed mostly at Mr Paul but also at YouTube for leaving the video up. Someone in control of Mr Paul's channel eventually removed it.

YouTube has said that it regretted the way it dealt with the video and that it would work harder to communicate with the community who uses the site in future.

"In light of recent events, we have decided to remove Logan Paul's channels from Google Preferred," it said in a new statement.

After the video was first removed, Mr Paul - who has 15 million YouTube subscribers - posted a written apology to Twitter, saying his intention was to "raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention".

On Tuesday, YouTube said it was looking at "further consequences" after the posting of the video.

In a series of tweets, the company said: "It's taken us a long time to respond, but we've been listening to everything you've been saying.

"We know that the actions of one creator can affect the entire community, so we'll have more to share soon on steps we're taking to ensure a video like this is never circulated again."

"Additionally, we will not feature Logan in season four of Foursome and his new Originals are on hold."

Though Mr Paul's YouTube and social channels now appear to be in lockdown – after a post in which he said he was taking some time out and would not be vlogging for a short time. But his brother Jake has continued to post, and his father uploaded an Instagram video that suggested Logan should be forgiven and would be returning to the site soon.

Mr Paul's YouTube channel is still active on the site, and will keep its more than 15 million subscribers. Ordinary advertisers can still place ads on the page, though they will also be given the option to specifically opt out of doing so.