How Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Logan Paul went from friends and collaborators to cutting ties wit
- YouTuber Logan Paul filmed several videos with his friend and "idol" Dwayne Johnson in 2017.
- In a recent podcast, Paul said Johnson cut ties with him following Paul's 2017 suicide forest video.
- Here is how a friendship between the pair formed — and abruptly ended — according to Paul.
YouTuber Logan Paul and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson were once friendly and filmed several videos together in 2017.
But, Paul recently revealed, their relationship abruptly ended after the "Impaulsive" vlogger's infamous "suicide forest" video.
Controversial influencer Logan Paul rose to fame on the now-defunct platform Vine by making slapstick comedy sketches. He currently has 25.3 million subscribers on YouTube.
In 2017, when Paul was reaching the peak of his online fame making vlogs and collaborating with high-profile YouTubers, he also forged a friendship with former WWE star Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
Paul has often referred to Johnson as his "idol," and the pair filmed several videos together after Johnson officially launched his YouTube channel in 2016.
But then, in 2017, Paul visited Aokigahara, a forest near the base of Mt. Fuji in Japan known as the "suicide forest" because of the relatively large number of people who have killed themselves at the location. The video, since deleted, featured several scenes of Paul and his entourage standing around a dead body they came across in the forest.
Months later, Paul apologized, but not before losing thousands of followers, dozens of lucrative sponsorship deals, and facing a $3 million lawsuit stemming from the video. More recently, Paul revealed the stunt led to "The Rock" cutting ties with him and requesting — via a publicist — that Paul delete all photos and videos showing the pair together.
Johnson has not publicly addressed Paul's claims about their relationship, and neither Johnson nor Paul immediately responded to Insider's request for comment.
Here's how a friendship between Johnson and Paul grew before it was suddenly cut short, according to Paul.
Johnson and Paul first filmed together in 2016.
In December 2016, Paul posted a vlog on his YouTube channel in which he said he was filming a "big collab with someone who I admire and have the utmost respect for."
He later revealed that he would be filming two videos with Johnson, one for his YouTube channel and one for Johnson's. Neither of these videos are currently available to view on YouTube.
In the vlog, Paul showed a short clip of him and Johnson acting in a skit together, competing on who is the most "masculine" person. Johnson gave Paul a slapstick-style punch, and Paul subsequently pretended to headbutt Johnson in the clip.
At the end of the video, Johnson tells Paul, "you're the best." Paul then calls Johnson a "genuine guy," adding, "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, you are the man."
The pair soon began filming together more frequently.
In March 2017, Paul posted a YouTube vlog in which he said he was paying a visit to Johnson on the set of "Ballers" an HBO TV series the actor was starring in at the time.
The video includes behind-the-scenes footage of a sketch he said he was filming with Johnson. It is unclear whether this sketch was ever uploaded onto YouTube.
In Paul's vlog, the pair hug one another, and refer to each other as "brother" and "bro."
Paul also mentions the pair's collaborative videos, noting that each received millions of views. However, these videos, which Paul screenshotted and included as images in his vlog, are currently unavailable on YouTube.
Paul filmed a series of videos with Johnson to help promote the actor's film 'Baywatch.'
In March 2016, Paul posted a short video on Facebook, where he said he was on the set of Johnson's film "Baywatch," to film a scene for the movie.
Celebrity gossip website Nicki Swift reported that filmmakers cast Paul as an "arrogant aspiring lifeguard named Zane" in the film, but the scene was cut from the film's final version. Paul is not listed as a cast member for the movie on IMDb.
Before the film was released in May 2017, Paul and Johnson filmed a web series called "The Rock and Logan Paul's Summer Saga," which featured Johnson's "Baywatch" co-star, Alexandra Daddario.
That series has since been made "private," according to a notice on Johnson's YouTube channel. However, Paul posted a behind-the-scenes vlog for the series in April 2017, showing himself filming in front of a green screen with Daddario.
The pair released a music video together featuring David Hasselhoff on a horse.
As part of their web series, Johnson and Paul released a song titled "Song of the Summer."
The video featured David Hasselhoff who starred in the original television show "Baywatch," as well as rapper Desiigner — and Johnson.
Paul has set the video to private on his channel.
That same year, Paul called Johnson his 'idol' and said the pair were somewhat similar during a podcast appearance.
In November 2017, Paul appeared as a guest on the Dubai-based podcast The Kris Fade Show.
During the episode, the podcast's hosts asked Paul to talk about what it was like to collaborate with Johnson.
"I don't get starstruck. I do not. And when I was standing next to 'The Rock' for the first time, I was shaking like a little girl. He's my idol. He's the one guy who I actually resonate with in Hollywood," Paul said.
Paul added that he perceived similarities between himself and Johnson. "He's a trailblazer. I like to consider myself a trailblazer as well."
Earlier this year, Paul said that Johnson cut ties with him after his "suicide forest" video.
In June 2022, Paul appeared on the True Geordie podcast, where he briefly discussed his relationship with Johnson.
Paul told hosts that Johnson cut ties with him because of the "suicide forest" controversy.
"After Japan happened, obviously I found myself in a hole, rightfully so, that I had never been in before, extremely low mentally, and I got a call from my publicist, who also repped Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and she's like, 'Hey, Dwayne has asked that you remove every picture and video that you've done with him,'" Paul said.
The YouTuber went on to say that while he understood he'd made a "grotesque error," he still wished Johnson would have called or texted him instead of communicating through his publicist.
"I thought we had a healthy relationship, an open line of communication, and I was so sad that my hero wanted nothing to do with me," he said.
Paul faced widespread backlash after filming the 'suicide forest' video, and hasn't posted videos with Johnson since.
In December 2017, Paul posted the video he filmed in Japan's Aokigahara forest.
It is widely regarded as one of the worst major influencer stunts in YouTube history, and was a significant blow to Paul's career. The YouTuber was canceled by fans on social media and lost several deals with brands and advertisers.
In January 2018, Paul posted an apology statement on Twitter, saying, "With great power comes great responsibility... for the first time in my life I'm regretful to say I handled that power incorrectly. It won't happen again."
Paul took a week-long break from YouTube amidst the controversy but quickly returned and began working on new projects. He said he planned to donate $1 million to suicide prevention charities.
Paul recently said Johnson has since tried to reconnect with him on social media.
During his appearance on the True Geordie podcast, Paul said Johnson reached out to him several months ago via Instagram private messages as if "nothing ever happened."
According to Paul, Johnson's message said that he thought one of Paul's Instagram videos was funny. The YouTuber said he did not reply to Johnson's message but still thinks the actor is "awesome."
Representatives for Johnson did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
Paul and Johnson continue to work on separate ventures.
Paul is currently promoting a solo photography project and a line of hydration drinks he released in collaboration with British YouTuber KSI.
On June 30, he announced that he signed a contract with wrestling network WWE, after winning a tag-team match against father-son duo Rey and Dominik Mysterio at WrestleMania, an annual WWE pay-per-view event, in April.
Johnson is currently promoting "DC League of Super-Pets," an animated film in which he stars as a voice actor alongside Kevin Hart. He continues to post lifestyle content on his YouTube and TikTok accounts, showing fans his workout routines and clips from his day-to-day life.
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