Jake Paul: who is the controversial YouTuber - and what has TikTok star Justine Paradise accused him of?

YouTube star Jake Paul has been accused of sexual assault by TikTokker Justine Paradise.

In a 20-minute video posted on YouTube last week, Paradise alleges that he assaulted her at his Los Angeles home in 2019.

Paul denied the allegations on Wednesday (14 April) in a statement posted to Twitter, in which he called them “100 per cent false”.

So, who is Jake Paul - and what has Justine Paradise accused him of?

Here is everything you need to know.

Who is Jake Paul?

Jake Paul, 24, found fame as a YouTuber and online personality.

He is the brother of controversial YouTuber Logan Paul.

Both brothers have millions of social media followers across multiple platforms.

Paul initially became popular on now-defunct video platform Vine.

He then went on to star in Disney Channel show Bizaardvark which boosted his online profile further.

More recently, Paul has become well-known for his boxing.

After his brother took on fellow YouTuber KSI in a high-profile amateur boxing match in August 2018, Paul fought KSI’s brother Deji Olatunji.

Since then, he has turned his focus to the sport and has fought in the ring professionally.

He is due to fight retired UFC fighter Ben Askren on Saturday 17 April in a much-anticipated boxing match.

What has he been accused of?

In her YouTube video, titled “Trigger Warning: Jake Paul Sexually Assaulted Me”, Paradise says she met Paul several times in June and July 2019 at his California mansion, known as the Team 10 house, after being introduced to him by a mutual friend.

She says that on one day Paul pulled her into the corner of his studio and started kissing her.

Paradise, who has more than half a million followers on TikTok, says she was “fine” with the kissing, and adds there were other people in the studio recording on that day.

She then claims Paul led her to his bedroom, where the pair were dancing and kissing, until the YouTuber, who has 20 million subscribers on the platform, “took it to his bed”.

Paradise alleges that Paul put her hands in places she did not want. She says when she attempted to move her hands away, Paul said: "If nothing's going to happen, what's the point?"

The TikTok star explains in the video: “Sex is very special and very important to me.

“Normally, everybody respects me when I don't want to do sexual things, so I thought that it was fine if I went in his room.

“I thought it would be fine to kiss him, because I thought he would stop if I didn't want to do anything else."

Paradise goes on to say that Paul forced her to perform oral sex, allegedly without asking for consent.

She says: “He didn’t ask for consent or anything. That's not okay. On no level at all is that okay."

Paul then acted cold towards her and didn’t speak to her again, according to Paradise.

She says she received no apology and that he stopped responding to her messages.

Paradise says she waited for two years before speaking out as she had signed a non-disclosure agreement - something she claims was required of all guests who entered Paul’s home.

She explains that she is sharing her story to ensure that the YouTuber “realises what he did and doesn’t do it again”.

How has Paul responded to the allegations?

Jake Paul took to Twitter to deny sexually assaulting Paradise following her public accusation.

In a lengthy statement, he wrote: “Sexual assault accusations aren't something that I, or anyone should ever take lightly, but to be crystal clear, this claim made against me is 100 per cent false.

"Not only have I never had any sexual relationship with this individual, but this claim is solely a manufactured accusation and a blatant attempt for attention during a highly visible fight week."

He went on to say he was in a relationship at the time of the alleged assault and called himself a “momma’s boy”.

He added: "I respect women and mothers more than anything. I most certainly have never laid a finger on a girl without their consent."

The YouTube star said he intends to sue Paradise for defamation of his character and to “prove his innocence”.

“There are irreparable damages from these types of accusations, and more importantly, false allegations of this nature diminish those who have truly been victims of misconduct,” he said.

“As someone who has lived in the spotlight since the age of 16… false accusations unfortunately are a part of this job.”

The statement concluded: “I won’t back down from it and years from now my character as an individual will show and shine through these dark moments.

Speaking to the BBC, Paul’s representative Daniel E. Gardenswartz said: “Our client is aware of the recent allegation against him.

"While others have already begun to debunk the claim alleged against him, our client categorically denies the allegation and has every intention of aggressively disproving it and pursuing legal action against those responsible for the defamation of his character."

What other controversies has Jake Paul been involved in?

Paul has often found himself at the centre of controversy.

Most recently, the YouTuber received backlash after a video surfaced of him throwing a massive party at his mansion amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Social media footage showed dozens of people flouting social distancing guidelines and not wearing face masks.

And earlier in 2020, Paul was charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly at a mall in Arizona during the unrest in the US the wake of the death of George Floyd.