YouTuber Shane Dawson released the first episode of his eight-part series “The Mind of Jake Paul,” diving into whether fellow YouTube creator Jake Paul is a sociopath.
While Dawson has had a long career on the popular video hosting site, his recent work has focused on his fellow online video creators such as a detailed profile of make-up and skin care vlogger Jeffree Starr, according to Polygon, and an investigation into TanaCon, another YouTuber’s disastrous attempt at a convention, according to The Verge .
Before the release of Dawson’s series, many online wondered which direction Dawson would take the series. Would it be a glorious redemption story that paints the controversial 21-year-old Paul in a kinder light, maybe as a misunderstood young kid who came into money, fame, and millions of online followers and wasn’t equipped to deal with the responsibility? Or would it be a researched, systematic takedown of a problematic young man whose videos have influenced his young audience in negative ways?
Dawson himself said early in the first episode, however, that not every video can be him sitting down with someone crying as he had with Tana Mongeau, the video creator and one of the organizers of TanaCon.
“This, I don’t think is going to be that,” he said in the video.
Dawson wrote on Twitter that each part of the series will share a different side of Jake Paul’s story.
“I don’t want any of this series to make anyone’s life harder,” Dawson wrote. “This series takes a look at Jakes actions over the years and many of those actions involve other people… This month I’ve learned there’s way more than 2 sides to every story. In this case, there was 100.”
A note about “the mind of jake paul” ?? pic.twitter.com/lz2V84cjNq
— Shane Dawson (@shanedawson) September 25, 2018
“It’s been the most intense horrifying emotionally draining experience of my career and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he added via Twitter.
The first episode is 40-minutes long and features an interview with fellow YouTube creator iNabber about the many controversies Paul has been involved in, as well as asking larger questions about what makes YouTubers seek the spotlight.
Paul addressed Dawson’s series in his own video on his channel.
“Go into it with an open mind and open heart and just watch the content without any preconceived things or thoughts about me or Shane or what we’re gonna talk about or how the series is going to go,” Paul says, adding that he hasn’t seen any of the episodes yet. “I didn’t have any influence at all. It’s literally completely up to Shane, which is kind of scary.”
The first episode of Dawson’s series on Paul is below.
