YouTube star Logan Paul pledged $1 million to suicide prevention groups in an effort to educate himself on the topic after posting a tone-deaf video of a dead suicide victim on his account.
Paul, 21, shared a seven-minute video to his YouTube page on Wednesday where he interviewed people who have attempted suicide, as well as the director of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
"I was shocked to discover just how big this is," Paul told Bob Forrest, the founder of Alo House Recovery Centers, in the video.
When Forrest asked if he had ever known someone who committed suicide, Paul responded "no."
"That was part of the problem, my ignorance on the subject," he said.
The controversial filmmaker, who posted the insensitive video shot in Japan's Aokigahara forest on New Year's Eve, shared that he wanted to be a part of the solution moving forward in preventing suicide.
He also said he is trying to be more compassionate.
"It's something I'm learning."
Paul went over the five steps to preventing suicide in the video.
In the caption of the video, titled "Suicide: Be Here Tomorrow," he listed the contact information for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
Paul conducted an interview with a man named Kevin Hines, who survived a suicide attempt off the Golden Gate Bridge 17 years ago.
"From this point now on I want to make an effort to contribute and immerse myself in the conversation, so I'm pledging to donate $1 million to various suicide prevention organizations."
Paul said he would immediately be donating $250,000 to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline so they could start helping those in need.
YouTube decided to cut ties with Paul on Jan. 10 after he faced immense backlash for his video.
