Logan Paul’s crypto drama and pet pig fiasco, explained

Logan Paul is an influencer, podcaster, and professional wrestler who has — once again — found himself at the center of controversy. A three-part YouTube series by investigative journalist Stephen Findeisen, who’s known as Coffeezilla on YouTube, delved into Paul’s recent CryptoZoo project, branding the endeavor a scam. As if matters couldn’t get weirder, less than a month later, a pig named Pearl previously owned by Paul was found abandoned by an animal rescue, which has since taken Pearl in.

Paul is the talk of Twitter, TikTok, as well as other social media sites, because of his story. The result has been messy, as other social media influencers and creators have weighed in. Paul took to Twitter and started his podcast as a response.

Paul promoted CryptoZoo first on his podcast ImpaulsiveIn August 2021. He said he had been working on his “own NFT project,” calling it “a really fun game that makes you money.” CryptoZoo is a blockchain “game” where players buy in-game cryptocurrency called $Z00 to spend on digital eggs that hatch into animals. It is possible to breed eggs, creating rarer hybrids which could be more lucrative.

On Dec. 16, Findeisen posted the first installment of his three-part series, entitled “Investigating Logan Paul’s Biggest Scam,” which has more than 7.5 million views. Findeisen claims that this project was fraudulent and interviews people who claim they never were able to hatch eggs. Findeisen wrote:

“CryptoZoo was supposed to be a fun blockchain game that can earn you money… but millions of dollars of investor money later, things are still broken. Coffeezilla investigates. […]This opinion video should not be taken as factual. Fake gurus, scams and bad business opportunities are all subjective terms. Someone who claims $100K/month in return for a $2K upfront payment is probably a fraud. Others would call it a Napoleon Hill pitch.”

Part two and part three were posted by Findeisen on Coffeezilla’s YouTube channel, Dec. 20, and 23, respectively. Findeisen examines the CryptoZoo team’s lead developer Eddie Ibanez and other developers. He also discusses crypto influencers, such as Jake, the Crypto King. (No relation to Jake Paul, Logan Paul’s influencer brother and fellow podcaster.)

Logan Paul responded to Coffeezilla’s Jan. 4 video. Although it was later deleted, the video has been widely shared on YouTube as other YouTubers have posted it. Paul claimed he never made any money with CryptoZoo. In the video, Paul also accused Findeisen for using his name in exchange for views and money. He also discussed Coffeezilla’s series of videos on an episode of the Impaulsive podcast.

Samstag, Findeisen tweeted that Paul had called him and was “deleting the two responses,” as well as “dropping the lawsuit threats.” Findeisen also shared a screenshot from the CryptoZoo Discord group that depicted Paul saying he would be “taking accountability, apologizing, and coming forward with a plan in the near future.” The CryptoZoo website currently says it is “undergoing upgrades to the core infrastructure of the ecosystem.” (Polygon has reached out to Logan Paul and Stephen Findeisen and will update the story upon response.)

The controversy surrounding Paul returned just as the calm was returning on Jan. 10. But for a totally different reason. Gentle Barn an animal rescue sanctuary posted a TikTok that told the story about Pearl, a pig described as someone who found her dead in a field. Fans recognized Pearl as Paul’s pet pig from his YouTube videos, and the animal sanctuary’s TikTok began circulating across social media.

According to the TikTok’s description, Gentle Barn treated Pearl with antibiotics for her life-threatening infection and tattered ear. “From what we’ve been told, it’s believed she was purchased originally from a breeder by an influencer,” the description on the TikTok video reads.

It continues, “People often buy ‘mini pigs’ or ‘teacup pigs’ for clout online, believing they will stay small. When they inevitably grow very large and have many unexpected needs, they’re sadly discarded. While we don’t know everything she’s been through in her past, we know her life is now filled with friends, nutritious foods, the highest quality care, and so much love.” Polygon reached out to Gentle Barn for comment and did not receive a response.

Polygon reached out to Logan Paul about Pearl and was given the following reply:

Logan moved to Puerto Rico but was not able to bring Pearl. He rehomed Pearl to an exceptional horse ranch and took great care of her.

Logan found out yesterday that the owner of the horse ranch had moved and couldn’t keep Pearl. The owners apparently re-homed Pearl to a neighbor and it was this neighbor who called Gentle Barn to have Pearl taken in.

Logan was shocked and unaware that Pearl had been re-homed to an unknown person.

Gentle Barn was contacted immediately by Logan when the news broke online. When Pearl was rescued, Logan reached out to Gentle Barn to offer financial assistance and to try to reunite them.

Logan is incredibly upset to learn of Pearl’s condition and is truly grateful to Gentle Barn.

Many fans on the internet have expressed skepticism at Paul’s responses to these two controversies. It remains to be seen how they will resolve, but it’s a reminder that despite Paul’s continued success and massive follower count, his efforts to rehabilitate his image often lead to even more ridiculous results.