Jake Joseph Paul is an American professional boxer, influencer, and actor known for his social media presence and controversial boxing career. Born on January 17, 1997, in Cleveland, Ohio, he gained initial fame posting videos on Vine and YouTube before transitioning to professional boxing in 2020. Paul founded Most Valuable Promotions in 2021 and has a professional boxing record of 12 wins and 2 losses as of February 2026.
Jake Paul Early Life and Family
Jake Joseph Paul was born on January 17, 1997, in Cleveland, Ohio, and was raised in Westlake, Ohio. His parents are Pamela Ann Stepnick (née Meredith), a nurse, and Gregory Allan Paul, a real estate agent. He has an older brother, Logan Paul, who is also a YouTuber, internet personality, and professional wrestler.
Paul’s parents divorced when he was seven years old, which created significant family tension. In a 2023 Netflix series Untold, Paul alleged that his father physically abused him as a child and described his parents as “really strict”. Paul and his brother began filming themselves when Jake was ten years old. He was raised in a church-going Christian household.
Jake Paul Education and Early Interests
Paul attended high school in Westlake, Ohio, where he was a member of the football, basketball, and wrestling teams. He displayed early interest in sports and for a time had ambitions to become a Navy SEAL. During his teenage years, Paul showed entrepreneurial spirit and competitive drive that would later define his career.
In 2014, when he was 17 years old, Paul dropped out of high school and moved to Los Angeles with his brother Logan to pursue a career in entertainment. His father worked as a realtor while his mother worked as a nurse, providing a stable foundation that allowed both brothers to take creative risks.
Jake Paul Social Media Career
Paul began his career in September 2013 posting videos on Vine. By the time Vine was discontinued in 2016, Paul had amassed 5.3 million followers and 2 billion views on the platform. He launched his YouTube channel on May 15, 2014, which became known for pranks, controversies, and hip hop music.
Paul was ranked by Forbes as one of the highest-paid YouTube creators of the 2010s and 2020s. In June 2025, he featured on the Forbes list as one of the world’s highest paid creators with estimated earnings in 2024 of $50 million. His second-place ranking in Forbes‘ list of highest-paid YouTubers in 2018 came from his varied business ventures.
Disney Channel and Acting Career
After gaining fame on Vine and YouTube, Paul joined the cast of the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark in 2016, playing a character called Dirk Mann who accepted dare requests to perform. His first film role was in the 2016 movie Dance Camp. On July 22, 2017, during the middle of filming the second season of Bizaardvark, Disney Channel announced that Paul would be leaving the series.
The announcement followed a KTLA news report about public complaints from Paul’s neighbors regarding noise, pranks, parties, hazards, and large crowds of fans congregating in their neighborhood. Paul later claimed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he was actually fired from Bizaardvark by Disney, who wanted to remove him quickly due to the controversy. He subsequently appeared in films including Airplane Mode (2019), Mainstream (2020), and A Genie’s Tail (2022).
Jake Paul Team 10 and Music Career
In 2016, Paul launched the entertainment collective Team 10. On January 17, 2017, his 20th birthday, it was reported that he launched media company TeamDom with $1 million in funding to create an influencer marketing management and creative agency. Investors included Danhua Capital, Horizons Alpha, Vayner Capital, Sound Ventures, A-Grade Investments, and Adam Zeplain.
On May 30, 2017, Paul released the single “It’s Everyday Bro” featuring Team 10. The song drew over 70 million views in one month and became YouTube’s third most disliked video. It debuted and peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Paul released multiple singles throughout 2017 and 2018, some of which were later deleted.
Jake Paul Boxing Career Beginnings
Paul made his boxing debut in August 2018 in a white-collar match against English YouTuber Deji Olatunji at Manchester Arena in England. He defeated Olatunji via technical knockout in the 5th round. Paul made his professional boxing debut on January 30, 2020, against English YouTuber AnEsonGib in Miami, Florida, winning via technical knockout in the 1st round.
On November 28, 2020, Paul fought basketball player Nate Robinson at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles as the co-feature bout to the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. exhibition match. Paul defeated Robinson via knockout in the 2nd round. These early victories launched his controversial but lucrative boxing career.
Jake Paul Professional Boxing Record
In 2021, Paul defeated former MMA fighters including Ben Askren via technical knockout in the 1st round and Tyron Woodley twice, first by split decision and then by knockout in their rematch. On February 26, 2023, Paul suffered his first professional loss to Tommy Fury via split decision in Saudi Arabia. He then built a winning streak defeating Nate Diaz, Andre August, Ryan Bourland, and Mike Perry in 2023 and 2024.
In November 2024, Paul defeated former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson via unanimous decision in Texas, which achieved the biggest boxing gate receipts in U.S. history outside of Las Vegas. On June 28, 2025, Paul defeated former WBC middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr. by unanimous decision, briefly earning him a top fifteen cruiserweight ranking by the WBA. On December 19, 2025, Paul suffered his first knockout loss to former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Miami.
Most Valuable Promotions
In 2021, Paul founded Most Valuable Promotions alongside his business adviser Nakisa Bidarian. The promotion’s first signing was Puerto Rican boxer and seven-division world champion Amanda Serrano in September 2021. In 2022, Paul co-promoted with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight, which was the first women’s boxing match to headline Madison Square Garden.
The fight was described as the “biggest women’s fight of all time” and was named Fight of the Year by Sports Illustrated and Event of the Year by The Ring. In 2023, Most Valuable Promotions and DAZN announced a new series of events called “Most Valuable Prospects” featuring up-and-coming boxers on DAZN without pay-per-view.
Jake Paul Business Ventures
In 2021, Paul partnered with serial entrepreneur Geoffrey Woo to launch a venture capital firm called Anti Fund. The firm has invested in companies including sports gambling firm Simplebet Inc. and defense technology contractor Anduril Industries. In August 2022, Paul founded Betr, a sports-media and mobile-betting company alongside Simplebet founder Joey Levy.
By March 2024, Betr raised $15 million at a $375 million valuation, with total funding reaching $100 million. In June 2024, Paul launched a men’s personal care brand called W, with products priced at less than $10 and sold at Walmart. The company raised over $14 million in venture capital funding at a valuation exceeding $150 million.
Jake Paul Age
Jake Paul is 29 years old as of February 2026. He was born on January 17, 1997.
Wife and Relationship Status
Jake Paul is not married but is engaged to Dutch speed skater Jutta Leerdam. The couple met in 2023 when Paul invited Leerdam onto his podcast after sliding into her Instagram DMs. They publicly confirmed their relationship on Instagram in April 2023.
In March 2025, Paul proposed to Leerdam during a trip to St. Lucia. Paul surprised Leerdam by flying her parents out to join them in the celebration. As of February 2026, no wedding date has been publicly announced. Leerdam is competing for the Netherlands at the 2026 Winter Olympics in speed skating, where she previously won silver in the 1000m event.
Paul was previously in a relationship with fellow YouTuber Tana Mongeau from April 2019. In June 2019, they announced their engagement and exchanged vows in Las Vegas on July 28, 2019. However, the couple had not obtained a marriage license and the officiant was not licensed by Nevada, making the marriage not legally binding. They announced their break-up in January 2020.
Jake Paul Net Worth
Jake Paul’s net worth is estimated between $100 million and $200 million as of 2025-2026. In January 2022, Forbes reported that Paul made approximately $38 million from boxing in 2021, making him the 46th highest paid athlete in the world for that period. His biggest payouts have come from boxing, including $45 million in 2021 and $40 million from his November 2024 Netflix fight against Mike Tyson.
Since 2020, Paul has earned over $150 million from fight purses, pay-per-view deals, and sponsorships. His revenue streams include boxing purses and PPV revenue, YouTube and social media, sponsorship deals, and entrepreneurial ventures. Paul acts as his own promoter, allowing him to keep a significantly larger cut of broadcast and merchandise revenue compared to traditional fighters.
Jake Paul Political Views
Paul has been politically active in recent years. In September 2023, he supported Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. He later expressed support for Donald Trump and has been critical of Democratic president Joe Biden. Following the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in July 2024, Paul posted on X calling Trump “God’s angels and saviors of the world”.
Paul officially endorsed Trump in a YouTube video posted on October 31, 2024. He has historically donated to both Democratic and Republican candidates but by 2025 had increasingly aligned himself with conservative politics.
Controversies
Throughout his career, Paul has been involved in numerous controversies. In 2017, he faced racism allegations after making stereotypical comments about Kazakhstan and after TMZ revealed a video of him using racial slurs while freestyle rapping. In January 2018, Paul launched Edfluence, a course claiming to teach success as an influencer, which was criticized as a scam targeting young followers.
In 2020, Paul threw a large party at his Calabasas home during the COVID-19 pandemic without masks or social distancing, drawing criticism from the mayor. He later called COVID-19 a “hoax” in an interview with The Daily Beast, sparking widespread condemnation. In May 2020, Paul was present during looting at an Arizona mall during the George Floyd protests and was charged with criminal trespass and unlawful assembly, though charges were later dismissed.
In April 2021, two women made sexual assault allegations against Paul, which he denied. In March 2023, Paul was charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for promoting cryptocurrencies without disclosure and settled the charges for over $400,000.
Jake Paul Heritage and Personal Life
It was reported on February 11, 2025, that Paul discovered his maternal grandmother was Jewish, making him Jewish according to Jewish law. Paul has Irish, Welsh, Polish, Hungarian, Jewish, French, and German ancestry. He purchased a mansion in Puerto Rico in 2023 where he currently resides.
Paul is an avid supporter of Premier League club Liverpool F.C.. In January 2023, he signed a multiyear contract with the Professional Fighters League to cofound and compete in a new pay-per-view division called Super Fight, though his deal ended in January 2026 without ever fighting for the promotion.