Look who’s baaack: Jake Paul returns to this list—he last made it in 2018 with $21.5 million in earnings—largely on the strength of his boxing earnings.
He fought three well-publicized bouts last year with a pair of MMA fighters: one match with Ben Askren, two with Tyron Woodley. (Paul won them all.)
In many ways, boxing, a sport long populated by contentious stars, is a natural fit for Paul, himself no stranger to controversy.
Jake Paul had been one of YouTube’s most popular names until his brother Logan posted a December 2017 video filmed in a Japanese forest grimly famous as a suicide spot.
Fans hated it—deeming it distinctly in poor taste—and the backlash hit both Paul brothers. Their sponsors cut them, and YouTube demonetized them.
Now, they can earn off YouTube ads again, but Jake posts less frequently than he once did, using the site mostly to market his boxing career, which now accounts for nearly 90% of his earnings.
