5 things you need to know about how KSI's latest prank war got his YouTube channel temporarily suspended
- KSI, whose real name is Olajide Olatunji, sparked massive online outrage by faking a high-profile boxing match announcement with rival Jake Paul, leading to a flood of false 'breaking news' tags on his channel.
- YouTube's strict policy against 'misleading content and clickbait' kicked in, resulting in a 48-hour suspension on his channel, costing him an estimated $500,000 in potential ad revenue and trending spot.
- The prank, which included a doctored 'Terms of Agreement' video, triggered a massive backlash from fans, with over 2.5 million likes and a chain of angry comments accusing KSI of 'gambling on his fanbase's trust.'
- Insiders suggest KSI deliberately used this tactic to redirect attention from a recent leaked video showing him losing a private sparring match, generating more buzz for his upcoming crypto NFT platform, 'KSI Coin.'
- The suspension was lifted only after KSI issued a short, sarcastic apology video on Twitter, which gained 4 million views in 3 hours, effectively making his channel comeback even more talked-about than before.