Logan Paul's Abandoned Pig Pearl

Submission

Views: 1,947

Updated 3 months ago

Added 3 months ago

Overview

Logan Paul's Abandoned Pig Pearl refers to controversy stemming from reports that a miniature pig named Pearl once owned by influencer Logan Paul was purportedly found in a life-threatening condition in a Californian field next to another dead pig that was assumed to be Piggy Smalls (also previously owned by Paul) after allegedly being "discarded" by its previous owner. The story trended in January 2023 after The Gentle Barn animal sanctuary posted a viral video sharing the conditions Pearl was found in and that they helped nurse her back to health, inspiring backlash towards Paul as people blamed him for allegedly abandoning Pearl and using her for content.

Later that month, an email between Paul and the sanctuary was then obtained by TMZ, reportedly confirming that Pearl was rehomed by Paul to a ranch as he moved to Puerto Rico and was unable to take her with him, then rehomed again by the ranch to a farm across the street as it was closing down without Paul's knowledge. Pearl purportedly escaped from the ranch as they were in the midst of closing down, sustaining her injuries sometime after. According to Paul's official statement, the farmer reportedly gave Pearl to the animal sanctuary. Prior to this, some people assumed he rehomed her because she grew too large, although this does not appear to be the case. The farmer who most recently owned Pearl and found her in the field denies transferring Piggy Smalls or any second pig with Pearl.

Background

Logan Paul Adopts Pearl and Piggy Smalls

On September 6th, 2018, Logan Paul posted a video to YouTube^[1] where he and his girlfriend at the time adopted a pet piglet, which they name Pearl (shown below, left). Paul was purportedly told the pig was a teacup pig and would stay small (such pigs are known to reach 14-20 inches in height and weigh between 50-200 pounds). Pearl appeared in numerous videos following this. On July 7th, 2019, Paul adopted another pig named Piggy Smalls as a companion to Pearl after noticing that she seemed lethargic and depressed (shown below, right).^[2]

On February 26th, 2020, Paul posted a photo of Pearl to Twitter,^[3] writing, "I bought pearl over a year ago. I was told she was a mini pig… she’s not," garnering over 46,000 likes in three years (shown below). The photo shows Pearl much larger than when she was first adopted. Paul moved to Puerto Rico in April 2020^[4] and Pearl and Piggy Smalls stopped appearing in videos afterward.

2022 Investigation by Cid Dwyer

On January 14th, 2022, YouTuber^[5] Cid Dwyer posted a video titled "What Happened To Logan Paul’s Pets?" where he attempted to find out what happened to Paul's numerous pets and why they stopped appearing on his channel. Paul also owned pets including a parrot, two horses, a husky and a Tibetan mastiff, which notably killed his parrot Maverick. In the video, he uncovered that Paul either returned the pets to their original owners or rehomed them to friends. However, he also mentions that he could not find solid answers about Pearl and Piggy Smalls (shown below).

On August 21st, the YouTuber^[6] posted an update video about the pigs. In the video, Dwyer says he reached out to the pigs' original owners to ask if Paul returned them. They DMed him after, writing that Pearl and Piggy Smalls were still "good" and together but not with the farm. A farmer in Filmore, California then reached out to Dwyer claiming to own Pearl, sending him photos for proof. The farmer claimed that the pigs weren't rehomed to him, but that he found Pearl and what was assumed to be Piggy Smalls alone in a field, with Piggy Smalls dead. Purportedly, this was not Piggy Smalls. According to the video, Pearl and the other pig escaped from their new owners when they were moving. The farmer in Filmore insisted that the pigs' new owner was a good guy, but that the pigs were just "dumped on him." The Filmore farmer was also purportedly looking to rehome Pearl.

The Gentle Barn's 2023 Video

On January 9th, 2023, The Gentle Barn's TikTok^[7] page (@thegentlebarn) posted a video of Pearl at their sanctuary. In the video description, they describe how Pearl was found in the field next to a dead pig with a "life-threatening infection" in her uterus. The Gentle Barn then nursed her back to health. The description reads, "From what we've been told, it's believed she was purchased originally from a breeder by an influencer. 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." The video gained over 447,000 views in a day. While they don't mention Paul by name, users compared her to old images of Pearl and determined they were supposedly the same pig.

The video (seen below) went viral shortly after, inspiring criticism towards Paul as some blamed him for allegedly abandoning Pearl.

@thegentlebarn Pearl was found alone in a field next to another pig who had passed away. She came to us with tattered ears and a potentially life-threatening infection in her uterus that has since been healed. She's clearly been through so much trauma that we can't begin to imagine, but she's now safe with us at The Gentle Barn. From what we've been told, it's believed she was purchased originally from a breeder by an influencer. 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. #pigrescue #animalrescuestory #abandonedanimals #pigsoftiktok #farmanimalrescue #thegentlebarn ♬ Where is My Mind? – Piano Version – The Blue Notes

Logan Paul's Leaked Email and Official Statement

Later that day on January 9th, 2023, TMZ^[8] published an email between Paul and The Gentle Barn that they reportedly obtained (seen below). In the email, Paul thanks the sanctuary for healing Pearl. He explains how she was happy at his home and that he rehomed her to a ranch in 2020 when he moved to Puerto Rico and was unable to bring her. He does not claim that he rehomed her because of her size. He writes that it's "heartbreaking" to learn about the condition she was in and "thought she was in a good home," but is glad she is now, also offering his support in any way possible.

On January 10th, Paul then posted an official response to the controversy on Twitter^[9] (seen below). In his tweet, he writes, "Pearl was rehomed to an amazing Ranch that I visited in Santa Clarita when I moved to Puerto Rico. I was unable to bring her to the island. She lived there happily for 10 months before the owner sold the Ranch. She was rehomed w/o my knowledge to the Farmer across the street." He also stated that Pearl was transferred alone without Piggy Smalls, the farmer denying that there was a second pig. He then thanks The Gentle Barn and offers his help in any way they need.

Online Reactions

After @thegentlebarn's TikTok video about Pearl went viral, the story spread across social media, inspiring criticism towards Logan Paul as people assumed it was his fault that Pearl was found abandoned and in a life-threatening condition. This also notably happened at the same time that Paul was facing accusations of scamming people through his CryptoZoo game.

Over the course of January 9th and 10th, 2023, numerous YouTubers and online commentators posted content talking about the story, many critical of Paul (examples shown below). Some people also defended Paul, mentioning that Pearl was rehomed multiple times after Paul owned her and shifted the blame to the new owners.^[10]