Everybody hates Jake Paul, especially Chris Rock.
With his win over Mike Tyson back in October, Jake Paul has hit a new level of popularity. Or rather, unpopularity.
Paul has always had his haters dating all the way back to his days as a kid messing around on Vine and YouTube. His move to combat sports has only increased the number of people who hate his guts — MMA fans hate him for preying on over-the-hill former champions, and boxing fans hate him for spearheading the influencer infiltration into their sport.
Now the general public at large hates him for punking a 58-year-old Mike Tyson. Or paying Mike Tyson to lose to him. Whatever way you believe Paul vs. Tyson went down, you can still hate Jake’s guts for making a mockery of the sport. And that hatred is hitting a fever pitch.
In the latest episode of Saturday Night Live, Chris Rock brought up Paul during his opening monologue.
“Jake Paul beating Mike Tyson, what the hell?” Rock said. “Who is this Jake Paul? 27-year-old punching a 60-year-old man in the face. Is this what the white man has reduced himself to? Stop it! Who is he going to fight next? Morgan Freeman?”
“I hate Jake Paul! I got a landlord who hates Jake Paul. I hate him! I hate him like cocaine hates monogamy.”
Rock’s Jake Paul bit was sandwiched between material on Luigi Mangione and Donald Trump, which is kind of impressive considering Paul vs. Tyson went down a whole month ago and it’s not like the news has been quiet. There seems to be some staying power on this story, and not in a good way for Paul.
They say no publicity is bad publicity but if the goal of “El Gallo” was to be taken seriously as a boxer, he may have f—ed up with this Tyson fight. He may never live that fight down no matter what else he ever does. To the general public he’ll always be the guy who beat on an elderly Tyson.
And it couldn’t happen to someone more deserving. His entire career was built around picking off aging legends, but he’s gone too far with this one. He may never be known for his punch after this. Just as a punchline.