Sister Shipwreck

James Charles. If you don’t recognize the name, you’ve likely been living under a rock for the past month or so. If you didn’t know or didn’t care about him until recently, it’s most likely because of the multiple feuds and controversies he’s gotten himself into. Let’s start with the basics. James Charles is a 20 year old YouTuber and Instagram influencer who primarily does makeup videos and tutorials. Alright, with that in mind, let's dive into this tea!

The earliest significant spark of controversy was when the YouTuber promoted a bottle of SugarBearHair vitamins. “But how could this ever lead to such a controversy?” you might ask. The answer requires a bit more background. Tati, another beauty YouTuber, also has a gummy vitamin line. She is actually pretty good friends with James, and he frequently promotes her products. Upon seeing the video of James Charles promoting one of her brand’s biggest competitors, she released a video of her own stating how she felt betrayed by him going behind her back to promote a different brand. James then apologized, but many were not content with his apology.

But wait, the tea thickens. Tati came out with a new (and only partially related) video titled “Bye Sister” that ran a whopping 43 MINUTES. In it, Tati accuses James Charles of trying to “trick” straight men into thinking that they're not (over dm’s, of course). She attributes his behavior to fame and wealth, and explains how those things can change people. Quickly after, James uploaded an apology video that, let's just say, was perceived to be just a little bit... exaggerated. Yeah, there was A LOT of crying and (as some argue) not enough explaining.

After that, things just went downhill for James. His YouTube subscriber count dropped by over 3 million in the span of about a week. Other social media influencers (like Jeffree Star) spoke out against him. He even cancelled his tour! Whether the allegations were true or not, the point is that you shouldn't do questionable things if you're famous, because one way or another, the whole world is going to find out.