Yahoo Finance James Charles Finally Addresses YouTube Beauty Influencer Drama: 'I'm Just Staying Out of It'
James Charles is not getting involved in Tati Westbrook's bitter feud with ex-friends Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star.
After Westbrook dropped her 40-minute tell-all video called "BREAKING MY SILENCE ..." last week in which she claims fellow YouTube stars Dawson and Star manipulated her into posting the video last year that sparked a massive feud with Charles, the 21-year-old makeup guru remained relatively silent on social media. But as the drama began to settle, paparazzi approached Charles in Los Angeles on Sunday and questioned him about his feelings on Westbrook's explosive allegations against Dawson and Star.
"Who knows. I'm just staying out of it, minding my own business," Charles said when asked about the beauty community drama. "Just moved into a beautiful new house, I have great friends around me, waiting for my nice food on a Sunday afternoon."
Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty; Rich Fury/Getty; Astrid Stawiarz/Getty; Presley Ann/Getty Jeffree Star, Tati Westwood, Shane Dawson and James Charles
Then he was asked about Dawson and if he should be forgiven for his offensive behaviors. "I don't want to talk about anything in relation to him," Charles quickly replied. He also shook his head "no" when asked if he had spoken to Dawson since the drama started.
However he did add, "I think it should always be looked at on a case by case basis and make sure that people are changing actively — that's kind of what I've always believed in."
Charles continued to stand his ground and didn't give any comment when the paparazzi brought up Westbrook's video. "I don't really want to address anything in regarding to the drama. I hope you don't mind," he said.
Once the paparazzi video of Charles began to circulate online he tweeted, "I always get paparazzi'd at the worst times lmaooo it's 97 degrees out and I'm literally wearing hoodie and sweats melting while waiting in line at a food truck💀."
I always get paparazzi’d at the worst times lmaooo it’s 97 degrees out and I’m literally wearing hoodie and sweats melting while waiting in line at a food truck 💀
— James Charles (@jamescharles) July 5, 2020
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In Westbrook's new video, she claims that she and Charles put their feud behind them after learning that Dawson and Star fed her "poisonous lies" about Charles.
"I did not make my ["BYE SISTER"] video because of vitamins," she said, calling out the SugarBearHair partnership Charles did that directly competed with her own Halo Beauty vitamin brand. "I made it as a result of all the poisonous lies fed to me by Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star. James, I am so sorry I allowed myself to be poisoned and weaponized against you."
"Yes, I'm a grown woman. I'm smart. I can usually spot deceit and manipulation a mile away. But my guard was down from being heartbroken and I allowed my self to be worked by Shane, Jeffrey and others," Westbrook, 38, continued.
Tati/Youtube Tati Westbrook
As Westbrook and Dawson grew closer, Westbrook claimed he started detailing some of the "horrible" accusations against Charles. "He said that James Charles was a monster with many victims," she said. "Shane said... that James was hurting minors."
Westbrook alleges that over the course of the next few weeks, Dawson and Star "fed me so much information that I felt sick." She added, "Almost every day there was more information and new allegations." She said she eventually started to believe them because they seemed to have so much evidence piled up. Once Charles promoted the SugarBearHair vitamins, Westbrook felt "beyond gaslit."
A few days after her video went live, she said she soon realized that no victims came forward and no evidence emerged against Charles, as both Star and Dawson allegedly told Westbrook would happen. "The last time I spoke with either Jeffree or Shane on the phone was the night before Jeffree's "Never Doing This Again." video," Westbrook said. "Shortly after the relationship dissolved entirely and I was so confused."
Ultimately, Westbrook said that in her opinion both Star and Dawson were "bitterly jealous" of Charles' success and they needed him marginalized for their own future launches.
