His side of the story. James Charles spoke out about his feud with Tati Westbrook on Saturday, May 18, denying many of her allegations and detailing the effect the YouTube clash had on him.
The influencer, 19, called the ordeal “the darkest time that I’ve ever had to go through in my life” in a video titled “No More Lies,” which he posted on YouTube on Saturday. He went on to describe the backlash. “My head and brain, for a hot minute, went to a place so dark that I didn’t think that I was gonna come back from,” he told viewers. “I can’t believe I just admitted that on camera.”
Charles also used the post to deny sexual harassment claims made against him by Westbrook, Jeffree Star and others. He hit back at several of the other allegations the 37-year-old makeup artist made in her original “BYE SISTER” video, including the accusation that he accepted a hair vitamin sponsorship deal that competed against Westbrook’s own company.
Once he said his piece, the former CoverGirl ambassador noted that he wanted to take a step back to focus on repairing his mental health in the aftermath.
Westbrook initially slammed her former mentee on May 10. Charles issued an apology shortly after, though he lost millions of subscribers as his friend gained millions.
The YouTube star defended the Alone Together actor after the online hate got out of control. “I want you guys to know I don’t hate James Charles. I don’t want you guys hating on him,” she said in a Thursday, May 16, video. “I can’t even go online right now. It’s painful to watch someone that you have cared about be dragged and to know that this all started because of me, and I don’t think anyone deserves that. I just don’t. I think people deserve a wake-up call, and I think people need to be called out for their actions, and I think someone’s gotta do it.”
