Charles’s professional career suffered a major setback, but his platform remained relatively intact.
So let’s talk about James Charles.
For those who are not disappointed, Charles was recently the center of controversy after several minors accused the beauty of YouTuber of sexual misconduct.
A number of people under the age of 18 accused the 21-year-old of predatory behavior, with many uploading screenshots of alleged conversations between them and Charles.
And this is not the first time this has happened. Back in 2019, fellow YouTuber Tati Westbrook made similar allegations about Charles, accusing him of outright preying on men and using his fame as leverage. At the time, Charles vehemently denied the allegations.
You can read more about the recent allegations here.
Charles responded to the recent allegations by posting an apology from the Notes app refuting the claims. He claims the person told him he was 18 years old but said he did not ask for any age verification to confirm it.
Charles ends the statement: “Because of such situations, instead of accepting someone’s word for it, I would now ask to see ID or passport of every man I have a conversation with.”
Despite the fact that Charles normally continued to upload to his channel, Charles eventually had to address allegations in a video titled “Holding Myself Accountable.”
Watch this video on YouTube
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But Charles’ damage control did not work as before. A few weeks after the video was posted, Morphe – the company that has stayed on the side of the YouTuber throughout his career – announced that it was “breaking down” their collaboration.
This is seen as a big step as the Morphe x James Charles eye shadow palette is one of the best sellers of the company.
Charles also posted a statement claiming that he had reached out to Morphe and that the two had mutually agreed to end the sales of their partnership after receiving ‘negative feedback’ for their association with Charles following the allegations.
But on Monday, it was announced that YouTube would temporarily demonize its channel, meaning it would not be able to monetize its videos on the site.
Charles was also fired from season 2 of the YouTube program he presented, Instant Influencer.
But despite the allegations affecting his professional career, Charles’ public perception does not seem to be shaking so much – especially compared to his 2019 scandal.
Following the claims of Tati Westbrook in her “Bye Sister” video, Charles’ follower went into freefall and lost nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers as a result – 1.2 million of which he lost in one day.
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From the beginning, it was very clear that the public was against Charles, and damning. Only when the tide turned, when Charles uploaded his reaction video that refuted almost every claim against him, did he begin to turn in public favor again and regain the followers he had lost.
Since then, Charles’ subscribers have gone through the roof. At its peak, he raised nearly 26 million on YouTube, 10 million more than he had during his 2019 scandal.
But unlike the setback he suffered in 2019, Charles’ imitation remained relatively in pace.
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Since the accusations began to increase, Charles has lost subscribers on YouTube – according to Social Blade, it has risen by about 200,000 in the past month.
But that is hardly a drop in the water, and its number of subscribers still stands at 25.5 million. He also lost a few thousand followers on Twitter – to be exactly 37,000 – but that pales in comparison to the 7.8 million he still has.
According to forecasts on Social Blade, based on current numbers, Charles could lose 2.4 million subscribers in the next year if things continue as they are – less than he lost in a few days in 2019.
Something else that is interesting to note is the extent of the situation itself. In 2019, the conflict took over the internet for weeks and dominated online discussions. This time, however, the impact is significantly less.
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After Westbrook’s initial video, Charles reacted furiously with an apparent apology, which has since been removed. The eight-minute clip was viewed 40 million times in a matter of days and disliked 2.6 million times.
When Charles then uploads his correct response – a 41-minute defense titled “No More Lies” – he seems to be releasing him almost immediately. Within a month of being posted, the video was viewed 45 million times and saw Charles regain the subscribers he lost.
This time, however, things are happening on a much smaller scale. In the three weeks since Charles uploaded his accounting video, it has only been viewed 8.5 million times, a significant drop compared to what happened in 2019.
This may explain why Charles’ followers do not move so much – there are just not enough people paying attention.
However, it is also worth pointing out that the reaction to Charles’ video did not see the same arch of redemption that he donated during the Westbrook scandal.
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Even though fewer people watched the video, it still kicked up an honest awful relationship like the non-hold – it currently has 278,000 inches up and 252,000 inches down.
For comparison: “No More Lies” currently has 2.6 million inches up and 617,000 inches down.
Charles has remained virtually silent for the past few weeks since posting his video, where he said he would take time out of the spotlight to “reflect and educate himself”.
But what will Charles’ career look like in the future if he decides to return to the internet? The 21-year-old has proven himself skilled in controversy and scandal, and at the moment, it seems like the majority of his followers are holding him back.
But these allegations are far more serious than petty online feuds about gummy bears and vitamins. Charles said he would change, but only time would tell whether he would keep his promise, and whether he would stick to finding out.