Charles’ professional career has taken a major blow, but his platform remains relatively unscathed.
So let’s talk about James Charles.
For those of you uninformed, Charles has recently been at the center of controversy after several minors accused the beautiful YouTuber of sexual misconduct.
A number of people under 18 accused the 21-year-old of predatory behavior, with many uploading screenshots of alleged conversations between themselves and Charles.
And this is not the first time this has happened. In 2019, fellow YouTuber Tati Westbrook made similar claims about Charles, accusing him of preying on straight men and using his fame as leverage. Charles vehemently denied the charges at the time.
You can read more about the recent allegations here.
Charles responded to the recent allegations by posting an apology in the Notes app that refuted the claims. He further claimed that the person in question had told him he was 18 years old, but said he had not asked for an age verification to confirm that.
Charles ended the statement, “Because of situations like this, now instead of taking someone’s word, I will ask for an ID or passport from any man I have a conversation with.”
Despite continuing to upload to his channel, Charles was eventually forced to raise further allegations in a video entitled “Holding Myself Accountable.”
Watch this video on YouTube
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But Charles’s damage control didn’t work like it did in the past. A few weeks after the video was posted, Morphe – the company that has remained with YouTuber throughout its career – announced that it is “winding down” the sale of their partnership.
This was seen as a huge step as the Morphe x James Charles Eyeshadow Palette is one of the company’s bestsellers.
Charles also posted a statement claiming that he had contacted Morphe and that the two had mutually agreed to wind down the sale of their partnership after receiving “negative feedback” about their association with Charles following the allegations.
But it was announced on Monday that YouTube would temporarily demonetize its channel, meaning it wouldn’t be able to make money from its videos on the site.
Charles was also removed from season 2 of the YouTube show he was in front of, Immediate impact
But despite the allegations affecting his professional career, the public perception of Charles doesn’t seem to waver all that much – especially when compared to his 2019 scandal.
Following Tati Westbrook’s claims in her “Bye Sister” video, Charles’s following went into free fall, losing nearly 3 million YouTube subscribers as a result of which 1.2 million in one day.
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It was very clear from the start that the public was against Charles, and devastating. It wasn’t until the tide turned, when Charles uploaded his reaction video refuting almost every claim against him, that he began to return to the public’s favor and regain the followers he had lost.
Since then, Charles subscribers have gone through the roof. At its peak, he had amassed nearly 26 million on YouTube, 10 million more than during his 2019 scandal.
But unlike the backlash he received in 2019, this time Charles’s following has remained relatively intact.
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Since the charges started to rise, Charles has subscribers lost on YouTube – it’s down about 200,000 in the last month, according to Social Blade.
But that’s hardly a drop in the water, and its subscriber base still stands at 25.5 million. He’s also lost a few thousand followers on Twitter – 37,000 to be exact – but again, this pales in comparison to the 7.8 million he still has.
According to predictions 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 what he lost in 2019 a few days ago.
Another interesting thing to note is the magnitude 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 first video, Charles reacted furiously with a seemingly off-the-cuff apology, which has since been removed. Within days, the eight-minute clip had 40 million views and 2.6 million dislikes.
When Charles then uploaded his correct answer – a 41-minute defense entitled “No More Lies” – it seemed to save him almost immediately. Within a month of being posted, the video had been viewed 45 million times and saw Charles regain the subscribers he’d lost.
This time, however, things are happening on a much smaller scale. In the three weeks since Charles uploaded his accountability video, it has only been viewed 8.5 million times, a significant drop from what happened in 2019.
This could explain why Charles’ followers don’t shift that much – there just aren’t enough people paying attention.
However, it’s also worth pointing out that the response to Charles’ video hasn’t seen the same salvation bow he got during the Westbrook scandal – far from it.
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Although fewer people have watched the video, it still has an, frankly awful, dislike ratio – as of now, it has 278,000 thumbs up and 252,000 thumbs down.
In comparison, “No More Lies” currently has 2.6 million thumbs up and 617,000 thumbs down.
Charles himself has been almost silent in recent weeks since posting his video, saying he would take the time to stay out of the spotlight to “reflect and continue to teach.”
But what will Charles’ career look like in the future if he decides to return to the Internet? The 21-year-old has proven to be adept at dealing with controversies and scandals, and as of now, the majority of his followers seem to stick with him.
But these allegations are far more serious than small online feuds over gummy bears and vitamins. Charles has said he will change, but only time will tell if he will keep that promise, and if his supporters will stick around to find out.