Popular beauty YouTuber James Charles took a major hit in subscribers following the release of Tati Westbrook’s viral “Bye Sister” video in early May – but he isn’t down for the count, just yet.
Tati’s original video included a slew of damaging claims against Charles, accusing him of using his fame to “manipulate” the sexuality of straight men and promoting her direct competitor, ‘SugarBearHair,’ without fair warning.
Charles’ reputation wasn’t the only thing damaged by Tati’s video, either; he likewise saw a massive dip in subscribers shortly after reaching his 15 million milestone, dropping nearly three million subs in the aftermath of the drama.
Despite the severity of Tati’s allegations, Charles debunked each and every claim in a response video titled “No More Lies,” showing screenshots of texts as proof to back up his arguments – as well as older videos promoting Tati’s ‘Halo Beauty’ vitamin brand, even though she’d claimed that he’d never really touted the product in spite of their friendship.
Since then, Charles has seen an impressive upswing in subscribers, with many fans feeling that he had effectively “exposed” Tati for lying in her original video on the topic.
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Charles now sits at just over 15 million subscribers as of May 22, marking a major comeback from a debacle that nearly destroyed his career – which even saw the likes of YouTube king Felix ‘PewDiePie’ Kjellberg being unsure of his chances of success, claiming that the scandal “could be the end” for Charles.
In wake of the issue, both Tati and makeup mogul Jeffree Star have backed down from their initial stance on the subject, with Star removing several Tweets and issuing a video apologizing to both Charles and his younger brother for his claims.
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“I don’t want to play the games anymore,” Star said of the drama. “…I am not going to fuel this fire bigger so everyone can get more entertainment. Because, behind the scenes, this isn’t funny. These are our real lives.”
Tati has since announced that she will no longer comment on the matter, after taking a “digital break” following Charles’ well-received explanation.
