- Beauty YouTuber James Charles is currently involved in a very public feud with fellow vlogger Tati Westbrook, and has been involved in several other recent scandals.
- As a result, a few high profile figures have unfollowed him.
- Charles has collaborated with many celebrities during his YouTube career, but some of them appear to want to cut the friendship short.
- Among some of the unfollowers are Kim Kardashian West, Demi Lovato, Jeffree Star, and the Dolan twins.
- Visit INSIDER’s homepage for more stories.
19-year-old beauty YouTuber is currently in the midst of a four-fold scandal. He’s had to explain himself over extortionate meet-and-greet ticket prices (and turned up two hours late to one event), faced criticism over his Met Gala Instagram post, and has been accused of using his fame to try and manipulate straight men into sleeping with him.
But the most explosive drama taking over his life is his feud with fellow beauty vlogger Tati Westbrook.
INSIDER’s Amanda Krause has given a detailed run down of the situation here, but the essence of it is that Charles posted an Instagram story after Coachella advertising sleeping tablets from Sugar Bear Hair – a major competitor to Westbrook’s brand Halo Beauty.
Westbrook and Charles have been friends for a long time, and Westbrook is arguably partly to thank for kickstarting his career by inviting him on her channel early on. After Charles’ Instagram ad for a competitor, Westbrook shared a tearful Instagram story of her own, saying how hard it is to be friends with someone and support them and receive nothing in return.
Read more: Teens are responding to the James Charles and Tati Westbrook drama with ridiculous memes - of course
Then, last Friday, Westbrook released a 43-minute video titled "BYE SISTER ..." where she explained in detail how their friendship had been on the rocks for some time. As well as claiming Charles been unsupportive and ungrateful of her help, she said she'd seen him try to trick a straight waiter into thinking he was gay - a claim that was later supported by the man in question in a YouTube video.
Since the saga, Charles lost nearly 3 million subscribers from his YouTube channel, and several high profile friends of Charles' have unfollowed him on social media. Here's a list of some of the most influential ones.
1. Tati Westbrook
The one who started it all - Westbrook and Charles used to be really close. She even flew him out to her wedding so he could do her makeup at the beginning of 2017. Westbrook has unfollowed Charles on both Twitter and Instagram, and said in her video she doesn't want to be friends with him anymore.
http://instagr.am/p/BPOGrTehBm5
2. Ethan and Grayson Dolan
The Dolan Twins are fellow YouTubers, and until recently were good friends with Charles as part of the "Sister Squad." But fans suspected their friendship was going sour when there were theories that Charles' sexually suggestive remarks were making Grayson uncomfortable. He later cleared up the rumours in a video, but both the twins have now unfollowed Charles on both Twitter and Instagram.
http://instagr.am/p/BgbpfApAE6z
3. Emma Chamberlain
18-year-old YouTuber Emma Chamberlain was also part of the Sister Squad and has collaborated with Charles in videos several times. On the outside, things seemed to be fine between the two as recently as Coachella, when Charles complimented Chamberlain's outfits in a video. However, she has unfollowed Charles on both Instagram and Twitter, so the full story is unclear.
http://instagr.am/p/Blb94SxALtR
4. Kim Kardashian West
Kim Kardashian West appeared on Charles' YouTube channel several times. In one video, Charles and her makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic had a contest to see who could give her the best look. But despite the pair apparently being close, Kardashian West has hit unfollow on both Twitter and Instagram.
http://instagr.am/p/BhCRVHiA_7D
5. Kylie Jenner
Kardashian West's sister has also unfollowed Charles on Twitter and Instagram. The pair collaborated on Charles' channel for a Halloween look last October.
http://instagr.am/p/BouVv9TgRzJ
6. Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato was expected to appear on Charles' channel soon, after he posted a picture of them on Instagram. Charles has been a supporter of Lovato for a long time, posting messages of support for her when she was rushed to hospital after a suspected overdose last year. But the feeling doesn't seem to be mutual, as she has unfollowed him on Instagram.
http://instagr.am/p/BrtkKW3gOk_
7. Shawn Mendes
Singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes used to follow Charles, and sent him messages clearing up rumours that Charles' comments on his photos made him uncomfortable. But it looks like Charles' latest scandals weren't as easy to look past, as he has unfollowed him on Twitter and Instagram.
thank u so much @shawnmendes for clearing everything up. love u the most 💞 pic.twitter.com/55ANESdP5F
— James Charles (@jamescharles) October 4, 2018
8. Jeffree Star
This may have been one of the most difficult unfollows to take for Charles, as beauty guru Jeffree Star was one of his mentors. After Westbrook's video came out, Star tweeted that everything she said was true, and how Charles is a "danger to society" and has been banned from his home. The tweet has since been deleted, but Star has unfollowed Charles on Twitter and Instagram.
http://instagr.am/p/BiYDfGxF2sw
9. Katy Perry
Singer Katy Perry was the first person to publicly announce Charles as the first male Covergirl in October 2016 - the photoshoot that really escalated his career. But Perry has now unfollowed Charles on Instagram and Twitter.
http://instagr.am/p/BLaV3V3Ay99
10. Ricky Dillon
Charles collaborated with YouTuber Ricky Dillon in a couple of videos. But it doesn't look like it'll happen again, because Dillon has unfollowed Charles on Twitter and Instagram.
http://instagr.am/p/BlWaaqqBskV
11. Iggy Azalea
Artist Iggy Azalea was one of Charles' most recent celebrity YouTube collabs. He also appeared in one of her music videos. Azalea still follows Charles on Twitter, but not on Instagram.
http://instagr.am/p/Buw6RbjgRkl
12. Ariana Grande
Charles and Ariana Grande have a complicated history. Charles was on the receiving end of criticism from her fans when he said in a video she was the rudest celebrity he'd ever met. Since then, it appeared they had sorted out the feud, and Charles covered some of Grande's songs. She has now unfollowed him on Twitter and Instagram, but it's unclear if it's a recent decision or one she made a while ago.
13. Antonio Garza
Charles and fellow YouTuber Antonio Garza have collaborated together in the past, but Charles insulted her Coachella outfits in a recent video with Tana Mongeau. Garza has since unfollowed him on Twitter and Instagram.
14. Zhavia Ward
Singer Zhavia Ward appeared in a video with Charles. But she no longer follows him on Instagram.
http://instagr.am/p/BhIAhOwAh8L
Celebrities who still follow James Charles
Not everyone has jumped on the unfollowing train. Celebrities who still follow Charles include YouTubers Ryland Adams, Shane Dawson, Jenna Marbles, David Dobrik, Liza Koshy, Tana Mongeau, Molly Burke, Jaclyn Hill, Gabriel Zamora, and several others. Mario Dedivanovic, Millie Bobby Brown, and Paris Hilton also still follow him.