YouTube star James Charles ‘in hiding’ after brutal feud with Tati Westbrook
Beauty blogger James Charles’ appears to have vanished as his feud with Tati Westbrook continues, causing growing concerns for the teen.
Troubled YouTube star James Charles has reportedly “gone into hiding” after being dumped publicly by his former friend and mentor Tati Westbrook.
Major drama first broke out between the beauty professionals on Friday, when Westbrook released a video cutting ties with her protege after the 19-year-old endorsed a vitamin company, Sleep Vitamins by SugarBearHair at Coachella, which is a direct competitor of her beauty brand, Halo Beauty.
The spat didn’t go well for social megastar Charles, who as a result has lost over 3 million followers since Friday.
Now Charles — who is currently in Australia as part of a tour to meet fans — has reportedly “gone into hiding” as his business empire crumbles.
“It’s like he has just disappeared and gone into hiding. There’s a huge price on his head for any photos right now,” a source told Daily Mail Australia.
The YouTube star appeared on Sunrise on Friday morning, then later visited the news.com.au offices for an exclusive interview where he revealed the beauty mistake we’re all making.
But hasn’t been seen since his public appearance in the Gold Coast on Saturday.
At the time, he’d lost 500,000 followers in the feud, but as his fan base continues to drop it seems he’s been unable to cope with the monumental backlash.
‘BYE SISTER’
Trouble began for the teen when in a lengthy, down the barrel of the camera video, Westbrook, 37, levelled accusations of mistrust against him.
After describing the strong connection she first had with Charles she quickly deteriorated into a serious “I’m breaking up with you” moment, accusing him of having an inflated ego.
“Get off your high horse and have some respect. You don’t have any for the people who are in this industry and that’s the sad fact,” Westbrook said.
CHARLES’ EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
It wasn’t long before Charles responded to her public breakup video with his own clip, an emotional and makeup free one.
“I hate knowing that I disappointed not only (my fans), but two people that have been role models for me doing this,” he said.
“What sucks the most is that I know there’s nothing I can say or do to ever earn that friendship or trust back but I don’t blame them for it.
Charles also described Westbrook as a “parental” figure in his life, as well as her husband, suggesting it made the situation even worse.
“A lot of the time when I’ve had to address things in the past, I’ve acted out of impulse and I’ve gone off and tried to pull receipts or facts or screenshots and play the victim and I’m not doing that today, I’m not. That is all I have to say, I’m sorry.”
He also explained that the reason he’d endorsed Westbrook’s rival beauty brand was because they offered him security at Coachella festival in April when he found himself in an “unsafe” situation.
DRAMA SPILLS ONTO SOCIAL
Being stars of social media, naturally it spilt into their own domain.
Twitter exploded with people weighing in on the situation, fans of both the YouTube stars siding with their favourites.
tati westbrook didn't throw james charles under the bus she literally took the bus and threw it at him
— â€Ù‹nate (@thrilledgrant) May 11, 2019
Me: has no clue about the influencer community or the beauty industry Also me: sitting there for 43 minutes watching Tati Westbrook end the career she handed James Charles pic.twitter.com/lVMsw9TKhp
— Sophie Martyn (@sophmartyn) May 11, 2019
james charles on tati westbrook’s front porch pic.twitter.com/gLhBqoeZsf
— JAMES CHARLES 24/7 DRAMA NEWS (@JamesDramaNews) May 12, 2019
What to do with your James Charles Pallete thanks to Tati Westbrook 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VrzaGiTDVw
— Bd (@lolmastrblank) May 11, 2019
tati westbrook ending james charles career for 43 minutes
— uwu (@joliehurley) May 10, 2019
CHARLES DISAPPEARS
As the fight began to wipe away Charles’ followers — and with it presumably his net worth — the YouTube superstar has been seen no where, despite being in the middle of a promotional tour after opening a pop-up store at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast.
Just before he vanished from the public eye, he did an interview with 7NEWS, explaining it had been “a rocky past few weeks”.
As well as not being seen publicly, the star hasn’t used his social media account in days.
The one-time “King” of makeup tutorials last posted on both his Twitter and Instagram accounts on May 7, when he walked the red carpet at the prestigious fashion event, The Met Gala.
WESTBROOK BREAKS HER SILENCE
Meanwhile, Westbrook has recently spoken out, sharing a lengthy message to her followers on Twitter calling on them to stop “grabbing onto hate”.
There won't be a video tomorrow. My heart is still too heavy. I feel like I need to remind you that we can hold truth & inspire change without grabbing onto hate. Honor your blessings, don't abuse them. Celebrating pain will only bring it to your door. love you guys, see you soon
— Tati Westbrook (@GlamLifeGuru) May 13, 2019
TOO LATE FOR CHARLES?
But her plea might be too late for Charles, who according to website Social Blade, has suffered monumental losses as a result of their feud.
The beauty blogger had around 16 million subscribers on Friday but has since fallen to almost 13.5 million, taking it to over 3 million ditching him since the saga began.
Among those culling the makeup guru include some high-profile celebrities, including makeup “Queen” Kylie Jenner and the rest of the Kardashian-Jenners clan, Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall and Kris.
Both Kylie and Kim — who have their own beauty lines — have collaborated with Charles in the past, appearing on his huge YouTube channel earlier this year.
Demi Lovato, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Katy Perry have all hit unfollow on his Instagram as well.
GROWING CONCERNS
While there’s been a huge backlash for Charles, there are some fans who are concerned for the teenager — calling out the critics for cyber bullying.
Some people have taken to Twitter to air their worries, believing the huge amounts of harsh comments could be detrimental to his mental health.
@mentalhealth Hi! I’d just like to point out a concern, hoping that maybe you could give some professional perspective. Would the James Charles situation of people posting hate comments be considered as cyber bullying?
— Momina (@Cooki3AV) May 14, 2019
riiiight i get all the James Charles drama BUT can’t help but feel so worried for the man’s mental health, this level of abuse is inhuman
— nf x (@neveeferguson) May 12, 2019
Hey sister, I know there is a lot of drama going on & know you probably won’t see this, but I wanted to express my concern for your mental health. I know you’re struggling & the world can be very harsh. I’m just a girl who cares, & wishes you well. I hope you’re ok @jamescharles
— Good Vibes (@GeneralGypsys) May 14, 2019
Continue the conversation @RebekahScanlan | rebekah.scanlan@news.com.au
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