James Charles begs to be uncanceled over grooming allegations but admits one 'big mistake'

September 02, 2024

James Charles has begged to be uncancelled after he was hit with grooming allegations two years ago but admitted that he made one mistake.

The YouTuber and beauty influencer James Charles has given his first media interview after he faced grooming allegations back in 2021. James addressed the allegations on Twitter at the time and he now hopes to relaunch himself in the social media field with a new makeup line.

James Charles begs to be uncanceled after grooming allegations

The social media star, who gained popularity as a beauty influencer in 2016, broke his silence about allegations involving inappropriate online behavior with underage fans.

In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, James starts out by saying “I don’t want to sit here and f**king mope and whine and cry, because nobody wants to hear it,” Charles continues, “I had to do a lot of thinking. Like, Okay, babe, this is your fault. No, you’re not a pedophile. No, you’re not a f**king groomer. No, you’re not a predator. But you made a big mistake.”

Charles also stated that he didn’t know the age of the fans he was speaking to and admitted that he was “mortified” when he found out.

“I’ve never been more disgusted in my life than when I found out that that kid was 16 years old,” he told Cosmo. “I was mortified, absolutely mortified.”

“I can’t even begin to explain to you how bad that week of my life was,” the 24-year-old added. “I was crying myself to sleep every single night. I was sitting there in bed staring at my phone. I wanted to kill myself. I wasn’t talking to anybody.”

In a Twitter statement on February 26, 2021, the YouTuber called the allegations “completely false” and stated that he “unfriended” the fan after finding out that he was 16 years old.

YouTuber doesn’t speak to his brother

The allegations and social media backlash not only took a toll on the YouTuber‘s mental health but also on his relationship with close family members, he added in the interview.

James revealed that he no longer speaks to his younger brother, Ian Jeffrey, who works as a model in New York City.

He explained: “I see a lot of people saying, ‘Oh my god, nothing even happened to him, he got away from this scot-free with no sort of repercussions’. That is so far from the truth. It certainly wasn’t an overnight thing where now I’m slaying again.”

Elsewhere in the interview, James stated that the allegations shouldn’t have been labeled as “grooming” because “that word is a very popular buzzword right now, especially in politics and stuff. But the actual meaning of it has been so misconstrued.”

James will launch his makeup line Painted

James is set to launch his own makeup brand called Painted after “four years of hard work”. He teased the makeup line in April in a short trailer shared on Twitter and Instagram when he shared that the line will be released in the summer of 2023.

While details about the new products are yet to be confirmed, James announced in a new Instagram post that the line will officially launch in August.

If you are affected by any issues raised in the article or would like someone to speak to, please call the Samaritans for free on 116 123. You can also email them at [email protected] or visit samaritans.org to find your nearest branch in the UK. In the US, please visit Samaritans USA for more information.

You can also contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text 741741 to get in touch with the Crisis Text Line. Americans can now call or text 988 to reach out and speak to a counsellor.