CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The internet has been abuzz over allegations that internet star and beauty influencer James Charles has been grooming and sending inappropriate messages to underage boys.
A 16-year-old boy came forward in February of 2021 to say Charles had groomed him and pressured him into exchanging sexual photos via Snapchat, and he isn’t alone.
More than 15 men and boys have accused the 22-year-old YouTube beauty influencer of sexual misconduct since May of 2019.
One 17-year-old even shared screenshots showing Charles continuing to flirt with him via Instagram after learning he was underage.
On April 1st of 2021, Charles released a Youtube video titled “holding myself accountable” addressing the allegations and acknowledging that screenshots of two conversations with two boys who say they’re 16-years-old were authentic.
In the video, Charles says he was being “reckless” by talking to fans in hopes of finding a romantic or sexual partner.
Charles also claims that the boys lied about their ages and he doesn’t actively seek out younger boys.
On February 26th, Charles took to Twitter to address a teenager accuser name Isaiyah to say he claimed to be 18-years-old when the two began a sexually charged relationship online.
16-year-old Isaiah says his age was publicly available in his Instagram bio, which is how the two were communicating, and there was no way Charles was unaware of his age.
If this seems familiar, it’s because this isn’t the first time these types of allegations have been made against Charles.
Back in 2019 Charles released a YouTube video titled “no more lies” in which he addressed sexual misconduct accusations made by YouTuber Tati Westbrook.
Westbrook alleged in her video that Charles often goes after straight men with the intention to manipulate their sexuality
“You tried to trick a straight man into thinking he’s gay, yet again, and somehow you’re the victim,” she said. “You’re using your fame, your power, and your money to play with people’s emotions.”
Charles defended himself in his first apology video and apologized for his actions claiming he would change and grow from this.
Just a year later, Charles was once again accused of using social media apps inappropriately.
Since Charles’ most recent apology video on April 1st, brands have slowly started to distance themselves from the YouTuber.
On April 16th, the makeup brand Morphe and Charles tweeted out statements at the same time announcing they would “wind down” their 3-year partnership together.
YouTube followed up to say that they would “temporarily remove” monetization from Charles’ videos.
Many critics are saying that is not enough, with host of the H3 podcast Ethan Klein calling for Charles to be held accountable legally.
Klein says cancelling Charles online will not do anything for the victims that will inevitable come forward against Charles in the future.
