James Charles Looks Back on His YouTube Drama That Happened This Year

James Charles is reflecting on his YouTube drama earlier this year in an interview with Paper magazine, months after he was “cancelled” himself.

Here’s what the 20-year-old beauty influencer shared about the drama with Tati Westbrook, being “cancelled” by his fans, and looking ahead to what’s next.

On the harm that Tati’s accusations (about James “seducing a straight man”) does to the LGBTQ+ community: “What that statement implies is that gay men are all predatory, which is disgusting, not true and very dangerous to put out there. The whole situation was scary for the LGBTQ+ community and paints a really bad picture of gay men.”

On the real story behind the hook-up that Tati referred to: “The reality is that the ‘hook-up’ that was being discussed was completely consensual. It was with a boy who told me that he was bisexual and later on told the world he was bisexual. Therefore there’s nothing wrong with that.”

On the lingering effects of that episode six months later, including its impact on his mental health: “I’m not mentally in a place where I want to be. What’s even harder to swallow is that it’s been six months since all the drama happened. I thought by this time I’d be completely good — back to normal, if you will — and that’s not the case.”