Beauty YouTuber James Charles has revealed that he hasn't spoken to his brother in two years after he was accused of exchanging messages with teenage boys.
After rising to fame on YouTube, where he currently has 23.9 million subscribers, in 2021, Charles became a subject of controversy.
A number of internet users came forward to accuse him of inappropriate behaviour and contact with teenagers under the age of 18, though Charles claims he was unaware of their ages.
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In a video released after the allegations came to light, Charles said it was his 'responsibility to verify who [he] was talking to'.
The YouTuber faced being 'canceled' by the internet after the accusations, but he's now opened up in a new interview in which he spoke further about accepting his mistake.
Speaking to Cosmopolitan, Charles said: “I don’t want to sit here and f**king mope and whine and cry, because nobody wants to hear it. 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.”
He went on to say he's 'never been more disgusted' than when he learned the person he was talking to was 16-years-old, adding: "I was mortified, absolutely mortified.”
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Charles admitted he 'can’t even begin to explain to you how bad that [first] week of [his] life was', saying: “I think I’ve always been somebody who’s been able to cope. I’ve been able to turn my phone off, to go see my family, to have friends over... With this situation, it was really scary because my coping mechanisms weren’t coping.
"It was the first time where I was like, Oh, f**k. I actually don’t know what to do here."
The repercussions became even more personal when Charles' younger brother, who works as a model in New York City, stopped talking to him because of the allegations.
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It's now been two years since Charles and his brother last spoke, he says, but the influencer is trying now to focus on building back his life.
“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',” he said. “That is so far from the truth. It certainly wasn’t an overnight thing where now I’m slaying again.”
His latest venture is a business called Painted, which sells cream colors which are designed for use on the eyes, face, and body.
UNILAD has reached out to Ian Jeffrey's reps for comment.
Emily Brown