NEWSJames Charles Is In Hot Water! Beauty Vlogger Accused Of Flirting, 'Grooming' Underage Boys
April 2 2021, Updated 11:59 a.m. ET
Beauty vlogger James Charles has come under fire again for allegedly flirting with underage boys on social media.
A TikTok user posted a clip of screenshots from Snapchat that appear to show him communicating with Charles and the two sending messages and pictures back and forth. Several images show the makeup artist describing the teen as “cute.”
After the teen shared their messages on his personal Snapchat Story, he claims that Charles then blocked him and accused him of lying about his age — although the teenager claimed he was upfront about his age from the beginning.
The most recent accusation comes mere months after Charles faced a number of claims that he was pressuring young boys to send explicit nude photos via Snapchat. In February, a 16-year-old claimed that Charles “groomed” him and pressured him to exchange the risqué snaps.
In a statement, Charles denied the allegations, saying: “The accusation that I have groomed this person is completely false.”
According to Charles, the individual initially claimed he was 18. After he “admitted he was 16,” Charles claimed he cut off all contact with the teen. “After false allegations like this in the past, I would never knowingly engage with someone underage and put my life on the line for a few Snapchats,” Charles added.
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Later that month, more men came forward to share their negative sexual experiences with the beauty influencer. A 17-year-old boy shared screenshots alleging that Charles had continued to flirt with him via Instagram even after learning he was underage.
A third man of an unclear age came forward to share his sexually fueled conversation with Charles, claiming that the 21-year-old YouTube star used flirtatious words such as “daddy” and “babe” despite previously telling Charles he only wanted to be friends.
Following the explosive claims, Charles was fired from the reality competition series, Instant Influencer. A YouTube rep confirmed that Charles wouldn’t be returning to host the show’s second season but declined to provide a reason. Previously, the video platform had announced that he would be back.
“We can confirm Season 2 of the YouTube originals series Instant Influencer will take a new creative direction, including a new host,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement to Variety. “We thank James for a great first season, and look forward to building on the show’s success by expanding the opportunity to showcase a diversity of creators across the YouTube platform in our upcoming season.”
