James Charles Reflects on His Controversial Years in the Spotlight

james charles He reflects on his controversial years in the spotlight.

“Nobody’s perfect. I think when you grow up in the spotlight, it’s both a blessing and a curse,” Charles, 25, exclusively told PEOPLE. our weekly at Gurus Magazine’s #30VOICES30DAYS cover launch party at the Godfrey Hotel Hollywood on Saturday, June 1. “You get so many incredible opportunities and you get to tap into so many incredible, fun things that most people don’t get the privilege of experiencing in their lives, but you also grow up in the spotlight. So with that comes mistakes.”

He added: “It’s all about learning how to move forward and always become a stronger, smarter and better person.”

Charles said he has spent the past two years “reinventing” himself and “reimagining what the James Charles brand really is in the public eye.”

“I’ve been using social media since I was a kid and it’s been the biggest blessing for me,” he said. “But I also feel like for so long I was pretending — I don’t want to say a character because that makes it seem fake — but it was just a very hyper version of me. Whereas now I’m just concerned about being authentic and telling my truth and my stories and being able to show people who I really am when the camera’s off.”

Charles revealed he has started working on his own music, which he calls “the biggest blessing.” He added, “It’s really about sharing more of me in a more authentic and real way.”

Charles revealed he has some “very good” friends in the industry – including jojo siwa whom he called “a great friend who always maintained 100 percent integrity.” He added that there are “a few O.G.’s” he can “really look up to,” including NikkieTutorials And Jacqueline Hill.

Charles faced many controversies — and feuds — since reaching stardom as a makeup mogul. In February 2021, he denied claims that he groomed an underage boy online after allegations surfaced on TikTok. While Charles alleged the boy said he was 18, the boy Denied claims in a statement.

Connected: James Charles, Tati Westbrooks drama: What we know

A scandalous sister scenario. The online beauty community went into a tizzy in May 2019 when makeup guru Tati Westbrook posted a revealing video about James Charles, who was once the most subscribed makeup artist on YouTube. In the video, titled “Bye Sister,” Westbrook plainly stated that she no longer wanted to be associated with James Charles […]

“James we both know I blocked you, you never asked my age. When I told you I was 16 you asked me for nude pictures and said it didn’t matter,” she wrote through her ex. “You called me hot and said ‘I wish the timeline would fast forward so you could be 18.'”

Apart from this, Charles also had a feud with fellow YouTuber and makeup guru Tati Westbrook There was a week in 2019 when Westbrook, 42, posted a video explaining why she no longer wanted to be with Charles. A source specifically stated We At the time, Charles was left “humiliated” by the situation with Westbrook.

With reporting from Mike Vulpaugh