Well, folks, it looks like the beauty YouTuber drama is far from over. For the umpteenth time in the past two weeks, James Charles is knee-deep in drama and the focus of some serious criticism.
But this time it wasn't for advertising vitamins or pursuing straight men; instead, it was for going to a party and posting about it. And while, yes, that's exactly what he gets paid to do, after publicly proclaiming that he would be going on a social media cleanse, people are wondering if it was all a lie. But Charles had a response for the naysayers, and it actually makes a lot of sense.
Early this week, Kylie Jenner had a blowout bash to celebrate the launch of Kylie Skin.
"Another magical Kylie Party brought to life by @mindyweiss & team," she said on her Instagram post of the amazing all-pink setup. "Thank you for always bringing my visions to life so beautifully. Last night was SO MUCH FUN! Omg the best night with the best people. Thank you God. So so blessed."
The guest list included some of the biggest names in beauty.
And James Charles was one of them. Showing up alongside Nikita Dragun and Gabriel Zamora, the YouTuber, who has had quite a whirlwind past few weeks, arrived looking happier than ever while posing for some pics with the beauty-mogul host. And while it seems like the night went off without a hitch, the aftermath apparently caused quite the stir.
Though Charles and Jenner have a history of friendship, the reactions to his attendance at her party were anything but positive.
Social media was vocal about Charles' attendance and posting of the festivities. After two weeks of intense drama between himself, Jeffree Star, and Tati Westbrook, Charles said that he would be going on a social media cleanse to regroup and recover after the messy back and forth. So, of course, his posting and being at the bash wasn't received too well.
But Charles wasn't going to back down that easily.
He quickly took to Twitter to defend himself.
"I said I wouldn’t be filming for a bit and would pop in on my other socials, point being to focus on living rather than forcing content. Healing for me consists of doing things that make me happy, such as playing with makeup & being social, instead of laying in bed all day," he began.
He described social media as "a part of his life."
Charles said that he's still hurting in the aftermath.
"Social media is a part of my life and I like keeping up with all of you, and I know a lot of you like keeping up with me! Posting a few stories of me smiling doesn’t mean I’m 'better' or my break was for sympathy it means I’m trying to move on with my life and better myself," he said.
But there were other reasons people were confused.
Last week, it was reported that Jenner had unfollowed Charles amid the drama.
"Anyone else confused with Kylie Jenner’s story? She has a video with James Charles at her Launch party.. but unfollowed him on ig after that whole drama.. I’m confused & I invest too much of my time on this lmfao logging off," someone said.
And the supposed "re-follow" has yet to happen.
"James Charles appears to have made up with Kylie Jenner, being invited to her launch of Kylie Skin. She hasn’t re-followed him on Instagram yet though," another person said.
But the situation is likely not what people assume.
"I don’t think she ever followed him I think people just said that cause they did a video together last year same with Iggy Azalea like iggy doesn’t rely follow people on IG," a well-informed follower said. "The only makeup person I know Kylie actually follows is Shayla."
The "Shayla" being referred to is none other than beauty influencer Makeup Shayla.
Charles confirmed that Jenner never followed him to being with.
"She never followed in the first place lol stop believing everything you read on the internet," he responded after being bombarded with comments. Clearly, Charles came locked and loaded yesterday with the explanations and clapbacks.
So what does this mean for all the drama?
Some think it means that Charles has the upper hand, possibly legally.
"After seeing @jamescharles @gabrielzamora & @NikitaDragun out at Kylie’s skin party I believe 100% James got his lawyers involved. I don’t believe @JeffreeStar & @GlamLifeGuru were both lying. James says he’s having mental health issues yet he’s out partying with the mean girls," someone said.
No sign of Westbrook or Star at the party, and we have a feeling that was intentional.
