Skip To Content
  • Viral badge
  • OMG badge

The End Of Tati And James Charles's Friendship Has Left Me Sister Shook

"This was not about money. At all."

Hello, fellow internet people. If you're obsessed with YouTube like I am, then you're well aware of the situation brewing between James Charles and Tati Westbrook.

In case you're NOT AWARE, allow me to take you on a bumpy ride filled with #spon deals, hurtful words, and the end of a beautiful friendship. RIP.

Let's backtrack a little bit, shall we? This woman is Tati Westbrook, OG beauty guru on YouTube and founder of Halo Beauty.

This is James Charles, makeup and YouTube wizkid who's amassed over 16 million subscribers in the two years he's been on the 'Tube.

In case you didn't know, Tati was James's first mentor in the industry. James often talks about how much he loves Tati and how she's the reason he got into makeup. Tati even flew James out in 2017 to do her wedding makeup. Basically, James and Tati's bond is canon in the YouTube beauty community.

HOWEVER, that all changed today when Tati dropped her 40-plus-minute vid — titled "Bye Sister" — explaining the ongoing feud between the two and her decision to sever her ties with James.

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

To say I'm "sister shook" would be the understatement of the millennium.

You might be thinking, "40 minutes?!" But don't you fret, dear reader, because I watched it all so you won't have to.

So let's get into it, shall we?

All the drama started back in April during Weekend 1 of Coachella. James posted a sponsored post for Sugar Bear Hair to his Insta story.

You might be thinking, "What's the big deal?" WELL, Sugar Bear Hair is a huge competitor of Tati's brand, Halo Beauty. So Tati saw this as a betrayal, especially after all her and her husband have done to put "millions of dollars" in James's pocket.

James then posted this iOS press release on his Insta story, apologizing for making Tati cry.

Tati remained silent and didn't publicly comment on this...UNTIL NOW!

So why was this a betrayal? Maybe it was just business? WELL, Tati mentioned in her video that James said he doesn't feel "comfortable" promoting Halo Beauty on his channel because he doesn't want to promote supplements to his young audience. But then went and did a deal with Sugar Bear Hair.

Tati said that she felt "used" because she and her husband have negotiated deals on James's behalf, have mentored James, and have nurtured James. Tati promoted James's palette on her channel and constantly plugged his Morphe discount code in her videos.

Yet Tati feels as if none of her and her husband's graciousness has been reciprocated.

Tati also said that another reason why she's decided to cut her ties is because she no longer wants to apologize for James's behavior.

The straw that broke the camel's back? Tati accused James of spreading lies about her, especially after all that she's done for him.

Tati ended the video saying that this isn't something she's happy about or wanted to make public, but felt like she had to because she didn't want anything to be misconstrued.

So, there's the tea, sisters. I will say, this video is on Tati's channel and James Charles has yet to comment or respond. But, no matter how you feel, this is a sad day in both the beauty and YouTube communities. I hope they both find peace in all this drama.

UPDATE

James Charles posted a video to his channel apologizing to Tati for his actions at Coachella and the restaurant where he allegedly hit on the straight waiter.

View this video on YouTube

youtube.com

"I am so disappointed in myself that I hurt her," James said in his apology video titled, "tati."