If you were on social media at all in 2019, you’re likely aware of the infamous feud between James Charles and Tati Westbrook.
But for those who need a refresher, here’s what went down between the two YouTubers.
So things kicked off in April 2019 when James promoted a brand that was a rival of his then–close friend Tati's business. For context, the pair had been frequent collaborators for quite some time, and Tati, an OG beauty guru whom James frequently called his “mom,” acted as somewhat of a mentor to the then-19-year-old.
As a result, Tati felt betrayed when James promoted the hair-vitamin brand SugarBearHair — which was a huge rival of her own company, Halo Beauty — in exchange for artist passes at Coachella.
Tati consequently uploaded a 43-minute video to YouTube titled “Bye Sister,” in which she detailed feeling “used” by James, explained how she’d helped him out over the years in terms of his career, and highlighted several alleged disturbing incidents about him. Most notably, she claimed that James had a history of trying to convince straight men to hook up with him.
Addressing James directly, Tati said in the video, “You know, it’s really disgusting to manipulate someone’s sexuality — especially when they are still emerging into adulthood. You are using your fame, your power, your money, to play with people’s emotions.”
Tati said, “How dare you laugh about it and make meme after meme and retweet and this and that, and [say] ‘I love straight boys,’” then added, “This behavior is not normal.”
Then, perhaps most memorably, Tati recounted a time that James had allegedly “tried to trick a straight man into thinking that he’s gay” at her birthday dinner, which had taken place in February.
Claiming that James had a history of speaking explicitly about sex in a vulgar manner, Tati said, “And you did it at my birthday dinner. You were talking in detail about things you wanted to do to the waiter. And when I said, ‘James, he’s straight,’ your response was, ‘Doesn’t matter, I’m a celebrity.’”
In the months that the “Bye Sister” video was live on YouTube, and even after it was deleted in June 2019, James lost millions of followers while Tati’s subscriber count massively increased. Meanwhile, other YouTubers wound up entering the conversation with their “receipts” and opinions on the whole thing, and at one point, Tati ended up being dragged after fans realized she’d only spoken out about James’s alleged behavior when it affected her business and income.
Ever since the "Bye Sister" scandal came to an end, several more minors have accused James of sexual misconduct. He has denied these allegations as well as those made by Tati.
Fast-forward to today, and James has sparked controversy once again after making light of his feud with Tati.
