Following the drama that was the Tati Westbrook and James Charles YouTube feud, James has admitted he’s still not mentally recovered from the ordeal.
The pair were engulfed in controversy in May when Tati called out James in a lengthy video, essentially calling time on their long-term friendship.
Unfortunately James didn’t come out the other side particularly well, with fans turning on the once-popular make-up influencer and unsubscribing in droves.
Now he’s admitted that he’s still affected by the row and hasn’t got his mental health back on track six months later.
The 20-year-old, who has spoken about how the scandal impacted his mental health, told Paper magazine: ‘I’m not mentally in a place where I want to be. What’s even harder to swallow is that it’s been six months since all the drama happened.’
He added: ‘I thought by this time I’d be completely good — back to normal, if you will — and that’s not the case.’
Tati, 37, had everyone taken aback when she uploaded a 45-minute exposé about her former friend, accusing him of lying about a brand deal and ‘manipulating people’s sexualities’.
James told his side of the story and denied all claims in his own video, but that didn’t stop him from losing millions of subscribers in a matter of days (which he has since gained back).
‘We’re quickly getting to a point where cyberbullying, hating and cancel culture is getting stronger,’ James continued. ‘I can say firsthand, they got to me.
‘I was so grateful to be surrounded by close friends and family that were checking on me all day long, every single day, in the middle of the night, every 10 minutes to make sure I didn’t do something that I could never take back.’
The influencer, who had shot videos with the likes of Kim Kardashian before Tati’s video came out, hit back at the claims of ‘manipulating’ people’s sexuality, suggesting the statement implied gay men were ‘predatory’.
‘The reality is that the “hook-up” that was being discussed was completely consensual,’ he said. ‘It was with a boy who told me that he was bisexual and later on told the world he was bisexual. Therefore there’s nothing wrong with that.’
Following the height of their feud, Tati deleted the original video and said she’d been in touch with her former mentee, as she urged the community to put the controversy to rest.
‘I have been in contact with James Charles through an intermediary over the last week, and we believe that it is the best interest of our community, our viewers and our own mental health to put this matter to a rest,’ she wrote on Twitter.
‘For that reason, I will not be making any further public comments and I hope and pray that no one else will make anymore hurtful statements on my behalf.’
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