An explicit video of a man resembling YouTuber and makeup artist James Charles was leaked on Telegram on August 11. A clip from the video spread across social media, especially on X (formerly Twitter), leading to widespread reactions. As users discussed the video, the hashtag “#JamesCharles” trended, making the 25-year-old makeup influencer a topic of conversation.
The clip was reportedly around 5 minutes long without any sound and contained an NSFW video call with another man over the Monkey app. It is a video chat app similar to the now-defunct chat service Omegle, where people across the globe can anonymously engage in interactions through texts or video calls.
Even though many X users have not come across the footage yet, the hilarious memefest from those who have, caused James Charles to be repeatedly mentioned.
One X user wrote they chanced upon a second part of the James Charles leak and urged everyone through a meme to stop reposting the clips.
Netizens flooded the comments under Charles’ latest Instagram post from five days ago in reference to the leaks.
James Charles previously lost a significant number of subscribers on YouTube
James Charles is not new to controversy. He was accused of grooming and indulging minors in 2021. Charles opposed the allegations, claiming the individual introduced himself as an 18-year-old.
Following the circulation of the news, Charles, who came to be known as a famed makeup influencer on YouTube and worked on many brand partnerships as well as celebrity collaborations, temporarily lost the right to monetize his channel. He was also stripped of some already-bagged brand deals.
Back in 2019, James Charles collaborated with another beauty YouTuber Tati Westbrook which ultimately cost him one million subscribers after Westbrook called him out in a long video. She accused him of coaxing a supposed straight waiter at a restaurant to believe he was gay. Tati Westbrook said at one point in the video:
“You know it’s really disgusting to manipulate someone’s s*xuality… you are using your fame, your power, your money to play with people’s emotions.”
Months after fans and viewers eventually decided to cancel Charles, the YouTuber reflected in an interview with Cosmopolitan in 2023.
“I had to do a lot of thinking. Like, Okay, babe, this is your fault. No, you’re not a p*dophile. No, you’re not a f***ing groomer. No, you’re not a predator. But you made a big mistake,” he said.
Although Charles eventually left those in the past and made a comeback, it appears that the recent leaks on social media that spread like wildfire over the past few days might trigger another bout of unpleasant situations for the YouTuber.
