James Charles Breaks Silence Since Apologizing To Tati & Admits Scandal Was The ‘Darkest Time’

James Charles is telling his side of the story. The beauty YouTuber addressed both of Tati’s videos in a new lengthy video on his YouTube channel.

James Charles, 19, is clearing the air. After Tati Westbrook’s second YouTube video regarding the end of her friendship with the beauty guru on May 16, James uploaded a response video on YouTube titled “No More Lies” two days later. The star spoke for approximately 40-minutes to fully address Tati’s original video claims, as well as provide text receipts proving his side of the story. James revealed in the new video that since Tati, 37, posted her first video “Bye sister” on May 10, he has faced the “darkest time” in his life.

“The last few weeks of my life have been the most painful time I’ve ever had to deal with and my head and brain, for a hot minute, went to a place so dark that I didn’t think I was going to come back from,” James said. “I don’t think any human being ever is prepared mentally or physically to deal with the pain and anxiety of what it feels like to have millions and millions of people attacking you at one time. Having to read the hundreds of thousands of tweets, and the YouTube videos, and the articles about me and my character and my family based on things that were almost all lies, like, messed me up. It messed me up is the best way that I can put it. Through all of this, I’ve learned that if I can get through this, I can get through anything.”

In James’ texts to Tati before he promoted a rival vitamin company on his Instagram Story (which contradicted Tati’s claims that James texted her nine days after the promotion), he revealed that he was going through a difficult time already, just after the second weekend of Coachella. After James posted the advertisement, he texted Tati about death threats he was already receiving since she posting her own Instagram Stories expressing disappointment in a friend. This was before Tati’s video that went viral and was the talk of the internet for a week.

James also disputed Tati’s claims that James said he wouldn’t promote her vitamin company, Halo Beauty, due to his younger audience. James then proceeded to show clips on his channel, Instagram Stories, and tweets promoting Tati’s business. He insinuated that since he wasn’t a review channel, he wouldn’t do a direct sponsorship, but his multiple mentions of her company did show support.

James then spoke about Tati’s allegations of James manipulating straight men to be with him. “I am a 19-year-old virgin.” James said. “I have never and would never and will never use my fame, money, or power to manipulate or get any sexual actions from a guy. That is disgusting, it is not me. And the fact that Tati brought this up blows my mind because she knows the real story.” He described the story that Tati brought up, which was from her birthday party in Seattle in Feb. 2019 with a waiter. He said that Tati’s claims of James saying he was a celebrity, which supposedly justified his pursuit of the perhaps straight water, did not happen like Tati said it did. Tati alleged that James went into graphic detail about what he “wanted to do” to the waiter. James denied it: “The conversation never got inappropriate. Period.”

James showed his direct messages with the waiter, Sam, 20, who had come forward with a now-deleted YouTube video explaining his side of his relationship with James. The famous YouTuber showed more messages from the private Instagram conversation that Sam had shown in his video. James’ screenshots from the convo revealed that Sam had told James point-blank that he was bisexual and not straight. “There was no straight man being manipulated in this story like Tati mentioned,” James said in the video. He also expressed that he did not pressure Sam into anything: He told Sam, who had never been physical with another man, that it was okay to just talk before Sam came up to James’ hotel room. After they cuddled, when James asked to kiss Sam, he said yes.

“Everything that happened in the hotel room was 100% consensual,” James said. “This was confirmed by the only two people who were there, being myself and Sam.” James then elaborated on why James told Sam he “didn’t think” that Sam was “fully straight.” James said that when Sam was confused about his sexuality in their conversations, he would ask James what James thought, and James would tell him.

In addition to Sam, James had talked with other boys on social media. James said that after he would message boys, if they said they were straight or didn’t want to talk, he would apologize and stop. “I do take full responsibility for sending these messages, and this situation has definitely taught me that sending messages that are so forward and direct like this are unacceptable and I will no longer do this moving forward.” The YouTuber also said he apologized to people who have since come forward and said they were uncomfortable with James’ messages to them.

James said that beyond the “few guys,” some are coming forward with “lies.” He said these “lies” are enforcing harmful stereotypes of the LGBTQ+ community. He denied 21-year-old Zara Larsson’s allegations that James “tweeted multiple times” to her boyfriend “knowing he was straight.” Zara deleted her tweet after she checked her boyfriend’s DMs, showing it was one message from James saying that her boyfriend was hot.

James said that the reaction from the public after Zara’s tweet was “hypocritical” since Zara and her boyfriend met by her tweeting two pictures of him side-by-side, saying “Who are you where do you live how old are you why are you so fine how do you like your eggs cooked in the morning? in Nov. 2015 on a public platform, versus James’ private DM.

The next part of James’ video addressed private texts with Jeffree Star, 33, in which Jeffree accused James of being inappropriate to his boyfriend’s younger brother, Zach, 23. James then showed a clip from a video with Jeffree in which Jeffree encouraged James to talk with Zach and said he was “mainly straight.” James said his time with Zach consisted of sending each other “maybe 10” selfies on Snapchat. “The conversation stopped before things could get even remotely flirty at all,” James said.

James also received a text from Jeffree which claimed that Grayson Dolan, 19, Zach, and Sam the waiter would speak in a video to tell stories about alleged inappropriate interactions with James. The younger beauty guru, who had already explained his side of the story with Sam and Zach, said that any flirtation in videos with Grayson were “pre-planned.” “Nothing ever happened between us,” James said. “The twins [Grayson and Ethan Dolan] were two of the first people to make sure I was okay.”

James said he declined any and all meetings with Tati, Jeffree, and Sam. James also said he ended his business relationship with Jeffree’s merch company, which James had used to sell Sisters Apparel. The YouTuber also said he will be taking a break from his YouTube channel for an unspecified amount of time. You can watch James’ full video above. At this point, we have to wait and see if Tati will post another response to the situation, since James contradicted many of Tati’s points.

The National Suicide Prevention Hotline, available 24/7, is 1-800-273-8255.