YouTube temporarily demonetizes James Charles' channel over misconduct allegations
Makeup vlogger and influencer James Charles has had his YouTube channel demonetized amid a sexting scandal.
YouTube confirmed to news site Insider that Charles has been removed — albeit temporarily — from the Partner Program, which allows creators to monetize their channels directly through the platform. The Google-owned video site reportedly invoked its "creator responsibility policy", which says that creators may be penalized for, among other behaviors, "[p]articipating in abuse or violence, demonstrating cruelty, or participating in fraudulent/deceptive behavior leading to real world harm".
Mashable has reached out to YouTube for clarification on the nature and length of Charles' suspension, and has also reached out to Charles' representatives for comment.
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Charles, who is 21, has been the subject of allegations by multiple people in the last few years, including two 16-year-old boys who shared direct message conversations with Charles that were sexual in nature. He appeared to confirm that those messages were authentic in an apology video posted on April 2 titled "holding myself accountable", in which Charles claimed that he was led to believe the boys were 18. (While it's not clear which specific individuals he's referring to, one previous accuser who told Insider that he is 16 denied ever claiming to be 18 in his alleged conversations with Charles.)
Some of the allegations date back to 2019, when Charles' friend and fellow beauty YouTuber Tati Westbrook publicly severed ties with him in a notorious video titled "BYE SISTER". As well as personal grievances, Westbrook also alluded to multiple instances where Charles had allegedly tried to "manipulate" men, describing some of them as "emerging into adulthood"; in the wake of the video, other fans and members of the broader "beauTube" community shared clips of Charles discussing hitting on straight men.
Charles' most recent statement on the allegations against him was posted to his Twitter account on Saturday, where he stated that while he "took accountability" for messaging the teenagers, "many other people have come forward with a series of misleading stories and false allegations" in the wake of his apology video.
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Charles is only the latest YouTube celebrity to be pulled from the Partner Program over real-world allegations. David Dobrik, the central figure in the hugely successful Vlog Squad, had his channel demonetized last month following accusations of misconduct and assault against members of the collective, alleged to have happened during VS production shoots.
YouTube and streaming platform Twitch — both platforms that can make stars out of popular creators incredibly rapidly — have reiterated in the past week that creators will face consequences for their real-world behavior, including demonetization, suspensions, or bans.
Caitlin is Mashable's Australian Editor. She has written for The Guardian, Junkee, and any number of plucky little music and culture publications that were run on the smell of an oily rag and have since been flushed off the Internet like a dead goldfish by their new owners. She also worked at Choice, Australia's consumer advocacy non-profit and magazine, and as such has surprisingly strong opinions about whitegoods. She enjoys big dumb action movies, big clever action movies, cult Canadian comedies set in small towns, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Replacements, smoky mezcal, revenge bedtime procrastination, and being left the hell alone when she's reading.
