YouTube has confirmed to Insider that it has temporarily disabled monetisation on James Charles’ channel. YouTube’s decision to suspend James’ monetisation is indefinite, but likely not permanent.
This comes off the back of weeks of controversy for the viral star. In February, James was accused of sexting a 16-year-old fan via Snapchat, named Isaiyah. In a two-part TikTok series, Isaiyah claimed that then 21-year-old added him on Snapchat, sent unsolicited nude pictures, and encouraged him to send explicit Snaps in return. Isaiyah alleges he made it clear to James that he was 16-years-old, however, James continued to ask for nude photos and attempted to FaceTime him.
This is one of 15 similar allegations against the influencer.
On February 26, James responded by releasing a statement on Twitter denying Isaiyah’s allegations against him.
He says he added Isaiyah on Snapchat after finding him on his Instagram explore page and noticed he was a fan. James claims he woke up to several Snaps from Isaiyah and immediately asked his age, to which Isaiyah responded that he was 18-years-old. “Later in the day, he said a few things that made me question the validity of his original age answer and when I asked him to confirm his age once again, he admitted he was 16,” James writes. After learning his age, James says he apologised to Isaiyah and unfriended him, and they have not spoken since.
On April 1st, the beauty creator addressed the allegations in a since-deleted YouTube video titled “holding myself accountable.” He directly apologised to two of the boys that have come forward with their stories, calling it “reckless” and “unacceptable” that he added and messaged them in the first place. James also opened up about how he became “desperate” for love and addressed how seeking relationships with fans creates an unfair power imbalance.
YouTube’s demonetisation follows Morphe, James’ primary beauty sponsor, cutting ties with the beauty guru. After fans flooded Morphe’s Instagram comments pressuring the brand to address the allegations, Morphe released a statement on Twitter on April 17th.
“In light of the recent allegations against James Charles, Morphe and James have agreed to end our business relationship and wind down sales of the Morphe x James Charles product offering,” they wrote. “It is and has always been Morphe’s goal to create a positive, safe, and empowering space where all beauty lovers can freely share their artistry and passion for cosmetics, and Morphe is committed to furthering that goal.”
James responded by releasing his own statement on Twitter, beginning with what many have described as a “threat” to those who have spoken out against the star. Claiming other people have come forward with “a series of false stories and misleading allegations,” James writes his “legal team has begun taking action.”
Regarding his long-term relationship with Morphe, James went on to say, “I’ve loved every moment working together, and am beyond grateful for what we’ve created together. That being said, I reached out to them and we mutually agreed to wind down our James Charles x Morphe collaboration, which is my only project with them.”
James concluded by saying he is continuing to take time away from the internet to “learn, grow, and listen”.
This isn’t the first time that YouTube has taken action against a creator. Earlier this year, YouTube demonetised three of David Dobrik channels after sexual assault allegations against Vlog Squad member, Durte Dom. YouTube also temporarily disabled monetisation on Shane Dawson’s channels in 2019 after videos surfaced of the star engaging in blackface, sexualising animals and minors, and saying the n-word.
YouTube has not made a public statement on any of their platforms at the time of publication.