Serious trouble has been steadily brewing for Charles in the past couple of months, David Dobrik–style, and it now appears the allegations and bad press may be affecting his career for the first time. But his journey to internet superstardom has been far from innocent: The 21-year-old has faced an extraordinary amount of controversy over the past five years. Most of his content is makeup-focused he shares his favorite products and films extravagant tutorials, beginning each video with his catchphrase, “Hey, sisters.” It’s all seemingly innocuous stuff - he’s even BFFs with TikTok’s wholesome D’Amelio sisters. Today, Charles has 25.7 million subscribers on YouTube, 27.3 million Instagram followers, and 36 million followers on TikTok.
His early years of internet fame led him to become the first male CoverGirl model and garnered him an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. The teenager in the photo was James Charles, YouTube’s now-megafamous makeup artist and vlogger. The images quickly went viral as fans admired his incredible makeup skills and popping highlight. Back in 2016, a New York high-school student casually shared his senior yearbook photos on Twitter.
