James Charles is eating his words—and fast. The 26-year-old beauty influencer sparked a firestorm after posting a since-deleted video mocking a woman who reached out asking for help after losing her job when Spirit Airlines filed for bankruptcy and laid off 17,000 employees. Within 24 hours, he posted an apology.
In his original rant, Charles didn't hold back. "You know what else would help you? Getting another job," he said to the former Spirit worker who'd sent him a GoFundMe link via DM. "You're a lazy piece of s--t, and you're entitled," he added, suggesting she could've applied to "a hundred other jobs" instead of messaging influencers.
On May 9, Charles posted an apology video on TikTok. "It was rude, it was obnoxious, it was privileged, and most importantly, it was completely f--king unnecessary," he said. "I absolutely had the choice to ignore it and say absolutely nothing at all."
He acknowledged his lack of empathy. "It was obnoxious, and I shamed her for asking for help in a situation where she was clearly struggling, and this could have been her absolute last resort," Charles said. "I have no idea what was going on in her life and I should have never assumed."
Charles also addressed the privilege gap. While he acknowledged it "hurts" being treated like "a personal ATM," he said: "What I'm sure sucks even f--king more is not knowing where your next paycheck is coming from." He said he's now trying to find the woman to help her.
The apology has drawn mixed reactions online, with some praising his accountability while others question whether it was genuine. E! Online reported on the incident.
