James Charles is in some hot water after posting a rant on his TikTok spam account about a DM he received from an ex-employee of Spirit Airlines. On May 7, Charles took to the social media app to call out the DM, which was from a woman asking for money after having lost her job, and fans were quick to call it out.
According to Charles’s initial video, which has since been deleted, the person who reached out to Charles was apparently an employee who lost her job at Spirit Airlines recently. The woman had set up a GoFundMe, and was asking for donations to get her through the difficult time. Charles did not take to this kindly, saying that she had never DMed him before, wasn’t following him, and overall, wasn’t a fan of his. “You’re a lazy piece of sh*t, and you’re entitled, and you think that influencers and celebrities should fund your life for you,” he stated. Claiming he does understand how difficult the job market is right now, he said, “You’re white, pretty, and able-bodied. You’re in a much better position than a lot of other people out here who are trying, clearly, much harder to make a better life for themselves. Why would I f**king help you?”Â
After deleting the original video, Charles then posted his first apology video. In the video, he said, “A lot of people these days do not have the make-it-work mentality.” He then said, “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with asking for help. In my personal opinion, though, I think it should be the last resort.” He went on to compare his rise to fame as an influencer — having worked extra hard to make it — to putting in extra effort into one’s cover letter when applying for jobs.Â
Charles then deleted that first apology video and posted a second one on May 9, calling out his own privilege for clouding his view when making his earlier videos. In the most recent video, he said, “This video was f**king stupid, it was rude, it was obnoxious, it was privileged, and most importantly it was completely f**king unnecessary.” He continued, “I bashed her, and it was obnoxious, and I shamed her for asking for help in a situation where she was clearly really struggling and this could’ve been her absolute last resort.”Â
Charles definitely seems to have walked back his initial stance on this one. Many people looking for jobs in this economy can understand how hard it is, and hopefully, Charles learned that, too.