Morphe Cuts Ties with Influencer James Charles
If you keep up with celebrity news, you have probably heard James Charles' name a lot recently. For the past few weeks, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding allegations that were made against him.
With over 27 million followers on Instagram, 36 million on TikTok, and 25 million on YouTube, it’s safe to say that James has a pretty big fan base. Like all influencers, his entire life is in the spotlight, and no secret goes untold. Back in February, allegations arose that James was messaging minors on social media. Several individuals came forward with their stories, explaining what happened, and providing screenshots. The 21-year-old immediately issued a statement about what happened, telling his side of the story and posting an apology on Twitter. However, fans were not satisfied with that response. On April 1, James then released a YouTube video regarding the allegations, titled “Holding Myself Accountable,” where he took full responsibility for his actions. In the video, he states “I want to make it really really clear that I fully understand my actions and how they are wrong, and there is no excuse for them.” While he has taken full accountability for his actions, it still was not smooth sailing for James.
On April 16, after the recent sexual misconduct allegations, the popular beauty brand Morphe decided to cut ties with the longtime influencer. Both Morphe and Charles released statements via Twitter, confirming the end of the partnership.
The Morphe brand launched back in 2008. Since then, the company has teamed up with various influencers including Jaclyn Hill, Maddie Ziegler, Manny Mua, and Madison Beer, just to name a few. Morphe is known for creating original collections specific to each influencer, and it’s brought in a lot of business. The Morphe X James Charles collection was first released back in November 2018. Included in the launch was the “James Charles Palette,” which comes with 39 stunning shades, sold for $39. Morphe also sells the “James Charles The Mini Palette,” which offers the same amazing colors for $26. In addition, you can purchase the “James Charles Brush Set” for $150, or the “Eye Brush Set” for $59. While these have been popular for some time now, Morphe will wind down sales on this collection as their partnership comes to an end.
As a result of these serious allegations, James has lost more than just this partnership with Morphe. James was also previously the host of YouTube’s popular competition Instant Influencer, but he will no longer continue on in that role. In addition, YouTube will be temporarily demonetizing his channel.
Even after all that, his social media following has remained relatively intact, but there is no telling what the future can hold. James has been pretty quiet on social media for the past few weeks, taking time to think and “educate” himself, but this is not the last we will see of this “sister.”
Photos by Anna Grenier.