James Charles accused of saying N-word in video posted on Instagram

YouTube star James Charles has once again found himself embroiled in controversy.

The 20-year-old internet celebrity posted footage on Instagram from his New Year’s Eve celebration with friends, including one selfie video shared to his Instagram Story that showed him singing along to rapper Saweetie’s breakout 2019 hit, “My Type.”

In the 12-second clip that Charles posted of himself, he sings along to the lyrics, “Rich n***a, eight-figure, that’s my type / That’s my type, n***a that’s my type / Eight-inch big, ooh, that’s good pipe.” 

Twitter user @JoacoSevitz was seemingly the first to call attention to the footage, in which it’s unclear whether or not the divisive YouTube star sang or skipped the N-word while the song played. 

“Why is nobody talking about James Charles SAYING THE N WORD TWO TIMES IN A IG STORY,” the Twitter account said.

When a fan tweeted at Charles asking if he had, he issued a staunch reply.

“No? turn up the volume & listen, I skip over it,” he tweeted. “How stupid would I have to be to confidently record a video of me singing the n word and still have it up the next morning.”

Fans were divided on the footage, with some condemning Charles for singing the word, while others agreeing with him saying he skipped over the word while singing along to the song.

“You said it we can all hear you,” one person responded, while another user said, “I have watched that video like 15 times and I hear you say it every time.”

Multiple other people said that critics were “reaching” by accusing Charles of singing the N-word. “I’m not a James Charles fan by any means but this man did not say the n word,” one person proclaimed. “He just had his mouth open.”

“Y’all will do anything to get this poor man cancelled,” another fan wrote. “LEAVE JAMES ALONE.”

Meanwhile, some took issue with it being a controversy at all, saying that, because those are the song’s lyrics, it should be okay for him to sing along. Others quickly shot down this point of view in the replies.

When someone on Twitter said, “Even IF he did. He’s singing a song, he’s not using it to attack anyone,” the person who originally posted Charles’ video replied, “The n word is offensive in every single case.”

As the clip began to make the rounds online, the hashtag #JamesCharlesIsOverParty became a trending topic on Twitter.

Charles later appeared to be unbothered by the uproar, sharing a photo on Instagram of himself posing in front of a sunset with the caption “2020 energy.”

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2020 energy

A post shared by James Charles (@jamescharles) on

This is far from the first time that James Charles has courted controversy. Earlier this year, his very public feud with fellow YouTube beauty influencer Tati Westbrook became a rare example of YouTube drama crossing over into mainstream media.

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