Jeffree Star finally addresses drama with James Charles and Shane Dawson

After weeks of silence following explosive allegations made by beauty vlogger Tati Westbrook, beauty mogul Jeffree Star resurfaced on YouTube on July 18.

In a 10-minute video titled “Doing What’s Right,” Star apologized to fellow beauty YouTuber James Charles for “the words [he’s] said and [his] actions.” He said he had been uncharacteristically silent over the past few weeks because he spent time doing self-reflection.

In May 2019, Westbrook accused Charles of disloyalty and inappropriate behavior. The video launched “Dramageddon 2.0” — a feud that divided YouTube’s beauty community and cost Charles millions of subscribers. 

In a June 2020 video titled “Breaking My Silence,” she walked back on those claims, and said Star and his friend Shane Dawson “manipulated” her into making the original video in the first place.

Westbrook also claimed that Star is holding other members of the beauty community “hostage” with “veiled threats of exposure.”

In his response, Star said he’s never blackmailed anyone, but did not address specific instances many of his fans were curious about, such as his April 2020 claim that he has a recording of “an alleged victim of James Charles.” 

Star also affirmed his friendship with Dawson, a YouTuber who has remained silent since he apologized in June 2020 for old, offensive videos that contained racist content and jokes about pedophilia. 

After Dawson’s apology, more allegations of offensive behavior came to light, including a video of him sexualizing then 11-year-old Willow Smith. He has not apologized for that incident, but he did share videos refuting Westbrook’s allegations of manipulation.

Star has also been accused of making racist, derogatory and offensive comments over the years, which he broadly apologized for in 2017. New allegations of offensive content surfaced in June 2020 when an image of him posing for a brand he was set to start, called Lipstick Nazi, began recirculating. He apologized for that photo in an Instagram story.

Over the course of the past year, multiple influencers such as Kameron Lester and Blaire White have accused Star of manipulative behavior.

In his most recent apology video, Star said he did not plan on engaging further with claims made about him by Westbrook and other YouTubers, but added that his lawyers were considering options.

If you’d like to read more about this topic, check out this recap of the drama that transpired between Westbrook, Dawson, Charles and Star earlier this year.

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