YouTube has temporarily demonetized the channel of beauty influencer, James Charles, after he admitted to sending sexually explicit messages to two 16-year-old boys,
According to a YouTube spokesperson, the company applied their creator responsibility policy, which directs YouTube creators to “remain responsible both on and off the platform.”
“If we see that a creator’s on- and/or off-platform behavior harms our users, community, employees or ecosystem, we may take action to protect the community,” the policy continues.
According to the BBC, YouTube confirmed “that the 21-year-old — who has 25 million subscribers to his YouTube channel — had been temporarily removed from their Partnership Program.”
This decision follows the announcement that the partnership between cosmetics company Morphe and Charles had ended.
“In light of the recent allegations against James Charles, Morphe and James have agreed to end our business relationship and wind down sales of the Morphe x James Charles product offering,” Morphe stated on Twitter.
“It is and has always been Morphe’s goal to create a positive, safe, and empowering space where all beauty lovers can freely share their artistry and passion for cosmetics, and Morphe is committed to furthering that goal.”
— Morphe (@MorpheBrushes) April 17, 2021
“According to a statement Mr Charles shared with his 7.8 million followers on Twitter, both parties ‘agreed to wind down’ their collaboration,” added the BBC.
Earlier in April, Charles posted a video to his YouTube channel titled “holding myself accountable,” which has been viewed more than 8.5 million times, in which he admitted to exchanging messages with people he later became aware were underage.
Since that video, further accusations have been leveled against Charles, with the YouTube influencer responding via a statement on Twitter.
“Accountability is something that I have spoken about a number of times in the past. In my most recent video, I spoke about and took accountability for my part in conversations I had with a few individuals who told me they were over the age of 18. As I said in the video, I can’t show change overnight but will overtime. Since posting that video, many other people have come forward with a series of misleading stories and false allegations which have been reported on by many people, creators, and news outlets. My legal team has begun taking action against those that have spread misinformation and/or created completely fake stories, as this has gone too far,” wrote Charles.
— James Charles (@jamescharles) April 17, 2021
He then continued to discuss his mutual agreement with Morphe.
“These stories have caused many of my long-term partners to receive considerable negative feedback, one of them being Morphe. I’ve loved every moment working together, and am beyond grateful for what we’ve created together. That being said, I reached out to them and we mutually agreed to wind down our James Charles x Morphe collaboration, which is my only project with them,” Charles added.
“I am continuing to take time away to learn, grow, and listen, and look forward to coming back one day in the future as a better version of myself,” Charles concluded.