It’s been four months since YouTube’s biggest public beef shook us all to the core, and James Charles has finally come out and said what he really wanted to voice during that whole Tati Westbrook drama.
For those of you who need a refresher, Vlogger Tati Westbrook broke the internet back in May when she released a 40-MINUTE LONG video called ‘Bye Sister’, that ‘exposed’ her former friend and called James out for his many betrayals and ‘problematic behaviour‘.
The feud reached far beyond those in the beauty world, as James quickly lost 3 million followers as a result of Tati’s video and was quickly the victim of a viral ‘cancelled’ campaign.
It was a mess fam.
WATCH: James Charles apologises to Tati Westbrook
In a recent sit down with fellow YouTubers Joey Graceffa and Nikita Dragun, James addressed all the drama, as well as saying he is vehemently against the “cancel culture” that is currently alive and well on the internet.
While James didn’t mention Tati by name, he did talk about the scandal saying his mental health suffered as a result of the viral ‘cancelled’ campaign.
“If I didn’t have that [a friendship group], I would be dead right now.
“Like I say that, like not even being dramatic, I don’t think I would have made it through everything that went on without them being with me and making sure that I was okay, and waking up in the middle of the night to check on me every ten minutes to make sure I didn’t like literally do something dangerous.”
In the video, Joey supported his friend while also commenting on how hard the whole experience would have been, telling James: “To have the whole world against you, how mentally f*cking that is. That’s not normal.”
“It’s not at all and it’s so awful,” James replied.
“Because that’s something that like– so many kids do feel suicidal and so many kids deal with depression and feel anxiety.”
As for what he wanted to talk about but felt like he couldn’t, James reveals he really wanted to be open about his mental health struggles.
“I knew that when I addressed everything and started to get back into everything, I had to just say the facts and deal with it on my own time because if I brought any of that up, it would make it look like I was wanting sympathy or was trying to save myself or save face by bringing up mental health.”
Let’s all agree that the ‘cancel culture’ is unhealthy in the extreme, and even though YouTubers have a public profile, their mental health deserves to be protected.
Need help? Call Lifeline on 131 114, visit www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/get-help-home, or call beyondblue on 1300 224 636.
If you would like to talk to someone about mental health, you can call the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or Headspace on 1800 650 890.
If you or someone you know is affected by sexual assault or family violence, call the 1800RESPECT hotline or visit www.1800respect.org.au/. You can also call the Domestic Violence Hotline on 1800 656 463.
If you or someone you know is affected by an eating disorder, call the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673 or visit their website here.
If you are in immediate danger, call 000.
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