James Charles' Apology Video Puts the Spotlight on His Love Life

Beauty influencer James Charles is once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Two guys recently came forward, saying that they had inappropriate conversations with James when they were underage. This caused an uproar, with people online calling for James to be canceled along with other YouTube stars like Shane Dawson and David Dobrik. 

Things only got worse when comments that James made on Logan Paul's podcast, where he alluded to talking to guys in high school, resurfaced.

But of course, this isn't the first time James has been called out for this kind of behavior. In the "BYE SISTER" scandal of 2019, fellow beauty YouTuber Tati Westbrook called him out for allegedly forcing his sexuality onto straight guys. 

All of this has brought into question James's actual love life: Does he have a boyfriend, or does everything going on imply that he's single?

Because of the allegations, James uploaded an apology video to his YouTube channel on April 1, 2021. In "holding myself accountable," James admits to talking to some of these guys when they were underage, but says that they lied to him about their ages, and that he ended all communication with them when he found out. 

He apologizes to the men, who are now reportedly 18 or older, as well as to his friends and family.

Later on in the video, James confirms that he's single and wants to be in a relationship. "My hope has always been to be in a relationship with somebody around my age or older that I can relate to and that can make me laugh," he said. "Unfortunately, I've not been able to find that person yet." 

He goes on to say that he had been looking past "red flags" and not doing the work he should have been doing to confirm people's ages because he wanted to be in a relationship so badly.  

"It sucks and it is ridiculously embarrassing to admit this, but I think I have to, and that is that I'm desperate," James said. Toward the end of the video, he mentions that he's talking to guys now. "I also have already started asking for proper identification from every single guy that has either reached out or that I was speaking to and will continue doing so for the rest of time."

James has been accused of using his fanbase as a dating pool by a few people, but James himself has admitted that he uses social media to meet guys: "I had the mentality that I could reach out to literally anybody and use my Explore page and For You page as a dating app and eventually, I would just happen to find the right person. But that's just not how dating works literally at all." 

Now, James calls using his social media in that way "gross," "weird," and an act of "desperation." He says he formerly didn't understand how a power imbalance played a part, but now realizes that fans on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok will do anything to be able to talk to a celebrity.