Jeffree Star Announced His Longtime Videographer Has Decided to "Move On"

Behind (almost) every great YouTuber is a talented videographer who is there to capture viral moments and record footage for vlogs. While many top content creators make it seem like they're speaking directly to their audiences, there's often another person there who is recording it all.

When makeup expert and controversial vlogger Jeffree Star isn't sitting on his bed or his couch talking to his subscribers, he's known to work with a videographer, Christian Smith. 

The two collaborated on content together for years, but Jeffree announced some big changes to his channel in a vlog posted in March of 2021. 

Find out what the Jeffree Star Cosmetics founder had to say about cutting ties with several of his staff members. 

Those who have been keeping up with Jeffree's channel over the years have often been watching the work of Christian Henry Smith. The two had been working together for the better part of six years when Christian decided to move on to other ventures.

Christian is originally from England, and he's worked on other YouTube pages for NoJustHenry and Jkissa Makeup. 

Outside of his professional work, Christian is married to Jkissa. The couple got engaged in January of 2016, and Jkissa began referring to Christian as her husband in 2017.

Jeffree discussed Christian's decision to stop filming his content in "Saying Goodbye," which was posted on March 12, 2021. 

The YouTuber hinted that some members of his inner circle were dealing with "turmoil," and that it led them to make new career moves. 

"A lot's been going on. A lot of changes in my life — a lot of amazing things, a lot of darkness, a lot of anxiety. But, overall, things are good. There's been a lot of shifts in my life. [The year] 2020 took it out of a lot of people and made people change their perspectives on what they were doing with their lives. A lot of people had a lot of turmoil."

He said that the COVID-19 pandemic forced many to think long and hard about what they wanted out of their lives and careers.

"The pandemic has just changed so much for all of us..." Jeffree continued, before sharing why he was the one in control of the camera for the video. "Sadly, one of my dear friends and videographer, who you guys of course know and love, who has filmed my channel, basically by himself, for five-and-a-half years... it's time for Chris to have the next chapter of his life."

His videographer had been missing his family in England, and Jeffree had been spending more and more time in Wyoming instead of in Los Angeles. Otherwise, there's nothing dramatic going on between the two.

"Chris is moving on from this channel," Jeffree said. "Sadly, there's no tea, there's no gossip, there's no drama. Chris will always be a dear friend of mine. We've had the best, most craziest experiences over the last five-and-a-half years. There's so many memories."

Jeffree wasn't blindsided by the decision, either. "It wasn't out of the blue, but Chris wanted to make some major changes in his life," the vlogger added. "He's had a lot of stuff happen personally."

Jeffree then shared that he would be hiring someone else in the future to film videos. Until then, he would be setting up the shots himself, and things would be "slowed down."

"Chris is irreplaceable. It's been really hard," he said about trying to move on.

In addition, Jeffree is looking to hire another personal assistant as well. His previous right-hand woman was Maddie Lynn Taylor, but she also chose to embark on a new chapter of her life. 

Like Christian, Maddie also did not leave the Jeffree Star empire on bad terms. 

"She was one of the best employees I've ever had in my entire life," Jeffree said in his video.

Though Christian worked with one of the richest YouTubers in the world, his net worth is publicly unknown. In addition to filming videos for YouTube platforms, Christian has photographed campaigns for makeup and skincare companies like e.l.f. Cosmetics, Youth to the People, Tatcha, Milk, Victoria Beckham Beauty, and for Lady Gaga's makeup line, Haus Laboratories.

His wife, Jkissa, has an estimated net worth of $1.5 million (though some outlets report that it could be much lower at $500,000 to $1 million).

Aside from her vlogging platform (which has 335,000 subscribers), Jkissa has a popular Instagram account with 281,000 followers.

Over the years, she's partnered with several top makeup companies and has posted tutorials with their products. 

Christian has yet to reveal what his next career move will be, or if viewers can expect further collaborations with his wife in the future.