celebrity

James Charles lost 2 million followers overnight. He's not the first influencer to fall from grace.

 

Over the weekend, beauty influencer James Charles experienced an intense and dramatic fall from grace.

Within days, his Instagram following fell from 16.2 million to 15.5 million, with Kylie Jenner the latest name to remove herself from his following.

His YouTube account shed 500,000 viewers.

It was all sparked because of a 43-minute long video from his former friend and fellow beauty influencer, Tati Westbrook, in which she outlined why she was ending her friendship with the 19-year-old.

You can watch a snippet here. Post continues after video.

Video via Tati

It has attracted 33 million views and counting and does not hold back. The video is titled “Bye Sister” and starts with a montage of Westbrook supporting and building Charles up from previous videos – encouraging people to buy his products and support his channels.

The friendship breakdown was sparked by Charles publicly endorsing vitamin company SugarBearHair, which is a direct competitor of Westbrook’s brand Halo Beauty.

Westbrook tells the camera she let Charles get away with his behaviour in the past because he is “young” and “maybe he just needed to grow up.” She explains her beef with him has many layers and this betrayal was just the tipping point.

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“Get off your high horse and have some respect. You don’t have any for the people who are in this industry and that’s the sad fact.”

Tati
Tati's 43-minute video doesn't hold back in her distaste for Charles. Image: YouTube/Tati

"Fame, power and a fat bank account will change almost anyone," the 37-year-old said of Charles, "I don't think there's any getting through to you. I don't want to be friends with you, I don't want to be associated with you, and I have to say that very publicly so this chapter can be closed."

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What followed was a very public and a very swift "cancelling" of James Charles. A phenomenon that refers to boycotting someone by no longer morally, financially or digitally supporting them.

A video with that very title, "James Charles is cancelled" has since amassed two million views.

Here are other influencers that have been "cancelled" in recent years:

Belle Gibson

At her height, wellness blogger Belle Gibson had hundreds of thousands of followers, and a business she'd built off their love and support called 'Whole Pantry.'

The blog followed the diet, exercises, alternative medicine and 'natural healing' methods she had used to 'cure' the multiple terminal cancers she had allegedly been diagnosed with.

The 27-year-old claimed to have helped others with everything from depression to fertility by leading them down the path of natural therapy. She also claimed to donate large portions of her income to cancer charities.

Belle Gibson appeared on 60 minutes after it was revealed she had made false health claims. Image: 60 Minutes.
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When she released her app in 2013, she had 200,000 downloads in the first month on its existence, making her number one in the app store.

In 2014, she released a book in which she stated she'd been "stable for two years with no growth of the cancer". She claimed it was her nutrition and healthy lifestyle that cured her.

But everything was a lie. Her illness, her miraculous 'curing', her donations to charity, even her age and family background.

Her deception started to unravel in 2015, as journalists and her own followers started to poke holes in her fabrications.

In 2017, she was fined $410,000 for her deception, but as of April 2019, she hasn't paid a cent of it and is facing jail time for contempt of court.

When her lies started to unravel, her fall from grace was swift. It started with her trying to diffuse rumours, by commenting on negative comments on her social media accounts under a fake name. Then she just took to erasing all posts from her feeds.

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Her Instagram @onlybelle was eventually deleted altogether, and her cookbook and app were pulled.

But feeling betrayed was not the worst that happened to Gibson's followers.

Numerous cancer patients refused modern medicine because of Gibson's influence, in particular the family of a nine-year-old boy who passed away in 2017 from the same brain tumour Gibson claimed to have. His parents truly believed if they followed Gibson's methods their little boy would also be cured.

Rawvana

Vegan Youtuber Rawvana (real name Yovana Mendoza Ayres) built her brand and following through her dedication to living the vegan lifestyle.

She boasts over a million Instagram followers and three million YouTube subscribers.

 

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Do you want to cleanse your body and lose weight?? ????OFFICIAL LAUNCH of my new 21 Day Raw Vegan Detox & Yoga challenge starting Next Monday February 18 ???? 21 DAY DETOX for FAST results! ☀ Includes: 1. ???? MEAL PLAN: 100% Raw Vegan meals, Shopping list, Meal prep for the week & Delicious, easy recipes! 2. ???? Yoga Fitness PLAN: Effective & easy to follow video routines that you can do from home! 3. ???? MOTIVATION: Tips & support videos through the week on all my platforms. Supportive online community using the hashtag #RawvanaChallenge2018 Join to achieve a transformation in body, mind and spirit! Everything in the challenge (shopping list, recipes, videos) is in the program???? LINK IN MY PROFILE & STORIES ????. ❤#RawvanaChallenge2019 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Quieres limpiar tu sistema y bajar de peso?? ????LANZAMIENTO OFICIAL de mi NUEVO Reto de 21 Días! Comenzamos este Lunes 18 de Febrero????Link para descargar en mi Perfil???????? Incluye: 1. ???? PLAN ALIMENTICIO: 100% CrudiVegano, Lista de compras, Preparación de comida para la semana & Recetas ricas, fáciles y económicas! 2. ???? PLAN FITNESS de Yoga: Videos de rutinas efectivas y fáciles de seguir, que puedes hacer desde tu casa! 3. ???? MOTIVACIÓN: Videos & tips de apoyo durante el Reto en mis redes. Comunidad de apoyo en línea usando el hashtag #Retoawvana2019 Únete para lograr un cambio de mente, cuerpo y espíritu! Todo el material del reto (Lista de compras, Recetas, Videos) está en el programa. ???? LINK EN MI PERFIL & HISTORIAS????. • ❤ #RetoRawvana2019

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She claimed going raw vegan had helped her overcome addictions like alcohol and smoking, and made her feel "on top of the world".

She'd encourage her followers to join her on "21 day raw vegan challenges" and her YouTube was full of tips on how to lose weight on a vegan diet, vegan protein smoothies, and her veganised morning routines.

But in March 2019, Rawvana was caught on a video uploaded by another vlogger eating meat. A plate of fish to be exact.

In the days that followed, her followers launched at her. They called her a liar and a fraud and littered her page with fish emojis.

Eventually she came clean and uploaded a 33-minute video called "THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING" in which she admitted her health had forced her to abandon the lifestyle.

“I was vegan – completely vegan for almost six years,” she said. “It’s been two months since I started incorporating eggs and fish in my diet.”

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She explained her periods had become irregular and she'd been struggling with fatigue.

But the criticism continued. While some opposed her decision to eat meat, most were lamenting her for presenting herself online as something she wasn't, and profiting from it.

Earlier this month, she uploaded a video called "TURNING THE PAGE" in which she tried to encourage her followers to continue on the journey of 'healthy living' with her.

But it appears her followers are now simply following her to hate on her. The comments under her latest video read: "Don't send people love and light, send them their money back," and "YouTube, please close this channel".

Here is why we hate follow. Post continues after podcast.

Olivia Jade

Olivia Jade, 19, is a fashion and beauty influencer with more than a million followers on Instagram and close to two million on YouTube.

But she's currently at the centre of America's largest college admissions fraud scandal thanks to her parents, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli and Full House actress Lori Loughlin.

 

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another unforgettable evening ????@wcrfcure

A post shared by OLIVIA JADE (@oliviajade) on

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They're accused of taking illegal measures to get their daughter accepted into the University of Southern California, allegedly paying $500,000 to ensure both their children gained access to the elite school.

Now, Jade's credibility as an influencer is under question. She has partnered with a bunch of brands for back-to-school, and allegedly took part in a photo shoot for the school, falsely claiming she was part of the rowing team. She has also frequently talked about her lack of interest in attending college.

“I do want the experience of, like, game days [and] partying,” she said in a YouTube video in 2018. “I don’t really care about school, as you guys all know."

Since the news broke of the admissions scandal, she has lost brand deals with TRESemmé and Sephora. She has also turned off the commenting function on her Instagram and YouTube.

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According to TMZ, Jade and her sister have left USC as they weather the fallout of the scandal.

Scarlett London

London based travel influencer Scarlett Dixon, 24, has an Instagram full of wanderlust pictures of her in foreign exotic places.

From Las Vegas, to Paris, to New York, the blogger's pictures are perfectly staged and meticulously edited.

But the enviable and drool-worthy lifestyle she created her following on came crashing down when she posted a picture of herself sitting in bed drinking a cup of tea.

It was a sponsored post with Listerine, and read "The best of days start with a smile and positive thoughts. And pancakes. And strawberries. And bottomless tea. My morning routine is now live on YouTube and while I don't show you my real bed hair (trust me, it's not pretty) I do give you a little insight into how I start my day in a positive way".

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Although posed pictures featuring brands are commonplace on Instagram, this particular post was screen-grabbed and posted on Twitter where it swiftly went viral.

“Instagram is a ridiculous lie factory made to make us all feel inadequate,” the poster 'Nathan from Cardiff' wrote. 

Dixon came under increasing scrutiny and was mocked widely for her post.

One person pointed out that what was intended to look like pancakes in fact appeared to be a plate of tortilla wraps folded in half.

Others focused on the fact there wasn't any visible drink in her cup.

Dixon was inundated with hundreds of nasty messages on all of her platforms, many of which contained death threats.

“Each time I refresh my page, hundreds of new nasty messages pour [in].

“There are now hundreds of thousands of tweets circling the internet, shaming me.”

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View this post on Instagram

 

In the last 48 hours, grown men & women, MP’s, women’s equality representatives, journalists, actresses and broadcasters have discovered my Instagram feed and decided to pick it apart online, in front of thousands. Each time I refresh my page, hundreds of new nasty messages pour onto my Instagram, Twitter and YouTube, some of which have contained malicious death threats. There are now hundreds of thousands of tweets circling the internet, shaming me. I implore those mindlessly sharing this content to research who I am as a person, before they further drag my name and image through the mud. Yes, I do adverts on here, but only with brands I genuinely use and would spend money on myself. My feed isn’t a place of reality (let’s talk about Exhibit A - above - I mean who spends their time in such a beautiful city, perched on a ledge, ice-cream in hand and smile permanently affixed to her face, it’s staged guys). Sometimes my photos are whimsical and OTT and a little too pink, but I’m not presenting this as an ‘idealistic’ version of life that young girls should aspire to. Those who follow me will know my reality. I try to raise awareness for the digestive condition I suffer from, the same condition that years ago threatened me graduating from university. My Instagram has been an outlet to show you can be positive and have fun with life, despite this condition. I personally don’t think my content is harmful to young girls but I do agree Instagram can present a false expectation for people to live up to. And I am wholeheartedly sorry if I’ve ever made anyone feel inadequate through my content. My life mission is quite the opposite. I am a strong 24-year-old woman who has experienced bullying in the past. I am and will be okay after this hideous experience. But another young girl or guy as the subject of a targeted hate campaign might not be okay. Please remember at the centre of of every viral storm is a human being. ❤️

A post shared by Scarlett London (@scarlettlondon) on

Read More: 

In just days, influencer James Charles has lost over 1 million followers. Here's how it happened.

Everything you need to know about Tati Westbrook, the woman who 'cancelled' James Charles.

'On Saturday night I spent hours stalking Sally's Instagram. I don't even like Sally.'