Famed beauty influencer James Charles has quickly walked back his insensitive remarks about a laid-off Spirit Airlines employee who reached out to him about making a donation.
Videos by Suggest
In a since-deleted TikTok post, Charles slammed the former Spirit Airlines employee, calling them a “lazy piece of sh–” and telling them to focus on “getting another job” instead of sending him a “f— a— message.”
“I just got a DM on here from a girl that said … ‘I’m really struggling right now because Spirit Airlines just filed for bankruptcy and I have lost my job. Here’s a GoFundMe link. Any donations help,'” he stated in a mocking tone.
He then said, “I’m sure they do, sweetheart, I’m sure they do. You know what else would help you? Getting another job. Yeah, try that. Because in the time that it took you to copy and paste the same f–k ass message to myself, who you don’t follow, by the way … you could’ve applied for a hundred other jobs.”
“But you didn’t, cause you’re a lazy piece of s–t, and you’re entitled,” the influencer continued. “And you think that influencers and celebrities should fund your life for you. Why would I ever help you? You’re not a fan, you don’t even follow me … And you think that I’m gonna send you money because you lost your job?!”
Not quite done with his rant, Charles declared, “Welcome to the real world, sweetheart” before continuing his criticism about how many people lose their jobs daily. He even went so far as to point out the former Spirit Airlines employee’s race.
“You’re white, pretty and able-bodied,” he stated. “You’re in a much better position than a lot of other people out here who are trying clearly much harder to make a better life for themselves. Why would I f–king help you?! I’m not f–king help you. All you did was lost your job. I’m gonna do nothing, you know what you need to do? Go find a f–king new one, girl! Put some effort into the workplace.”
The Influencer Deleted the Video After Being Called ‘Out of Touch’ and ‘Vile’
Not long after he posted the video, Charles about-faced his stance on the situation. In a follow-up TikTok post, the influencer, who appeared shirtless and calmer, stated that the video was “f—ing stupid.”
“It was rude, it was obnoxious, it was privileged,” he said. “And more importantly, it was completely f—ing unnecessary.”
Noting that he could have ignored the message and moved on, Charles said he decided to attack the woman verbally.
“It was obnoxious, and I shamed her for asking for help in a situation where she was clearly struggling,” he further shared. “And this could have been her absolute last resort. I feel awful because that wasn’t my intention. And I really hurt a lot of people.”
He then added, “I’m super sorry, especially to the woman from Spirit Airlines.”