James Charles has received flak after a now-deleted video appeared to show the beauty influencer telling a laid-off Spirit Airlines worker to 'get a job' after she messaged him aGoFundMe link.
The clip, originally posted on Charles' secondary TikTok account before it was removed, has since been widely reshared on TikTok and Reddit. It allegedly shows him reading out a direct message from a woman who said she had lost her job, declared bankruptcy, and was seeking financial help through a crowdfunding page.
According to users who reposted the video, the woman shared a GoFundMe link in the hope of receiving support from Charles.
In the footage, Charles is said to have questioned why she would approach him for money and suggested she should instead apply for jobs. He also reportedly described her as 'lazy piece of shit' and 'entitled.'
He is also alleged to have said, 'Send you money cause you lost your job?! Oh my God, welcome to the real world!' Charles, then, expanded his argument to general employment conditions in the US, noting that job losses are common and citing thousands of Spirit Airlines employees affected by restructuring.
In one moment, he reportedly states, 'I'm not helping you—all you did was lost your job, okay?' before adding, 'Welcome to the real world.'
People watching the video focused heavily on something James Charles said about whom he would and would not help. He suggested he might only give money or support in certain cases, like if someone had been a long-term supporter of his or was seriously ill.
That idea has added to the criticism. Some viewers felt it sounded like he was setting strict rules about who deserves help, rather than offering basic empathy to someone in need.
The video itself didn't stay up for long. It was taken down soon after it appeared, though it's unclear whether Charles deleted it himself or the platform removed it. So far, he hasn't publicly explained the clip in detail or addressed the backlash directly.
Spirit Airlines employees are finding themselves jobless, sayingthousands of workers were affected byfinancial problems and restructuring. The exact numbers being shared vary, and not all have been clearly confirmed.
Source: International Business Times UK
