Jeffree Star is speaking out and apologizing to James Charles. The YouTuber posted a new video on Saturday addressing the ongoing drama revolving around himself, Charles, Shane Dawson and Tati Westbook.
Seated on an elaborate golden couch and decked out in a pink bathrobe, Star addressed the drama, speculation and accusations that have been flying around the YouTube makeup world in recent months, in a video apology titled “Doing What’s Right.”
“I’ve been silent for a very long time, and I know that’s very rare for me,” Star said in the 10-minute video. “I’ve taken a lot of time to do a lot of self-reflection. Now in the past, I have been guilty of speaking out of anger, out of frustration, out of my emotions. I’m so quick to grab my phone and just say whatever’s on my mind in that moment, without ever really thinking the ramifications of my words, my actions.”
“For the first time in a very long time, I’m really reflecting on my behavior and mine alone,” he continued. “I’ve come to a lot of realizations and it’s been really important to actually understand everything I was a part of, what I did wrong and really start a new chapter for myself.”
The long-awaited apology comes after Westbrook publicly accused Star and Dawson of working together to manipulate her into publicly blasting Charles last year, in what was one of the biggest and most dramatic YouTuber feuds at the time.
Star said that he knows people were expecting him to come out firing back at Westbrook with counterclaims to her accusations, but Star said, “Today, I will not be sitting here, showing a million text messages… I will not be entertaining it. My lawyers are entertaining it behind the scenes, but I will not be.”
“I know this may sound shocking, coming from my mouth, but when you accept that you are the problem, you can become the solution,” Star added.
Star said that he never had any intention of ruining anyone’s life or career, despite what some time suggested.
“I never tried to take anyone down. I’m not a villain in a movie. This isn’t a Netflix series with a crazy storyline,” he said. “This is my real life, and a lot of things that are happening and being said are false.”
That being said Star went on to share a mea culpa for his involvement with the drama between Westbrook and Charles last year, and the many things he’s said about Charles since.
“I would personally like to apologize to James Charles for the words that I’ve said and for my actions,” Star offered. “If I was really close with someone, I should have had the ability to simply call them and ask and say, ‘Hey these are the things that are being said to me.’ Instead, I didn’t. I let people really gas me up and get me going behind the scenes and I really fell for a lot of things and I got really caught up in the hype.”
“It’s disgusting, it’s awful, and none of it should have happened,” he added. “So James, I am truly sorry for my actions and my behavior.”
Star later addressed allegations against Dawson, who he considers to be one of his closest friends.
“He is genuine, selfless, and he is one of the most kind people that I have ever met in the entire world. I know that Shane would put his family and friends before himself in a flash,” Star shared. “Now, did Shane and I get caught up in the drama and do some dumb s**t? Of course we did, but that is my best friend – and I was actually truly shocked that people thought that I was going to distance myself from him or that my silence was anything but support.”
