James Charles' biggest controversies before losing three-million followers

In just three years, James Charles has experienced the full, dizzying heights of internet superstardom - before an explosive online feud dragged him firmly down to earth over the weekend.

But the road to fame wasn’t easy for the 19-year-old, who’s had his image marred by controversy from almost the outset.

Here, Yahoo Lifestyle has taken a look into some of the mogul’s biggest missteps before his highly publicised feud with fellow influencer, Tati Westbrook, set the internet alight.

Year book photo

James first found fame after his ‘extra’ high school yearbook photo went viral across social media in September 2016.

The now-famous post shows two images of James posing for senior photos, with the teenager claiming he retook the shots with a ring light in order to make his highlighter pop.

What followed was an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and a groundbreaking contract with Covergirl which saw him as the first male face of the brand.

However, according to former friend Thomas Halbert, the images were actually photoshopped and the post that made him famous didn’t show the whole truth.

A series of screenshots appeared to show James admitting that while he did retake the photos, the end result was edited in order to accentuate his highlighter.

“If you expose me I’ll kill you,” James appeared to jokingly quip to Thomas when the pair were still on good terms.

Thomas eventually apologised for making the post when he was admittedly ‘drunk af’.

“Yes he retouched his pics but did retake them,” Thomas later tweeted, adding “My actions were nasty and I did them out of adrenaline and anger.”

James’ response to the scandal was a tweet on the same day which read “trust no one”.

Ebola scandal

Merely six months later James again hit the headlines ahead of a school trip to South Africa, when he made fun of Ebola victims while the region was in the midst of the epidemic.

“‘I can’t believe we’re going to Africa today omg what if we get Ebola.’ ‘James we’re fine we could’ve gotten it at chipotle last year’….” he wrote.

The status caused an uproar among the then-16-year-old’s burgeoning fan base and triggered him into swiftly issuing an apology.

“I am extremely sorry. Regardless of my intentions, words have consequences. I take full responsibility and will learn and do better,” he wrote at the time.

However, the remorse wasn’t enough to keep Covergirl on side, with the brand simultaneously tweeting James’ controversial opinions ‘did not reflect’ theirs.

Tour prices

In the weeks before his latest scandal caused him to lose millions of followers, James was already in the grips of another mini-controversy, sparked after the announcement of a US-wide tour.

Backlash centred largely on the tour prices - which topped nearly $750AUD for those wanting the full VIP experience.

Adding insult to injury was the fact James’ most notable talent is make-up - something he already showcases to fans for free, in his videos.

"We’re gonna have, of course, makeup live on stage with maybe a few sisters from the audience,” James explained in the announcement.

“We’ll be playing games, you guys will be coming up, we’ll be doing Q&As, of course there’ll be music as well, and duh – a whole lot of Instagram selfies."

Comparatively, Ariana Grande’s fans, who are largely the same demographic as James’, can get VIP tickets to the her concert along with a meet and greet with the megastar for $813AUD.

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