What is James Charles accused of and what did he say about the allegations?
James Charles spoke about an alleged relationship he had with a 16-year-old fan in a new YouTube video.
He told his fans that the alleged fling "shouldn't have happened" and denied a rumor of him that accused him of “grooming” the teen.
Two underaged people went public on social media regarding the situation claiming that James and them exchanged intimate messages on a social platform.
On April 1, 2021, James addressed the situation on camera, saying: “This is a very serious topic, but today's video is going to be from the heart.
"First and foremost I need to say sorry, I owe a massive apology to anyone I've hurt by my actions. I also want to say I'm sorry to my family, and my fans, who have to watch another one of these videos because you shouldn't have to, and it's very embarrassing.
"My actions were wrong and I don't make any excuses for them ... With all that said, I think it's time that we talked ..."
Recounting their claims, the influencer continued: "For anyone who isn't aware of what is going on, within the past couple of weeks two different people both under the age of 18 came forward and said they had inappropriate messages from me on social media.
“In both of these cases, I added them on social media, asked how old they were straight away, was told they were 18. I believed them, engaged in a flirty conversation, and then, later on, was told they were actually 16.
"Upon finding out I was immediately embarrassed and blocked both people.
"When I saw them making videos about it, my immediate reaction was to be really upset and I wanted to get on video and tell another 'No More Lies' video where I gathered all my receipts and screenshots and told my side of the story, but looking back that was so stupid,”
What did James Charles tell the teenagers?
James addressed the two people who had gone public about the messages and apologized, saying: “To the guys involved in this situation, I want to say I'm sorry.
"I'm sorry that I added you, I'm sorry that I flirted with you, and I'm really sorry if I ever made you feel uncomfortable. It is completely unacceptable."
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He added: "I was being reckless. And after looking back and finally realizing that this was my own fault, I did a lot of thinking and reflecting."
James also denied being only attracted to "younger people" and assured that it “is absolutely not the case."
The YouTuber also admitted he sought professional help to deal with his actions and to "fully understand the situation."