Youtuber Tati Westbrook is closing the gap on James Charles’ subscriber count, with a difference of only 3.9 million, after fans unsubscribed from Charles to throw their support behind Westbrook.
Famous beauty vlogger Charles has seen his follower count drop from over 16 million to around 13.5 million according to Social Blade, after he made a sponsored deal with SugarBearHair, a brand that is a direct rival to Westbrook’s HaloBeauty.
He looks set to become the first YouTuber to suffer the largest drop in subscribers ever, with celebrity friends including Kylie Jenner, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Iggy Azlea and Shawn Mendes unfollowing him on the platform.
In a 43 minute video titled BYE SISTER, Westbrook revealed she had been left embarrassed by the move, before accusing him of “problematic behaviour” – including ‘manipulating’ men’s sexuality by attempting to “turn straight men gay.”
The social media star denied the claims that he had pressured anyone into a romantic relationship.
The video resulted in the growth of Westbrook’s YouTube following from 6.3 million to 9.6 million in a matter of days, with Social Blade predicting she could surpass Charles.
Charles, who was at this year's Met Gala, later published a video in which he apologised for “everything that I put you through”.
“What sucks the most is that I know there’s nothing I can say or do to ever earn that friendship or trust back, but I don’t blame them for it,” he said, before stating that he would not “play the victim.”
“I’m not doing that today, I’m not,” he said. “That is all I have to say, I’m sorry.”
Charles and Westbrook were friends, with the beauty vlogger doing Westbrook's make-up on her wedding day in 2017.
