Jeffree Star’s New Video Is All About The James Charles, Tati Westbrook, & Shane Dawson Drama
Jeffree Star is breaking his silence following Tati Westbrook's claims that he and Shane Dawson "gaslit" her into uploading her "Bye Sister" video last year. Instead of bringing receipts or "exposing anyone," the YouTube star addressed his friendship with Dawson as well as the fallout from what's become known as Dramageddon 3 in a July 18 video titled "Doing What's Right." While he didn't fully address Westbrook's accusations or refer to her by name, Jeffree Star’s video apologizing to James Charles delved into all the drama.
Star's response came weeks after Westbrook posted an explosive June 30 video claiming that not only were Star and Dawson "bitterly jealous" of Charles' success, but that they'd "gaslit" her into posting her controversial video exposing the makeup guru with "poisonous lies."
"I’ve been silent for a very long time, and I know that’s very rare for me,’ Star began 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."
While he said he would not be "entertaining" Westbrook's claims in the video, he clarified he'd never blackmailed anyone or been in jail, and implied he may be seeking legal action against Westbrook.
"Today I will not be sitting here, showing a million text messages," Star said. "I will not be entertaining it. My lawyers are entertaining it behind the scenes, but I will not be."
He then opened up about his relationship with Charles, saying he was "fully admitting [his] flaws" after some self reflection.
"I would personally like to apologize to James Charles for the words that I’ve said and for my actions," he said. "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."
He continued, "It’s disgusting, it’s awful, and none of it should have happened. So, James, I am truly sorry for my actions and my behavior."
Star also addressed his friendship with fellow YouTube star Dawson, who left the platform due to controversy over racist content in his videos, saying he was still close to him.
"I know Shane from now, I don’t know Shane from 10 years ago and he doesn’t know me from 10 years ago," he said. "Now, do I agree with Shane’s past actions? Of course I don’t. And does he agree with my past behavior? Of course he doesn’t."
Many viewers took to Twitter to criticize Star for diverting from the issue by mentioning the Black Lives Matter movement and plugging his makeup brand in his his apology video, saying that it seemed insincere.
Charles and Westbrook have yet to publicly respond to Star's video, so only time will tell whether it effectively nips the resurfaced drama in the bud or leads to more of the YouTube community weighing in on the situation.
