TL;DR
- James Charles publicly insulted a Spirit Airlines worker.
- His apology was rejected by the employee.
- Charles lost over 450,000 followers after the incident.
- The worker raised over $40,000 on GoFundMe.
- The internet is buzzing with reactions.
In a saga that has the internet on fire, beauty influencer James Charles is facing the wrath of social media after his public apology to a Spirit Airlines employee fell flat. The drama began when Charles, who boasts a staggering 83.7 million followers across platforms, posted a video mocking Amber Lendof Vargas, a Spirit Airlines worker who reached out to him for help after losing her job due to the airline’s bankruptcy. Talk about tone-deaf!
In his now-infamous video, Charles called Vargas “a lazy piece of shit” and accused her of being entitled for asking for donations to her GoFundMe. As backlash mounted, he quickly deleted the video, but the damage was done. Followers began to jump ship, and by May 15, he had lost over 450,000 followers, according to Social Blade. Ouch!
After realizing the backlash was real, Charles posted an apology video admitting his original remarks were “fucking stupid” and “rude, obnoxious, privileged, and completely fucking unnecessary.” He claimed he was frustrated because people treated him like a “personal ATM”. But Vargas wasn’t buying it. When asked if she accepted his apology, her response was blunt: “Hell no.”
Vargas took to TikTok to share her feelings, stating, “I don’t accept his apology, especially because he was very public with what he said, and then you thought it was okay to message me privately.” She showed a screenshot of Charles’ DM where he claimed to be “ashamed” of his behavior and mentioned that he donated to her GoFundMe. However, Vargas expressed gratitude for the support she received from the internet, noting that her campaign has already raised over $40,000 towards her $60,000 goal.
This isn’t the first time Charles has had to apologize for his behavior, as he previously faced accusations of sending inappropriate messages to minors. But this latest fiasco has sparked a conversation about influencer accountability and the impact of social media on personal conduct.
As the dust settles, it’s clear that this incident has left a mark on Charles’ reputation and has opened up discussions about how public figures should conduct themselves, especially when it comes to sensitive topics like job loss and financial hardship. Will he learn from this? Only time will tell, but for now, the internet is watching closely.