Jeffree Star On James Charles, Shane Dawson Drama: 'New Normal Became Aggressive Mental Abuse'

Jeffree Star is opening up about the drama surrounding him and fellow YouTube star Shane Dawson over allegations that they attempted to sabotage and tarnish the reputation of beauty guru James Charles.

During a recent episode of “The Sip” podcast with Ryland Adams and Lizze Gordon, the Jeffree Star Cosmetics founder spoke about the internet vitriol he received in June following YouTuber Tati Westbrook's accusations that he and Dawson orchestrated Charles' 2019 scandal. He described the experience as “mentally draining, traumatic and crazy” due to the verbal abuse, with some even telling him to kill himself.

“When everything happened this summer, it was just all so… it was just a lot,” said Star.

“I had never experienced that before. To continuously hear that over and over and over… it was so crazy. The new normal became aggressive mental abuse. But I’m not trying to say that for sympathy,” he added.

When Star was asked whether he ever thought of quitting and settling down in the property he bought in Wyoming, he said that his brand meant a lot to him and was his “entire life.”

“I think now anything we do, there’s like a kind of negativity to it or people want to make it something. To me, that was never an option. But I do have a brand and we have a lot of employees and they really do count on me to pay their rent. So, I persevered and pushed through it,” the cosmetics mogul shared.

Star went on to say that on a personal and emotional level, the experience felt like a “roller coaster” ride. He also thanked his staff and team for helping him to get past the level of hate that he said he had “never experienced before.”

“Without my team, I don’t know where I’d be right now but my entire staff and team came really behind me. They were showing their love and how they really believed in me. They kind of helped me really push through and get over those hard feelings, but it was rough,” he revealed.

Back in June, Westbrook accused Star and Dawson of manipulating her and feeling her “poisonous lies” about Charles, who had been her friend. Their manipulations, according to Westbrook, drove her to create her viral 2019 “Bye Sister” video that had cost Charles millions of YouTube followers and massive online hate.

Following Westbrook's video, Star and Dawson became the targets of internet rage over Charles' cancellation. The scandal later got murkier as both Star and Dawson got caught up in multiple controversies that got even Jada Pinkett Smith and Jaden Smith involved.

YouTube has also since indefinitely suspended monetization on the three channels of Dawson, who had appeared in blackface and used racial slurs in several videos, BBC reported.

Though Star has since apologized to Charles, he has been accused of “refusing to take accountability” for his actions toward the 21-year-old YouTuber.