Kat Von DDD
Kat Von D, pictured May 25, 2010, isn't friends with beauty maven Jeffree Star because he stole artwork from a fellow artist, she said. Reuters

Celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D and beauty maven Jeffree Star are no longer friends—and it all comes down to artwork. Von D said she was forced to “disassociate” with Star after he refused to pay fellow artist, B.J. Betts, for creating the logo he uses to his makeup line, Jeffree Star Cosmetics. She posted the video to YouTube and shared the link in her Instagram bio.

Von D, who is in Singapore, wanted to clear the air before she went to sleep, noting she didn't want to start a battle. “No interest in fighting a war with anyone -- as it's the last I'll speak on the matter,” she wrote. “Sorry but just have bigger (more positive and more important) things to focus on!”

Von D feels guilty about helping Star star his career in the makeup business, but she is doubtful he will give her credit for helping him launch his line. “If you ask Jeffree how he made his makeup line, I'm sure the story will be about how he's so self-creative,” she said. “I went to such great lengths [to help him], I even hooked him up with a factory that was actually producing my Everlasting Liquid Lipstick formula... I got Jeffree a meeting to see if he could start his own makeup line.”

Star apparently ended commutation with Betts once he received the logo, which he still uses. Star blocks Betts’ phone number and refused to reimburse him for his work. “As far as being ethical… I think it's really wrong, what Jeffree's done,” she says. “I think he needs to pay BJ.”

The tattooer talks directly to her former friend in part of the 13-minute video. “You have the option to do the right thing — why not do that?” she says.

Von D, 34, finishes the video by apologizing to anyone Star might have hurt and takes accountability for putting star into the limelight. “I regret being a part of helping somebody become so self-absorbed when I probably could have spoken up a lot sooner,” she says. “If I do regret anything, it's setting Jeffree up with that factory.”

Star, 30, has not yet officially responded to Von D’s video, but he promised to issue a response later in the day.

Betts, whose work was allegedly stolen, hasn't issued an official response about the controvery.

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