Is James Charles a Groomer? Behind the Viral Callout Billboard about the Influencer in LA

In the middle of February, a striking billboard featuring James Charles suddenly appeared in Los Angeles, reigniting controversy surrounding the influencer. The sign referenced the grooming and sexual misconduct allegations he has faced since 2021 and quickly went viral online. Here is what we know about the billboard, the backlash and the allegations that continue to follow him.

The viral billboard, which contains a callout towards Charles, reads: 'SAY, JAMES, I HEAR YOU TEXT EM YOUNG*,' alongside a photo of the makeup influencer. It appeared Saturday morning near the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Colby Avenue.

It is a nudge on the grooming and sexual misconduct allegations that Charles has continued to face since 2021.

The sign was paid for by Ted Entertainment, which is co-owned by Ethan Klein, a comedian and podcaster who has been vocal about his opposition to Charles, arguing that the influencer has been allowed to maintain a lucrative career despite admitting to inappropriate interactions with minors.

Since then, Charles has made his 'comeback' on the internet and seems to have redeemed himself as his new makeup brand, Painted, and a foray into music with his single 'He Loves Me Not.'

Many, including Klein, argued that this comeback is proof that since Charles was never legally charged, the 'accountability' was never achieved and the issue was easily erased with an apology video.

Klein revealed on an Instagram video that the billboard cost them $10,000. The sign also includes a search bar titled: 'James Charles Allegations' and references a BBC article titled: 'James Charles: YouTube star admits messaging 16-year-old boys,' an article from April 2021 talking about his since-deleted public apology on YouTube.

Klein said, 'This is the only good idea I've had to try to do something.' He added, 'With somebody with resources and reach, I feel like it's the least I can do to try to remind the people of Los Angeles and the world that this is what James Charles gets up to.'

Klein continued: 'It's time we start calling him out, so I hope you'll enjoy it — except you, James.'

He said that putting up the billboard was a response to many who are asking how people get away with horrific things, following renewed public attention on figures like Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein.

However, on Klein's recent update, the billboard was removed. He said that the advertisers said to him that they can't do anything about it.

Is James Charles a Groomer?

Charles faced intense public scrutiny in 2021 after allegations surfaced involving a 16-year-old social media user. Minors Isaiyah and Robert accused the then-21-year-old makeup artist of grooming and engaging in inappropriate sexual communications.

The allegation first surfaced on TikTok, which includes explicit Snapchat conversations and the exchange of sexually suggestive photos.

Charles admitted to sexting two 16-year-old boys in a now-deleted video. Initially, the makeup influencer denied the claims, saying he thought the two boys were 18 years old, but later on he released a 14-minute apology video titled 'Holding Myself Accountable.'

He described his behaviour as 'reckless.' He said, 'These conversations should have never happened.'

During that time, Charles said that he would take time away from posting on social media to 'educate' himself about these issues and apologised to the boys.

To date, Charles has never been charged or convicted of a crime related to grooming or sexual misconduct with a minor.