Beauty YouTuber James Charles has issued a public apology after he received backlash online for partying without a face mask amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
The 21-year-old attended a large house party in Los Angeles alongside many of his fellow, famous vloggers, including Tana Mongeau, Nikki Dragun, Charli and Dixie D’Amelio.
The party, which had at least 67 influencers in attendance, quickly incited the ire of the internet, however, after social media posts appeared to show no one wearing face masks or social distancing.
James addressed the criticism in a YouTube video, entitled A Day In The Life with James Charles, which was posted yesterday (26th July).
He told his 20.5 million subscribers that he had since opted to remove footage of the party from the video.
"Even though I have been wearing a mask in public and have tested negative multiple times, going to a party during a pandemic was a selfish and stupid decision,’ he wrote. ‘People’s safety and keeping COVID-19 contained is FAR more important than celebrating a friend’s birthday and unsafe partying is not something I want to promote to my audience," he wrote in a still included in the vlog.
He added that he realized that his influence means that he bears a certain amount of responsibility. "I encourage you guys to be smarter than I was," James continued. "Wear your masks and continue to social distance. Love you."
Watch the entire video below:Tana Mongeau also took to Instagram to apologize for her actions, which she has since deemed "careless and irresponsible."
"Partying/going to any social gatherings during a global pandemic was such a careless and irresponsible action on my behalf,’ she wrote. ‘I fully hold myself accountable for this and will be staying inside. Actions like that don’t deserve a platform and I want to fully apologise and be better than this. I’m sorry. I need to be a better example and person."
This comes after fellow YouTuber, Tyler Oakley, called out celebrities for being "bad influences" by not following social distancing rules at big gatherings.
"If your favourite influencers are at huge house parties during a pandemic and are dumb enough to post it on social media, they are bad influences. Unfollow them," he wrote, tagging James and Tana, as well as several other influencers.
"Please consider social distancing, mask wearing, & using your huge platforms to encourage responsibility during a worldwide pandemic," he added.
