James Charles American YouTuber Born 1999 in Bethlehem

James Charles is an American YouTuber, makeup artist and TikTok creator. He was born James Charles Dickinson on 23 May 1999 in Bethlehem, New York. He became known as a teenager for his makeup videos and in 2016 was named the first male ambassador of the cosmetics brand CoverGirl. His YouTube channel had about 24.1 million subscribers when last counted in April 2025.

Early life

Charles was born in Bethlehem to Skip Dickinson, a contractor, and Christine Dickinson. His younger brother, Ian Jeffrey, works as a model. At the age of eleven, in 2010, he started a YouTube channel called JaysCoding, where he posted song covers and videos about competitive modding of Mario Kart Wii.

He attended Bethlehem Central High School and graduated in 2017. He has said that he was bullied there and chose to ignore it. He began by working as an amateur hairstylist. After a friend asked him to do her makeup for a school dance, he taught himself the craft and started doing makeup professionally for girls in his area.

Career

In December 2015 Charles opened a new YouTube channel and began posting makeup tutorials. In September 2016 a tweet showing him retaking his senior portrait with a ring light and full makeup spread widely online. A month later, at seventeen, he was announced as the first male brand ambassador for CoverGirl. His first appearance in that role was in advertising for the So Lashy mascara. In November 2018 he started a clothing line, Sisters Apparel, and launched a makeup collection, the Sister Collection, with Morphe Cosmetics.

By early 2019 his channel had passed ten million subscribers. A visit to Birmingham in January 2019 for the opening of a Morphe store drew crowds that caused traffic gridlock in the city centre. In March 2019 he did the makeup for the rapper Iggy Azalea's artwork for the single "Sally Walker" and appeared in its music video. He announced the Sisters Tour of the United States for April 2019, but it was cancelled the following month during a public dispute with the beauty creator Tati Westbrook. Westbrook posted a long video accusing him of disloyalty, and he lost a million subscribers within a day. He published two videos in reply, and Westbrook later withdrew her original video.

In April 2020 he hosted the first season of Instant Influencer, a YouTube Originals competition series. He won Show of the Year at the 10th Streamy Awards for his work on it. In March 2021 YouTube announced he would not return as host for a second season. In October 2020 he made a cameo in the music video for Larray's single "Canceled", and in January 2021 he recorded a cover of "Drivers License". His first single, "Call Me Back", came out in February 2024.

Over the years he has made collaborative makeup videos with public figures including Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Lil Nas X, Kesha, Doja Cat, JoJo Siwa, Charli D'Amelio and Bretman Rock.

In early 2021, several young men made public allegations about sexually explicit messages he had sent. In April 2021 he released a video in which he said he had messaged two people under eighteen who had told him they were adults, and he apologised. Morphe ended its business relationship with him, and YouTube temporarily removed monetisation from his channel. He later returned to posting. In a 2023 interview he disputed some of the accusations, including the claim that he had groomed anyone.

Recognition

Charles has won the Diamond Play Button from YouTube. His other honours include People's Choice, Streamy, Shorty and Teen Choice awards.

Personal life

Charles came out as gay to his parents when he was twelve. His only listed screen credit is the 2020 series Nikita Unfiltered.