
He later changed course and released an apology video instead, saying he would never involve himself in drama that didn't concern him again because it was too reminiscent of the "old Jeffree." Before becoming a makeup guru and famous YouTuber, Star courted controversy as an intentionally offensive Myspace persona.īut Star did eventually tease those "receipts." When Charles first released "No More Lies," Star angrily ranted on Snapchat that he would be releasing "receipts" that countered what Charles said in his video. The incident was later pointed to as one of the reasons for Dawson's "cancellation." One of Charles' close friends, Cassiee MUA, responded to Dawson's apology about teasing the drama in a YouTube comment, writing "james kindly asked him not to post that trailer, because it would reopen wounds that he was still trying to heal from." Although I did speak to both of them privately about the trailer I should not have even done it AT ALL."
YOUTUBE TIMELANE SERIES
Im really sorry to Tati and James if me putting their drama in the series at all felt like I was reopening up wounds. "Putting drama in the trailer was something i regret more than anything in the world and I'm mad that I chose tea over my morals.

Later, Dawson apologized for teasing drama in the trailer, writing: The pair appeared to be at a career high.Ībout three months after Charles' "No More Lies" response video, Dawson released the trailer for "The Secret World of Jeffree Star." In that trailer, Dawson included clips suggesting that the documentary would include coverage of the drama.īut in the actual documentary series, Dawson didn't include any of the teased scenes, nor did he provide any new details about "Dramageddon 2.0," which disappointed some viewers. Star's partnership Dawson garnered not only views but dollars - both said they made millions off their branded merchandise, advertisements, and sponsored content. Dawson documented Star's impressive wealth and assets, including his massive $14.6 million LA estate, and he featured Star's then-friend and teenage collaborator James Charles.

"The Secret World of Jeffree Star" explored Star's public persona since his early days as a Myspace-famous musician up to his evolution into a makeup YouTuber. Chuck E Cheese denied the claim, as did a former employee who spoke with Insider.Įarly in 2018, Dawson pivoted his YouTube channel to making documentaries and away from conspiracy content, and it proved wildly successful. These caricatures helped Dawson gain notoriety on YouTube from 2008 to 2010, but they later resurfaced as "receipts" of Dawson's controversial and oftentimes racist past content that sometimes included blackface.įrom 2013 to 2017, Dawson also hosted a podcast called "Shane and Friends" that has been the source of other "receipts" of questionable conduct, particularly his comments about pedophilia and children.ĭawson became know for his videos covering internet "conspiracy theories," which sometimes caused controversy, such as his video where he put forth the idea that Chuck E Cheese served customers leftover pieces of pizza. Most of his early work was based in sketch comedy, and he sometimes developed characters based on offensive cultural stereotypes, including a Black character named Shanaynay and a Mexican character named Guadalupe. But as drama channels, the first-line reporters covering influencers and YouTubers, will tell you, the crash was a long time coming.ĭawson, now 34, started a YouTube channel when he was 19.

In the wake of the accusations, both Dawson and Star bled followers across platforms, were shunned by some of their YouTube-famous friends, and lost multiple business deals. As Insider reported in 2020, Star was also accused of physically and sexually abusing several people while at the height of his Myspace fame. Both A-list influencers disappeared as a pile of damning content from their decade-long careers in the social media spotlight resurfaced.Īllegations against the pair included accusations of manipulation from beauty influencer Tati Westbrook and claims that both Dawson and Star made racist comments (and in Dawson's case, wore blackface). That first video (followed by 12 more) has been viewed more than 50 million times and broke ground on a path that would see Dawson and Star collaborate on the buzziest beauty launch of 2019: the Shane X Jeffree Conspiracy Collection.ĭawson and Star's rise as a YouTube powerhouse duo was meteoric, but in 2020, they saw serious dents in their star power.

On August 1, 2018, the YouTuber Shane Dawson dropped " The Secret World of Jeffree Star," his debut documentary-style video about the title beauty CEO and influencer.
