Why beauty YouTubers are boycotting Morphe over Jeffree Star

Makeup mogul Jeffree Star is at the center of online backlash due to purportedly being involved in the James Charles scandal of 2019 — and now, huge names in YouTube’s beauty community are boycotting one of his biggest partners.

While Jeffree Star boasts a divisive past, the beauty guru has come under fire in the last few weeks after fans suspected him of orchestrating the drama surrounding James Charles in May of last year.

These theories were only exacerbated after OG YouTuber Shane Dawson published a Notes post addressing the matter — which was later followed by Tati Westbrook’s exposé accusing the two of “gaslighting” her into uploading her viral “By Sister” video in 2019.

Those are far from the only allegations surrounding Star; the YouTuber has also faced criticism due to purported racism, catching flak for posing with a fan wearing a Confederate flag as well as prior comments about people of color.

Now, huge names in the YouTube beauty scene are dropping one of Star’s biggest affiliates, Morphe, after footage surfaced of Star claiming he was an investor in the makeup company.

Jackie Aina, a massively popular YouTuber with over 3.48 million subscribers, publicly announced her separation from Morphe in a Tweet on July 2 due to the business partnering “racist” brands.

“Hey boos, as some of you may know, as of this week I will no longer be a Morphe Brushes affiliate,” Aina wrote. “Code ‘EDGES’ has deactivated. I refuse to align myself with a company that continues to retail antiblack racist beauty brands. I strongly encourage other influencers to do the same!”

hey boos, as some of you may know as of this week I will no longer be a @MorpheBrushes affiliate.
code “EDGES” has deactivated. I refuse to align myself with a company that continues to retail antiblack racist beauty brands. I strongly encourage other influencers to do the same!

— Naira Banks (@jackieaina) July 2, 2020

YouTubers Chloe Morello and Amanda Ensing likewise spoke out about the issue, with both beauty gurus announcing their own break from (or complete lack of interest in) Morphe in separate posts.

“How can we support a brand who supports this behavior and actions?” Ensing asked. “Your brands are a direct reflection of Morphe. Can you please take the time to explain this to the beauty community and your hard-working customers?”

. @MorpheBrushes please address pic.twitter.com/2Fvyhojlvi

— Amanda Ensing (@AmandaEnsing) July 1, 2020

I’ve never liked morphe so I would like to announce that I will continue to not promote morphe

— Chloe (@ChloeMorello) July 2, 2020

Thus far, Star has yet to speak out concerning Tati’s allegations against him, and has even been accused of lying to his fans and hiding from the current scandal — only prompting further speculation that the beauty giant is avoiding potential consequences.

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