On May 2, 2026, Spirit Airlines stopped all operations and went out of business. The airline had been in business for 34 years and employed about 17,000 people who were laid off immediately following the airline’s shut down. Content creator James Charles’s response to ex-Spirit Airlines employe Amber Lendof Vargas’s request for donations after losing her job prompted controversy.
Spirit Airlines has been going through financial hardship since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. The airline finally shut down due to an increase in fuel prices caused by the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran. The spike in prices added hundreds of millions of dollars to the airline’s liquidity needs for the year. The abrupt shut down led to thousands of employees being laid off.
Amber Lendof Vargas was a Spirit Airlines employee who DMed James Charles with a GoFundMe link and a donation request. James posted a video on TikTok mocking Vargas’s message, causing the rise of online backlash.
James Charles is an American makeup content creator. He joined the beauty community at sixteen years old, posting his makeup looks on social media platforms like Instagram, inspiring many celebrities to create similar content. Later, he started creating YouTube videos as well. James’ rise to popularity resulted from him being a self-taught beauty guru and a member and supporter of the LGBTQ community.
“James Charles was hypocritical and out of touch for criticizing a Spirit Airlines former employee as the common people are what got him to where he is now,” junior Phoebe Lu said.
Since supporters like Vargas are who built James’s popularity in the first place, many fans who relate to Vargas’s financial situation saw James’s video as rude and disrespectful.
“I believe that influencers have a requirement to respect and value their viewers especially because their entire income comes from the viewer/working class who feels a connection to them,” junior Nicholas Lai said.
Consequently, James experienced a mass unfollowing from fans on TikTok. People believed that James’ response to the message should have been delivered in a kinder manner.
“Not just as a celebrity, but as a human being, there is never a need to put other people down, even if you may not feel as respected as you believe you should be. Just because someone asks for help, even if it’s financially, does not mean you can treat them however you want. As an influencer, taking these actions not only hurts people, but harms your reputation,” freshman Ishana Lakshmi said.
James responded to the backlash by taking down the TikTok video and personally messaging Vargas apologizing for his comment on her DM. Vargas turned James’s message into a song and posted it on Tik Tok writing in the caption, “I heard the apology. I just don’t accept it.”
“I think the influencer did not have to respond at all. Choosing to engage in the situation in a harsh tone only escalated what was already a sensitive situation involving someone who had just lost their job. The apology that followed was definitely necessary but seemed to come only after public pressure and felt a bit insincere,” Italian teacher Ms. Caliendo said.
Fans reacted to James’s apology video with more criticism, and the increased attention to the situation led to a large number of donations into Vargas’s GoFundMe, raising more that $41,000.
James Charles’ response to this situation raises concerns about insensitivity towards fans, lack of empathy and the relationship between influencers and their audience. This situation emphasizes the need for influencers to truly understand their audience and to consider how their content may be received before posting.
