YouTuber James Charles has issued a public apology to Alicia Keys, after he seemingly shaded her new makeup line online.

For those who missed it, the influencer wrote in a now-deleted tweet on Wednesday, August 5, “People who do not wear makeup should not be coming out with makeup brands but that’s just my opinion.”

One day later, he took to Twitter again, but this time, he said he was sorry for his comments.

“Yesterday, I posted a subtweet about how I thought some celebrities shouldn’t launch makeup lines. It was about @AliciaKeys. A few years ago, she announced that she no longer would wear makeup, so I was bothered because many celebrities come into the beauty space as a cash grab without any actual passion and then leave,” James wrote in a lengthy note. “I deleted the tweet after a few mins because it’s childish to indirect tweet someone and I am not the gatekeeper of makeup. Anyone should be able to secure their bag and it’s not up to me which brands people should or shouldn’t support.”

For those who missed it, Alicia announced that she was partnering with e.l.f. Cosmetics for some new beauty products on August 5. The line is expected to launch in 2021.

“I’m not glad that I DID delete it because after reading further, I learned that the beauty line is SKINCARE. This was my mistake and I should’ve read more before tweeting because literally who BETTER to talk about keeping your skin clear without makeup?” he continued. “Regardless of my intention with my tweet, it ended up being a microagression against someone I respect, so to @AliciaKeys I owe a direct apology — I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place to gate keep this industry. I can’t wait to support and try out the products, and I know the brand will be worth a billion in a few years.”

Before clearing the air and revealing it was Alicia that he was referring to, some people thought he was talking about Charli and Dixie D’Amelio‘s new makeup line. But the beauty guru shut those rumors down in another now-deleted tweet.

“Reworded the original tweet because people assumed I was shading my own friends or people I love, which is not the case lol,” he explained.

Although the messages have now been taken down, they were quickly screenshotted and reposted to the Instagram account TikTok Room.

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The social media star also addressed the situation in a comment on their post, which said, “Why would I be shading one of my own friends lmao omg y’all want drama so bad.”

As fans know, James has collaborated with Charli multiple times in the past, and it’s no secret that they’re close friends. Back in June, she even opened up about the important lesson he taught her.

“I have learned so much from every person I’ve met,” the social media star explained to TigerBeat. “James, he teaches me how to just be the best person that I can be.”

Makeup artist MannyMUA (whose real name is Manny Gutierrez) also seemingly spoke out about the situation.

“Does anyone else get slightly irritated when celebs come out with entire makeup lines? Especially when those celebs don’t even wear makeup… I’m like, girl,” he tweeted.

When a fan replied and brought up Kylie Jenner and Rihanna‘s products, he responded and stuck up for them.

“See, with Rihanna and Kylie I get it tho… They’re glam girls! They wear makeup, they’re known for their makeup so I can see that… But some other people I’m like, HUH?!” he explained.

When another user pointed out that there was a difference between being the face of a makeup brand and creating your own brand, he agreed.

“Oh being the face of something is so different then having your own brand,” the influencer added in one final tweet.

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