Fact Check

Did Makeup Artist James Charles Shave His Head?

The YouTube star's bare scalp sparked a lot of social media chatter.

Published Feb. 13, 2021

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 06: James Charles attends The 2019 Met Gala Celebrating Camp: Notes on Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/WireImage) ( Theo Wargo/WireImage)
Image courtesy of Theo Wargo/WireImage
Claim:
Makeup artist and internet celebrity James Charles shaved his head bald in February 2021.

Why no rating on this article? This is a trending topic but has not yet been rated by Snopes for reasons we’ll outline below.

On Feb. 11, 2021, makeup artist and social media celebrity James Charles revealed a new hairstyle — or lack thereof — setting off something of an internet hullabaloo.

Stepping out of a car in front of the lens of photographer Kevin Wong, Charles revealed he had a newly clean-shaven head and stated that it was real:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGwBcwU4t2k&t=39s

Charles also posted images on his Twitter feed:

Some shared humorous takes on Charles' new look, like comparing his appearance to that of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

We have no reason to doubt that Charles shaved his head — with one caveat. He is very, very good at doing makeup.

In the video embedded above, Charles stated that he recorded himself shaving his head. We will update this story if that video or other evidence is made public.

Bethania Palma is a journalist from the Los Angeles area who started her career as a daily newspaper reporter and has covered everything from crime to government to national politics. She has written for ... read more