“Welcome to the real world,” said celebrity James Charles in his recently deleted TikTok video in reference to the over 17,000 people who lost their jobs in the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines. This video only proved how out of touch he is with others’ financial burdens.
In my youth, my family was not as financially stable as it is now. And during the COVID-19 global pandemic, my dad even lost his position in the job market crisis. For some time, we experienced financial struggle. This is something that Charles, who owns the makeup brand Painted by James Charles, has 23.9 million subscribers on YouTube and the privilege of never having to wonder whether his bills will be paid at the end of the month. I am incredibly fortunate to have grown up with parents who have shielded me from the struggles they quietly endured when I was younger. Even during the difficult moments, they never let me see the financial uncertainty or the fear that comes with wondering how everything will be paid for.
Not everyone has this privilege.
Some families cannot conceal the reality of their hardship because it follows them into every aspect of their lives. Some parents are forced to choose which bills can wait another week or cannot keep a stable job that allows them to afford necessities.
This is the reason why so many people turn to those with wealth and influence in moments of desperation, hoping compassion will outweigh their ego. Yet sometimes, that request for help is dismissed by individuals so detached from financial struggle that they cannot recognize the humanity behind it. One of those people seems to be Charles.
According to National Public Radio, after years of financial instability, Spirit Airlines officially shut down operations on May 2 after failing to secure a $500 million federal bailout. Rising jet fuel prices and growing competition from larger airlines were the ultimate reasons why Spirit was slowly pushed towards collapse. Overnight, thousands of employees were left without jobs and uncertainty about how they would support their families. What became a punch line to another unfunny internet joke for some people was, in reality, the loss of income and stability for countless workers.
In the video posted by Charles, he explains how a woman who had lost her job due to the bankruptcy sent him a Direct Message (DM) on Instagram asking if he could take a moment to donate to her GoFundMe. In doing so, he claims on TikTok that she has not sought to improve the situation by finding another job, arguing instead that her failure to do so stems from laziness and entitlement. Instead of reaching out to the girl with a polite decline or understanding what had fully happened, he jumped to assumptions without knowing the full story.
What Charles fails to recognize is that he is the one speaking from a place of entitlement. While mocking someone’s livelihood for entertainment, he films in his multi-million-dollar home, far removed from the financial realities many people face. In the video, Charles remarks, “You think that influencers and celebrities should fund your life for you,” referring to the women who DMed him. However, asking those with privilege to help during times of struggle is not a solution to the crisis itself, but rather an attempt to lessen the financial burden it creates.
Charles will never truly understand the overwhelming pressure of suddenly losing a job. Unemployment is not a simple inconvenience; in today’s economy, it can take months to secure another stable position that provides financial support. Yet Charles speaks on the issue from a position of security, seemingly unaware of the uncertainty and fear that many working people face.
As someone who has been directly affected by job insecurity, it is not something to go on social media and joke about. These situations affect ordinary people. My family is not “lazy” or “entitled”; they are hardworking people who did everything they could to stay afloat in that time of struggle, and I would be willing to bet that the woman who lost her job because of the bankruptcy did too.
