ICYMI

How “Bye Sister” Changed Internet Culture Forever

We look back at YouTuber Tati Westbrook’s iconic takedown of James Charles, which redefined drama and the moral battles of influencer culture

Episode Notes

Candice Lim is joined by TIME culture reporter Moises Mendez II for the five-year anniversary of Tati Westbrook’s “BYE SISTER” video, a 43-minute long confessional about her then-friend and fellow beauty YouTuber James Charles. What started as a hair care vitamin sponsorship gone wrong, then became a video accusing Charles of using his fame to coerce straight men into sex. This led Charles and controversial beauty influencer Jeffree Star to enter the chat, but the damage was done and no party has fully recovered from the video that started it all. Five years later, we trace how Sistergeddon entered the YouTube Hall of Fame.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario and Candice Lim.

About the Show

Join Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton twice a week as they gaze deep into the online abyss—and tell you what’s gazing back. All episodes

Hosts

  • Candice Lim is the co-host of ICYMI, Slate’s podcast about internet culture. She comes to Slate from NPR, where she was an assistant producer at Pop Culture Happy Hour. Prior to that, she was an intern at NPR’s How I Built This, the Hollywood Reporter, WBUR, and the Orange County Register. She graduated from Boston University with a bachelor's degree in journalism and grew up in Orange County, California.

  • Moises Mendez II is a freelance culture journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. He covers entertainment, LGBTQ+ culture, and social media. He has bylines at Fast Company, Rolling Stone, HuffPost, and more.