Gypsy Rose Blanchard has stepped into another one of her internet controversies this week after she donated to a former Spirit Airlines employee. The employee was publicly ridiculed by beauty influencer James Charles over a GoFundMe request.
According to a TMZ report, Blanchard donated more than $500 to Amber Lendof Vargas, a former Spirit Airlines employee, who lost her job after the budget airline’s shutdown earlier this month.
Vargas was laid off along with over 17,000 others when the well-known low-cost airline closed earlier this month. Post lay-off, Vargas started a GoFundMe page to support herself financially.
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What is the James Charles controversy?
The controversy began after Vargas, a Boston Logan Airport operations agent, allegedly sent Charles a direct message asking him to share or contribute to her GoFundMe campaign after being laid off amid Spirit Airlines’ operational collapse.
In a TikTok video that quickly went viral, Charles mocked the request. He called the woman “lazy” and “entitled” for reaching out instead of finding another job
He also questioned why he would ever assist her and accused her of assuming that celebrities and influencers should support her. Charles later deleted the video and issued a public apology, admitting his reaction was “privileged” and “completely unnecessary,” according to TMZ.
Vargas later said publicly that she did not accept the apology. She also noted that the backlash James Charles received, had dramatically increased attention toward her fundraiser and social media accounts. According to Just Jared, her GoFundMe donations surged after the controversy exploded online.
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Why did Gypsy Rose donate to the Ex-Spirit employee GoFundMe?
The controversy caught traction and reached Gypsy as TMZ reported on her donation to the GoFundMe.
In a note to Vargas with the $500, shared by the outlet, Gypsy wrote, “Hi, my name is Gypsy Rose Blanchard and I am an influencer on TikTok. I have 9.3 million followers and I’m truly sorry for what happened and I’m sending many positive vibes.”
For her followers to contribute, Gypsy also posted the GoFundMe link on her page.
Gypsy later clarified to TMZ that she initially believed her donation message would remain private between herself and Vargas. She said, “At the end of the day, I didn’t want it to be about me, because it’s not about me.”
After seeing James Charles’ reaction online, Gypsy told TMZ, “The point that I made was that just because someone has a large following does not give them the right to bully other people.”
Gypsy said she had personally helped followers in difficult situations before and argued that having a large platform comes with responsibility. In videos shared online, Gypsy said she tries to “see” the humanity behind the people messaging her for help.
