The woman James Charles allegedly called out on TikTok is now getting support from hundreds of people on GoFundMe, including Gypsy Rose Blanchard.
James made an angry, since-deleted TikTok video claiming that a woman who lost her job at Spirit Airlines reached out in his DMs with a link to her GoFundMe, calling her “lazy” for asking for money. He since uploaded an apology video.
Amber Lendof Vargas, a 30-year-old Boston Logan Airport operations agent, lost her job after Spirit Airlines shut down this month, as well as over 17,000 other people. According to a GoFundMe rep, Amber was the individual James was apparently talking about.
Per a release from GoFundMe:
When 30-year-old Boston Logan Airport operations agent Amber Lendof Vargas lost her job after Spirit Airlines abruptly shut down this month, she did what many of the airline’s 17,000 suddenly unemployed workers did: she reached out wherever she could for help. Beauty influencer James Charles responded by turning her private message into content, calling her lazy and entitled, and suggesting she simply “get another job.”
The video sparked immediate backlash, and he later deleted it and apologized. Since then, the internet has rallied around Amber directly, pushing her GoFundMe past $12,000 in donations from more than 300 strangers, to cover rent, food, and bills while she job-searches.
Here’s her GoFundMe description:
Hi, my name is Amber, and I’m 30 years old. I’ve been working at Boston Logan Airport for the past couple of years as an operations agent. Recently, everything changed overnight when Spirit Airlines shut down operations, and I suddenly found myself unemployed with no warning. Like many others in aviation, I showed up every day, worked early mornings, long shifts, and gave everything I had to my job. I never expected to be in a position where I’d need to ask for help.
Right now, I’m doing everything I can to get back on my feet — applying for jobs, looking for new opportunities, and trying to stay positive — but the sudden loss of income has made it difficult to cover basic expenses like rent, food, and bills. I’m asking for support during this transition period while I work to secure a new job and regain stability
Any donation, no matter how small, truly helps. And if you can’t donate, sharing this means just as much. Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for any support you can give.
Ex-Spirit Airlines Employee Raises Thousands After Viral TikTok Drama
Amber‘s GoFundMe has raised over $12,000 so far, including a $500 donation from Gypsy Rose, who left words of encouragement.
“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 to you.”
Amber has since shared what looks like the DM that originally caused James Charles to make the video, as well as a screenshot of an alleged donation from James following the backlash.
She also shared a video of her experience at Spirit Airlines, captioning the post: “Im not on enough Lexapro for social media , you guys are making my anxiety go through the roof #fyp #spiritairlines“
At the same time as the donation appeared, Gypsy Rose then spoke out in a TikTok video about being an influencer and giving back to her followers.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard Speaks Out About Helping Followers
“Hey, so usually I don’t make videos like this because I don’t do a whole lot of opinions about stuff, but I’m just gonna kind of keep it on just my feelings and my feelings alone. So, I have 9.3 million followers, and to that 9.3 million followers, I see you. You are a human being. And I might not know every single one of your names, but I will say that I see you. I appreciate you because without you, I would not have a platform that I have. I’d just be another face in the crowd, honestly. Yeah, I have my story, but I mean, it’s followers like you that make me still popular today, I guess. And so to you, I say I see you and I appreciate you. And there have been times that people have reached out to me in DMs that were like, ‘Hey, I am late on my mortgage.’ ‘Hey, I’m having a baby and I don’t have any baby items.’ And I have sent Cash App money to followers. I have sent Aurora’s old baby items to a follower. It’s a humanity thing. No, I don’t have millions of dollars to just give out to everybody. I’ve got responsibilities of my own. But if I have it to spare, I’m gonna try to help other people out.”
GoFundMe also provided a list of verified GoFundMe pages for employees with similar stories:
Jamie Patzer
Jamie is a 20-year Spirit flight attendant facing the potential loss of her home after the shutdown. According to the fundraiser, she had recently turned her life around after two years of personal and financial challenges and was getting back on her feet when the airline ceased operations. She is raising funds for her mortgage and, if needed, moving costs.
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-after-sudden-job-loss-tmq3x
Earl Grant
Earl, who had worked for nearly five years as a Spirit flight attendant, learned the airline was shutting down while he was mid-flight on May 2. He is raising funds for rent, utilities, and basic bills while searching for new work.
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-earl-after-sudden-job-loss
Marnier Elias-Peeples
Marnier, a Spirit flight attendant, launched a GoFundMe on behalf of Houston-area colleagues who were suddenly left without work. Funds are expected to be directed toward grocery gift cards to help ensure no one in the group goes hungry during the financial gap.
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-houston-flight-attendants-facing-layoff
Dashantae Buckholtz
Dashantae is a single mother and Spirit flight attendant who has relied on the airline as her sole income since 2022. She is raising funds for rent, utilities, and childcare for her young daughter and says her priority is to ensure her daughter continues to feel safe and supported.
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bba6s-support-after-spirit-airlines-layoff
Mario Perez
Mario is a five-year Spirit flight attendant managing a $4,000 mortgage on his own. Supporters have begun donating to help him stay in his home while he figures out next steps.
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-a-flight-attendant-in-need
Vecenté Ashley Murray
Vecenté is a seven-year Spirit flight attendant who lost more than 80 hours of sick time and two weeks of vacation in addition to his job. He is uncertain whether he will receive a final paycheck and is receiving support to cover housing and healthcare.
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-after-sudden-airline-job-loss
Kamille Carter
Kamille is a four-year Spirit flight attendant, wife, and mother of eight who is channeling the loss into opening a restaurant and building long-term stability for her family.
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-kamille-open-her-dream-restaurant
Nadine Jeter
Nadine is a flight attendant originally from St. Mary, Jamaica who came to the U.S. to pursue her dream of working in aviation. After four and a half years with Spirit, she lost her job when the airline closed. She is raising $4,000 to cover expenses during the transition.
GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/rebuilding-after-spirit-airlines-closure
Nathan Wooddy
Antonio and Nathan Wooddy, a South Florida couple who have built a life together for over a decade, face sudden financial uncertainty after both lost their jobs as Spirit Airlines flight attendants when the company abruptly shut down operations on May 2.
GoFundMe:https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-antonio-and-nathan-after-job-loss
Find out what James Charles said in his apology video.
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