Natalie St. Denis
YouTube beauty influencer Jeffree Star and his friend, Daniel Lucas, were hospitalized after a car crash in Wyoming April 16. Star was driving a Rolls-Royce when it hit black ice and flipped three times.
Both Star and Lucas were admitted to Wyoming Medical Center. Star updated his followers saying he would have to wear a brace for a few months to heal his broken back. Lucas had some internal issues because of his previous battle with stage three colon cancer.
Rumors spiraled concerning the car accident. Many people were accusing Star of faking or exaggerating the impact of the accident in order to publicize his latest product line. The cannabis-themed line, the Star Lounge, was set to be released just a few days later April 20.
“I don’t know what would make someone write such a dumb horrible story, but that was one of the worst experiences of my life. So let’s take a little pause. I just don’t get it,” Star said on his Instagram story.
Social media users were also wishing death on Star and Lucas after hearing of the accident.
“On the dark side, I think me and Daniel won the Guinness Book of World Records for people telling us the most times to die,” Star said.
Receiving hate online isn’t new to Star, after recent allegations have surfaced from his past, spanning from racial issues to payouts offered to victims of sexual assault who spoke out against Star. He began as an electro pop musician in the late 2000s and incidents of sexual assault and racist outbursts during that time in his life were made public.
Insider magazine spoke with individuals who said they saw Star grope men around him without consent. Five people told Insider they saw him use a close-range stun gun or other tasing devices to hurt and intimidate people around him. Star appeared in videos online yelling the N-word at people passing by. Star even reached out to individuals who spoke out against him and offered $10,000 for them to retract their allegations.
Morphe, a makeup retailer company that launched multiple lines with Star, made the decision to part ways with him after hearing of these allegations. On July 10 last year, Morphe tweeted, “Today we’ve made the decision to cease all commercial activity related to Jeffree Star and affiliated products.”
These, among the countless other offenses of Star, don’t go unnoticed. Sophomore finance and English writing arts double major, Angelique Hall, was never really a supporter of Star, especially after seeing articles and statements brought to the public eye about his racist comments targeting Black people.
“I don’t really want to support somebody that doesn’t support me,” Hall said.
Hall wasn’t surprised that he was receiving death wishes, but she doesn’t think that is right to wish upon anyone.
“You’re putting that negative energy into the world,” Hall said.
Freshman biology major Nadia Paschal felt a similar way.
“After hearing a lot of the things Jeffree Star has done, a lot of the racism allegations and just the unnecessary drama he creates, I don’t think there are any good reasons to support him. He doesn’t seem to be a positive influence on his audience,” Paschal said.
She explained, like Hall, that no one should ever get death threats. You can, however, wish for somebody to step off their platform and leave the internet.
“A lot of influencers and a lot of people in a higher position, like a celebrity status, tend to get away with a lot of things that the common people wouldn’t get away with because of their status and wealth,” Hall said.
Cancel culture has become a huge part of this generation. It was ultimately created by Generation Z in order to hold celebrities accountable for their actions. But where is the line?
“I think people are way too quick to judge these days. So unless they’ve done something horrible, I don’t think anybody should be canceled to such a point that they’re getting death threats or that their mental health plummets. You can hold somebody accountable, but in the end, cancel culture harms more than it helps,” Paschal said.
Cancel culture becomes toxic when it doesn’t allow an individual to learn and grow from wrongdoings of their past.
“I feel like if a person sincerely apologizes and tries their best to educate themselves in the topic they were called out for,” Hall said. “We should give them another chance because at the end of the day they’re human just like we are. They are entitled to making mistakes even though they are in the public light.”
