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  • 2 days ago
When a $10,000 billboard was taken down, Ethan Klein used an un-censorable federal loophole to take his feud with James Charles straight to suburban mailboxes.

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00:00Did anyone in Los Angeles open their mailbox this week
00:02and receive a custom postcard referencing James Charles?
00:05Brother, hold on, man, hold on, hold on, man, hold on.
00:09While most creator feuds stay locked inside comment sections,
00:12Ethan Klein just brought his ongoing campaign against James Charles
00:15straight to suburban front doors.
00:17According to Klein's own videos,
00:19the follow-up campaign began after his $10,000 billboard
00:22was taken down back in February.
00:24The advertisers we work with say they had nothing to do with it.
00:27In fact, they say nobody's even working.
00:28It's a three-day weekend because President's Day is on Monday.
00:31To understand the postcards, you have to go back to mid-February.
00:35Yes, it's true.
00:36I've spent about $10,000 to put up a full-sized billboard.
00:39Why would he do all this?
00:41To remind everybody of the that James Charles is.
00:44Because back in 2021,
00:46James Charles was accused of exchanging inappropriate messages
00:49with two 16-year-olds whom he says told him they were 18.
00:53I want to say I'm sorry.
00:55I'm sorry that I ought to do.
00:56I'm sorry that I flirted with you.
00:58And I'm really sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable.
01:00Following the allegations,
01:02Charles admitted his actions were reckless
01:04and announced a break from social media.
01:06It sucks.
01:07And it is ridiculously embarrassing to admit this.
01:10But I think I have to.
01:13And that is that I'm desperate.
01:15Now it's worth noting the underlying allegations
01:17aren't uncontested.
01:19One of Charles' early accusers
01:20later posted a video admitting the screenshots
01:22he shared were fake.
01:24It is fake and it was my stupid, stupid, irresponsible idea to even do that.
01:29But another accuser, who went by Isaiah, has maintained the opposite.
01:34He publicly disputed Charles' account,
01:36saying his TikTok bio listed his real age of 16 at the time of James messaging him.
01:41Despite the mixed claims,
01:42Charles has not been criminally charged in connection with the allegations.
01:46That's why Klein told followers,
01:48It's time to double our efforts.
01:50More billboards.
01:51I'm gonna get a Skyrider.
01:52And this is where the public opinion has split.
01:55James Charles has gotten canceled a lot,
01:56so I thought it'd be fun to go over all his cancellations.
01:58While many have called for the cancellation of James Charles for years,
02:02others are questioning if Klein is doing this for the right reasons,
02:06pointing to Ethan's own past conduct
02:08and calling the billboard more of a publicity stunt than genuine advocacy.
02:12Unfortunately for Klein, within about 48 hours,
02:15the billboard came back down.
02:17And we will hold those responsible who are doing this to protect the predator.
02:21But Klein alleged the ad company refunded the $10,000,
02:24and that this refund is what funded the postcard campaign that followed.
02:29Regardless, this is not the end.
02:31This is only the beginning.
02:33Once the billboard came down, Klein started describing a follow-up plan,
02:37including 12,000 postcards sent to LA residents,
02:40all thanks to a tool called EDDM.
02:43I put a postcard in your mailbox.
02:45You all knew.
02:47Now, this is a legitimate UPS service typically used by local businesses
02:50to send mail to every address on a carrier route or a zip code.
02:54Now, because EDDM runs through the postal service rather than a platform,
02:58it isn't subject to takedown requests the way a video or paid ad might be.
03:02So far, this is the only good idea I've had to try to do something.
03:06And with somebody with resources and reach,
03:08I feel like, you know, it's the least I can do.
03:10He's also going around describing the postcard campaign as a win,
03:14but the reaction online has actually been split.
03:17Supporters in agreement argue that sponsors and platforms
03:20often move on quickly from creator controversies.
03:22So to them, a physical hard-to-remove message
03:25is one of the few tools left for people who feel accountability hasn't happened.
03:30While critics, including some local residents,
03:33argue EDDM doesn't screen who opens the door,
03:36while others have questioned Klein's motives,
03:38asking whether a mail campaign targeting one person's neighborhood
03:41is accountability journalism or content-driven spite.
03:45But no matter what side you pick, we see an even bigger problem.
03:48By taking $10,000 from a pooled billboard
03:51and turning it into a federal post drop,
03:54he then unlocked a completely unprecedented tactic.
03:57He has now proven that when digital platforms suppress or delete commentary,
04:01creators with deep pockets can bypass terms of service entirely
04:04in order to get their side of the story straight to a rival's front door.
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