Manny MUA Spills the Not So Interesting Tea on His Relationship With James Charles

Beauty YouTuber Manny Gutierrez (aka Manny MUA) is starting 2020 with a clean slate. The 28-year-old took to his channel on Dec. 30 to address some long-standing rumors, including one concerning his relationship with fellow influencer James Charles.

In a 30-minute video, the make-up artist denied hooking up with James, claiming the duo is just good friends. "I can assure you guys that me and James are not f--king, we are not dating, we are not together, we are not any item in any way, shape, or form," he told his 4.7 million subscribers. "We are just not each other’s type."

The Maybelline brand ambassador added that the two have moved past their previous beef, which involved a shady tweet from James on Twitter. 

"He apologized and was like, 'Yo, I’m so sorry. Like, that’s not what I think of you and I was a dumb kid who was in a not great place,' and I forgave him," Manny said of the feud. "I’m just happy that we got to be at the spot where we are now in our relationship — and that does not include f--king."

Manny also shot down speculation that he’s bisexual or "pretending" to be gay. "I promise you that I am fully gay," he said. "I’m actually a gold star gay. I’ve never hooked up with a woman, ever. I’ve made out with girls, of course… I’ve touched boobies — but for fun."

It’s probably a good thing that Manny isn’t romantically involved with the 20-year-old because James’ personal life is constantly embroiled in controversy. In May, the frequent Morphe collaborator got called out for identifying as female on Tinder, which some characterized as a deliberate attempt to match with straight men.

That same month, YouTuber Tati Westbrook accused her former friend of "manipulating people’s sexuality" for his own amusement. "You are using your fame, your power, your money, to play with people's emotions," she said in a since-deleted video. "And you're doing that to have them behave sexually in your favor."

Screenshots of James’ alleged Tinder bio seemingly confirmed that he was looking to meet heterosexual males at the time. "I am in fact not a woman but I do wear makeup for a living and some straight guys apparently can’t tell the difference so I guess that’s a good thing and now here I am so hi I’m James," he reportedly wrote.

In a November interview with Paper magazine, the New York native dismissed reports that he was trying to trick or seduce straight men into being gay. "What that statement implies is that gay men are all predatory, which is disgusting, not true, and very dangerous to put out there," he expressed.

"We're quickly getting to a point where cyberbullying, hating, and cancel culture is getting stronger," he added, saying that amidst those allegations, he was "surrounded by close friends and family that were checking on me all day long… every 10 minutes to make sure I didn't do something that I could never take back."

Here’s hoping 2020 proves to be a drama-free year for both James and Manny.