Where Is Michelle Phan Now? The OG Beauty Guru's Spiritual Beliefs Nearly Got Her Canceled

In the early days of YouTube, the words content creator or influencer didn't exist. Regular girls, guys, and non-binary folks shared their must-have finds after a trip to Ulta and Sephora. There were no GRWMs or lucrative brand deals, just good old-fashioned community building. Of course, the beauty influencer world is forever changed, and the OGs behind them have either become millionaires or fallen into the shadows.

Beauty guru Michelle Phan, did a little bit of both. After gaining millions of followers on YouTube and on social media for her fantasy makeup tutorials, Michelle took a different turn that nearly ended her career. Now, she's back doing what she loves, but in a new way.

Michelle's YouTube channel states she joined the platform in 2006. During her reign in the early 2000s and 2010s, she was best known for her impeccable transformation makeup videos. Some of her most popular videos include her channeling her inner Lady Gaga in the singer's "Bad Romance" video or a Barbie or Disney Princess. Many of her videos received record-breaking numbers, with her Barbie video having 69 million views and counting.

In 2017, after over a decade of consistent videos, Michelle took a brief hiatus from YouTube, which she discussed in a video titled "Why I Left." She explained to her fans she had begun feeling uninspired by her platform and needed to take a break.

Michelle returned to her channel in 2020 and still posts on it today. However, instead of outlandish videos, she focuses on everyday makeup looks using products from her brand, Em Cosmetics, or other entrepreneurs. Michelle is also an avid Bitcoin supporter and discusses being involved in cryptocurrency on her social media platforms.

Michelle created Em in 2013 and said in 2024 that the pivot to entrepreneurship is something that didn't come easy to her initially, but she never gave up.

"The biggest lesson for me was to identify my weak points,” the influencer said while on a panel with Glossy Beauty Pop in August 2024. "Not all my ventures did well, but I see them as lessons that revealed my weaknesses.”

"If you’re young or new in entrepreneurship, know that things might not work out, and that’s OK," she continued. "It’s an opportunity to grow.”

Many of Michelle's followers were excited about her hiatus. However, their excitement shifted after fans saw a video she posted in 2022. Michelle shared in an Instagram video that she healed a man in a wheelchair after using "brain and heart coherence,” per Paper Magazine She told her followers the man was "not only walking now, but dancing with joy.”

Michelle claimed she learned how to heal from a week-long retreat hosted by Dr. Joe Dispenza, a chiropractor and international speaker, who reportedly healed himself back to walking using just the power of his mind after being hit by a truck in 1986. She said she was always drawn Dispenza's story and took advantage of his teachings.

Michelle's allegations resulted in several former fans changing their tune after accusing her of being in a cult. In addition to her belief she could heal the man (who never confirmed that was true), she described the retreat's schedule as anything but relaxing.

“I’m clocking in four hours of sleep every day, waking up at 3 am to meditate for five hours straight, no breaks, not even for the bathroom," Michelle said. "Then we eat, then learn science for two hours, then mediate again, then break and then, mediate again. "It's work."

The YouTuber's beliefs were the focus of a 2022 Rolling Stone story titled "Michelle Phan: A Top YouTube Beauty Guru Has an Ugly History of Peddling Pseudoscience B---s--t." In 2023, Michelle denied being in a cult during an episode of The Aubservation Shorts Podcast. On the show, she said her comments about the retreat and her beliefs were "taken out of context" and that she used prayer to help the man, who she said suffered from arthritis.