Image Source: Peter Simondac

The state of the YouTube community is ridden with controversy right now, and everyone from fans to influencers to otherwise-unbothered publications is talking about it. There are the reports that top influencers are getting paid upwards of $85K for a negative review of a competing brand's product without disclosing the ad. Several industry dynamos are bleeding followers after fans uncovered racist tweets, with three of them collectively losing nearly 1 million subscribers within a month. The industry drama has hit mainstream interest, and it seems as if every major beauty YouTuber needs a controversy to cross over.

Not Starrr.

He hasn't publicly commented on anything regarding the controversies around the people he once called his friends. After Manny Gutierrez (Manny MUA) posted a video about why the two are no longer close, Starrr simply tweeted, "Now you know."

When I ask him about it backstage before the Face Awards, he has but one thing to say.

"I talked to a good old friend of mine — Norvina, Anastasia's daughter — and she told me about the term 'fair-weathered friends.' [Editor's note: Anastasia Soare is the founder of Anastasia Beverly Hills.] I was like, 'What's that?' She goes, 'You know . . . they go where the weather is fair. Wherever the sun shines, they go where the people sparkle or whatever is convenient for them.' I'm not talking about anyone . . ." he says with a smirk. "Sometimes, you can get jaded if you don't have the right people around you."

The "right" people he's referring to include his entire team of friends and family from Florida. His brother, Peter Simondac, acts as his director. He met his executive producer, Quinonez, originally in Orlando at Pulse nightclub and through working on beauty-related projects together. He eventually hired him to produce a series for his channel. He also works with two assistants, a PR team, and his manager. When he travels on trips with brands, he brings Simondac and Quinonez, at the very least.

Starrr feels it's his duty to stay focused and not fall into the click-bait, drama-filled spiral that is omnipresent online. "For me, being a minority, I feel there's not a lot of representation out there. Being plus-sized, gay, brown, a male in beauty — I don't want to mess it up for people who resonate with a person like myself. I've had to decompress and take a digital detox. I've had to step away and just focus on why I started."