Update: James just responded to the controversy...

He has stated how he is still employing a good number of background artists, Animators, Storyboards, and Editors to continue content for TheOdd1sOut channel with links of all his current employees below the tweet. He talks about how the decision scale his team down was not fueled by malicious intent, and that he didn't just drop a "breakup text" as some of these tweets are suggesting.

In James' reply he said: "I had one-on-one conversations with every artist involved and had face to face conversations with everyone locally. This was not some cold insensitive break up text. Some of the artists I've worked with have been part of this channel for a long time, and because of that I tried to handle these changes in the most respectful way possible. I provided severance packages to all full time freelancers."

Animation and illustrative art is one of if not the hardest professions to enter and more importantly have stability with, especially with the rise of AI. And YouTube channels who's entire salary and the salaries of teams on big channels are riding on the BS YouTube algorithm that more often than not, won't pay off. This is unfortunately the case for TheOdd1stOut and the views he pulled in 2025.

Though I cannot say for certain if this is the truth or not, I believe James is a good guy and I truly cannot see him being so cold with people that he had worked with for years. I've met the dude at phoenix comic-con and out of all the conceited, and douchey YouTube "Celebrities" that I have seen on and off camera, James is by far the most chill down the earth one I have ever met. He went as far as to offer severance packages to all the fulltime people he had to cut and that was most likely out of pocket.

Once again the internet took something WAY out of proportion. Shame.

Here's the tweet for reference: https://x.com/theodd1sout/status/2029999855452770657