Australian internet star Jai Brooks has been accused of taking money from multiple customers for commissioned artwork and failing to deliver the paintings.
Brooks became one of Australia’s biggest YouTube personalities in the early 2010s as part of The Janoskians, alongside his twin brother Luke Brooks, Beau Brooks, Daniel Sahyounie and James Yammouni.
The group amassed millions of followers with their outrageous prank videos and developed a huge international teenage fanbase, while Brooks also made headlines around the world through his on-off relationship with Ariana Grande between 2012 and 2014.
Brooks has since pursued a career as an artist, selling paintings and accepting commissions through social media.
Now an anonymous TikTok account called Exposing Jai Brooks has published numerous screenshots of alleged Instagram exchanges between Brooks and customers who claim they paid for commissioned artworks but never received them.
The account owner alleges they paid Brooks $200 for a custom A3 painting of a dog they previously owned after seeing him advertise pet portraits.
Australian internet star Jai Brooks (pictured) has been accused of taking money from multiple customers for commissioned artwork and failing to deliver the paintings
Brooks is best known for being part of The Janoskians and for his relationship with pop star Ariana Grande between 2012 and 2014 (the exes are pictured in happier times)
They first contacted Brooks on September 24, 2024, sending him a photograph of the dog and agreeing to the price.
After paying, the customer waited almost two months before asking for an update.
‘Hi Jai I was reaching out to see if there was any update on the painting? Or if there’s an estimated time you could give me where you might start on it?’ they wrote on November 23.
According to screenshots published by Exposing Jai Brooks, there was no response.
The customer followed up again in December and February 2025, eventually receiving a message from Brooks claiming: ‘I’ve finished it!’
When the customer asked to see the painting, they allege he stopped responding.
Months later, after seeing other people allegedly making similar complaints online, the customer confronted Brooks.
‘Jai… why did you scam me? And why did you also scam so many other customers too?’ they wrote.
The owner of the account alleges they paid Brooks $200 for a custom A3 painting of a dog they previously owned after seeing him advertise pet portraits
Brooks denied scamming the customer, according to the screenshots.
‘Hey I haven’t scammed you,’ he allegedly replied, before saying he still had the painting but had ‘lost all my details’ about it.
The customer later offered to accept either the artwork or a refund.
According to the screenshots, Brooks did not respond.
A second customer has also alleged they paid Brooks for a commissioned dog portrait and were left waiting for two years before ultimately giving up.
The customer contacted Brooks on October 28, 2024 and agreed to pay $200 for the painting, plus $20 for delivery.
After receiving no response to a November follow-up, the customer tried again in December.
Brooks allegedly said he was ‘working down the list’ of other orders and that their commission was ‘coming up’.
A second customer has also alleged they paid Brooks for a commissioned dog portrait and were left waiting months for their artwork
By February 2025, Brooks allegedly told the customer he was ‘starting this week’.
But by March, the customer had lost patience.
‘It’s been 5 months now. Have you completed it? Or can you please transfer my money back to me. This was meant to be for a gift to my mum ages ago,’ they wrote.
Brooks allegedly apologised and promised the painting would be finished the following week.
‘I’d say by Wednesday it will be done. Been so flat out,’ he wrote.
According to the customer, Brooks did send a photograph of the completed painting the following week.
But by April, they claim he had stopped responding again.
The customer allegedly continued messaging him for more than a year without receiving a response or the commissioned artwork.
A second customer has also alleged they paid Brooks for a commissioned dog portrait and were left waiting for two years before ultimately giving up
A third customer allegedly paid Brooks for a pet portrait in October 2024 and received a photograph of the completed work the following month. However, they claim Brooks never actually sent the painting
Jai is pictured with The Janoskians in 2015. (L-R: Luke Brooks, Beau Brooks, Jai Brooks, Daniel Sahyounie and James Yammouni)
A third customer allegedly paid Brooks for a pet portrait in October 2024 and received a photograph of the completed work the following month.
However, they claim Brooks never actually sent the painting.
The customer allegedly spent the following six months chasing him and eventually had to tell Brooks they had moved house so he could send the artwork to their new address.
The messages allegedly continued to go unanswered.
‘I think it’s been 6 months since I sent the money, not to be that guy,’ the customer wrote.
By April 2025, the customer had apparently reached breaking point and sent Brooks a blunt assessment of the painting.
‘Honestly I didn’t even like it – I was just trying to be polite,’ they wrote, adding: ‘I’ve seen your other art and I do think you’re talented … but the pet portrait wasn’t great.’
‘I was going to spend time on it myself to try make it look less tragic.’
Brooks allegedly responded that he would finally send the artwork.
‘I’m saving your address and I’ll send it out this week,’ he wrote.
He also appeared to take issue with the customer’s criticism.
‘Also I appreciate your honesty. I’m gonna block you because that’s just the rudest thing I’ve heard in my life bahahaha. You went f**king hard at me I’m sorry you don’t like it but like I said I do appreciate your honesty,’ Brooks wrote.
In the caption accompanying the post, Exposing Jai Brooks alleged that Brooks subsequently blocked the customer and never sent the artwork.
The three conversations are among numerous alleged customer exchanges published by the anonymous account.
Daily Mail has reached out to Brooks for comment.
