The Disturbing Colleen Ballinger Controversy Fully Explained

Long before Instagram and TikTok influencers became a thing, there were the YouTube stars of the early 2010s. One such person was Colleen Ballinger, who gained popularity for her internet alter ego Miranda Sings, an eccentric yet endearing character who sings and dances badly — and is largely unaware. Among her social media accounts, Ballinger boasts an cult-like following with millions of fans. Years into her success as a YouTube star, Ballinger decided it was time to take Miranda Sings to the big stage. And so, in 2016, she collaborated with Netflix to create "Haters Back Off," a two-season comedy show chronicling Sings' bizarre family life. "On YouTube, I've stayed very limited with what I've been willing to share, so it's been very surface-level with Miranda. And now I can show a vulnerable side of Miranda, who is very real for me," she told Elle of her decision to create a show based on the character.

Though success could be traced back to a number of things, Ballinger believes she owes it all to her fans, whom she also credits for inspiration. "I am constantly on my social media accounts reading what the fans want to see me do next. My viewers are my bosses, so if they aren't happy, I'm out of a job. I always try to make videos that they want to see," she revealed in a 2014 interview with Made in Shoreditch. 

But, while her fans might have made her, they could also be the ones who break her, as many are calling out Ballinger's alleged behavior.

In 2020, a young YouTuber named Adam McIntyre released a video detailing his relationship with Colleen Ballinger. In the clip, McIntyre recounted stumbling upon the comedian's YouTube channel in her early years and subsequently creating social media fan pages to support her art. "After 2016 during a live stream that I will discuss later, me and Colleen started talking on a more personal level. By 2017, we were good friends or what I would have called good friends," he added. As their friendship progressed, Ballinger, then 30 years old, reportedly started getting inappropriate with McIntyre, who was only 13 at the time. In the clip, McIntyre says he soon began receiving unsolicited information from Ballinger regarding her divorce and relationship with her ex-husband. With time, things got even weirder, with Ballinger once sending McIntyre lingerie and constantly bringing up sexual conversations.

Though his allegations initially didn't gain as much ground, McIntyre's 2020 video recently resurfaced after KodeeRants, another YouTube content creator, alleged that Ballinger often made suggestive comments to members of her fandom who belonged to a group chat called Colleeny's Weenies. According to NBC News, the video, which has since been deleted, featured screenshots of Ballinger asking the group for their favorite position and McIntyre of his virginity status. Johnny Silvestri, another Ballinger super fan, also recounted his friendship with the comedian, which according to HuffPost, was characterized by trauma dumping on him and other minors in her fandom.

As more grooming allegations come to light, Colleen Ballinger continues to defend herself. Responding in 2020, the YouTube star explained in a video that Adam McIntyre asked to have the lingerie sent to him after watching her unbox it on a livestream. According to her, there was no sexual undertone to the move, as it soon became a "big joke within the fandom." Nonetheless, Ballinger admitted it was a "completely stupid" thing to do. "I should have realized and recognized how dumb that was and never sent it to him no matter how much he asked but it was never a sneaky creepy gross thing that I was doing in secret it was a silly stupid mistake," she added. 

In light of recent events, Ballinger has once again responded to the allegations — only this time, in a rather bizarre way. Taking to YouTube on June 28, Ballinger shared a video that showed her explaining herself with a song rather than words. "A lot of people are saying some things about me that aren't quite true. Doesn't matter if it's true, though, just as long as it's entertaining to you, right?" she sang while strumming a tiny ukelele. Despite admitting to previously having personal relationships with her fans, Ballinger insisted they were in no way inappropriate. "The only thing I've ever groomed is my two Persian cats / I'm not a groomer, just a loser / who didn't understand I shouldn't respond to fans," she added.

While she has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, Colleen Ballinger's recent controversy is forcing longtime fans to rethink their support. "I can no longer support her in any way, shape, or form, like, regardless of if her apology is the most genuine, most heartfelt. Because the things that are coming out, there's just so much," a superfan named Tatum Spears told NBC News. Another fan named Erin explained to the outlet that Ballinger's past actions are only just coming to light because many were too young to fully grasp what was going on at the time. "And we are recognizing ... the parasocial relationships that she has allowed to happen and encouraged to happen," Erin added. For many others, however, taking back their support for Ballinger was a no-brainer — all they had to do was put themselves in the shoes of others. "Because I was such a young age, I'm starting to think like, what if that was me?" a fan named Sophie said of the comedian's alleged grooming.
"It's like you think of all the things that could have happened to yourself."

In his interview with HuffPost, Johnny Silvestri, who also worked on Ballinger's tour bus, expressed regret for his past loyalty. "I just really hope people understand how highly impressionable I still was, and how I just felt like my job was being held over my head all the time," he explained.