What happened to Miranda Sings? Colleen Ballinger grooming controversy explained

July 31, 2023 0

Entertainment

What happened to Miranda Sings? Colleen Ballinger grooming controversy explained

Published: 2023-07-05T23:11:01  ❘   Updated: 2023-07-05T23:11:01Colleen Ballinger / YouTuber

Miranda Sings YouTube star, Colleen Ballinger, has been accused of grooming and having inappropriate relationships with her teen fans. Here’s everything we know about the situation

Miranda Sings is the alter ego character of Colleen Ballinger, who has been making videos on YouTube since 2008. She has posted hundreds of videos as her comically talentless and quirky character and has a combined following of over 22 million subscribers across three YouTube channels.

Throughout her time on YouTube, Colleen broke into the world of traditional celebrity, with her own Netflix original series, an appearance on Jerry Seinfeld’s Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, a run on Waitress on Broadway, and two best-selling books. 

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Recently, Ballinger made headlines after former fan Adam McIntyre alleged that she groomed and bullied underage fans. And it turns out Adam McIntyre isn’t the only one speaking out against the YouTuber on such matters.

But what are people actually accusing her of? And do they have proof? Here’s everything we know about the situation.

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Colleen Ballinger accused of grooming teen fansMiranda Sings made teen fan uncomfortable at comedy showSponsors drop Colleen Ballinger as a result of grooming accusationsColleen responds to grooming allegations with ukulele songAdam McIntyre responds to the video with his own version of the song

Colleen Ballinger accused of grooming teen fans

Colleen Vlogs, YouTube

Former fan Adam McIntyre first posted a video where he accused Ballinger of grooming in 2020. However, this video was quickly filled with other fans of Ballinger coming to her defense.

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Because of this, the hype regarding the video soon died down and was forgotten about – until McIntyre released another video talking about Ballinger on June 4, 2023.

In the hour and 20 minutes long video, which already has over 583,000 views, McIntyre talked about his relationship with Ballinger and how he felt like she was using him and other fans for her convenience.

In another video published a few days later, on June 7, McIntyre further discussed his relationship with Ballinger, including how he was part of a group chat with the YouTuber and other fans.

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At the time of these conversations, Ballinger was already in her 30s, and a majority of the fans included in the chat were supposedly aged between 14-16. However, this did not stop Ballinger from commenting on their appearance, encouraging bullying, and asking inappropriate questions — such as when they lost their virginity and when what their first periods were like.

“This woman groomed me,” he said.

McIntyre also showed several screenshots of his time in the group chats, which included Ballinger asking some very weird and inappropriate questions. These have also been shared on McIntyre’s Twitter where he’s been revealing more about his relationship with Ballinger.

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McIntyre has also claimed that the Youtuber would use love-bombing to make him feel special, praising and encouraging him to run her social media accounts without pay or accreditation. This would ultimately end their friendship.

Since McIntyre stood up and talked about his experience with Ballinger, other former fans of the internet personality have also opened up about their experiences of being groomed or used by her.

Miranda Sings made teen fan uncomfortable at comedy show

A TikTok posted on June 14 by ‘noitsbecky’, first name Becky, alleges that the YouTuber has humiliated and exploited minors for entertainment in her shows.

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Becky opened up on how she went to one of Ballinger’s shows when she was 16 years old and was called up on stage to be part of the show. However, Becky soon got very uncomfortable as they began the ‘yoga challenge,’ which involved Ballinger, who was acting as Miranda at the time, controlling the teenager’s body for the audience’s amusement.

In one section of the bit, Ballinger visibly spread the then-teenager’s legs so far apart that Becky’s spandex became visible to the audience. While doing this, she has a smirk on her lips while looking down at Becky on the floor.

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Explaining her experience, Becky wrote on Twitter: “I’ve been debating posting this picture, but this was me on stage. She encouraged her fans to wear revealing clothing so we would get called on stage. and then she exploited us and our bodies for her own gain. so yeah, I’m okay with calling her a predator.

“I’m so sick of people being okay with calling Colleen out, but then stopping when it comes to using certain terminology. it’s okay to call her a groomer and a predator because that’s what she IS. Normal people don’t do what she does to children.

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“The whole bit here was that I “farted” while in this position which is 1) really childish and 2) fucking embarrassing when you’re already in a vulnerable position. I was only a teenager here and you can see that I had to stop and cover myself up before I even stood up.”

Sponsors drop Colleen Ballinger as a result of grooming accusations

Colleen Vlogs/YouTube

A least two companies that work with Colleen on her podcast, RELAX! with Colleen Ballinger & Erik Stocklin, have pulled their sponsorships as a result of the accusations against her.

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Colleen has previously been open about her previous controversies. In a video called “addressing everything,” which was published in 2020, Colleen opened up about a number of accusations leveled at her, including footage from a 2016 giveaway livestream, during which Adam, who was 17 at the time, was sent unused lingerie the content creator did not want.

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“In hindsight, I see how completely stupid of me [it was]. I should never have sent that.

“It was never a sneaky, creepy, gross thing I was doing in secret; it was a silly, stupid mistake.

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“No, I should have never sent a fan underwear, how stupid am I? No, I definitely should have never given him access to my Twitter account, and no, I shouldn’t have talked to him as often as I did.

“But I am not a monster, I am not a groomer, and I shouldn’t kill myself,” said Colleen.

Colleen responds to grooming allegations with ukulele song

On June 28, Ballinger finally broke her silence about the accusations against her and uploaded a video response to her vlog channel.

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In the video, the YouTuber claimed that her management team had “strongly advised” her not to “say what I want to say,” but “realized they never said that I couldn’t sing.”

Thus, she sang a ten-minute ditty about the ordeal, which she called “toxic gossip” and compared to a train heading into a “manipulation station” (all while strumming away on a ukulele).

Although Ballinger claimed that she has changed her behavior and took “accountability” for her past actions, fans weren’t happy with her video, with many accusing her of “mocking” her accusers and making light of a serious situation.

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Adam McIntyre responds to the video with his own version of the song

Ballinger’s ukulele song quickly got mocked on social media, with several people calling it one of the worst influencer apology videos.

Adam McIntyre, who made the initial video against Ballinger, made a reaction video to her apology song, where he accused her of making fun of him.

A few hours later, he made another response, where he watched the video and sang along with his own ukulele. McIntyre told viewers that if Ballinger believes a musical response is appropriate then perhaps she will pay attention if he does the same.

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Singing off-key and not really knowing how to play the instrument in his hands, he proceeded to respond to each of Ballinger’s lyrics with his own, singing along to her chorus and calling out inconsistencies he saw in her apology.

At multiple points within the video, McIntyre pointed out that despite Ballinger insisting she will only focus on facts in her apology, she never provided any evidence or proof.

Viewers showered McIntyre’s video with support, mostly loving his response to Ballinger’s bizarre musical apology. One wrote, “This is the best example of ‘when life gives you lemons make lemonade’. Adam, you are amazing and an icon.”

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McIntyre has not been the only one shocked and appalled by Colleen’s response, with many YouTubers and influencers rising up to slam the Miranda Sings star for her tone-death approach, including Tana Mongeau, who posted her reaction on TikTok.

Miranda Sings under fire as blackface video resurfaces

On July 5, Ballinger once again came under fire after a user on Twitter reposted an old video of the YouTuber wearing what appears to be blackface while singing and dancing to Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies.’

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The video is still available to view on the Miranda Sings YouTube channel and was originally uploaded in 2018. As shown by the Twitter user, the video is directly linked to in a QR code in one of Ballinger’s books.

This is just the latest news to come from the Miranda Sings controversy after fellow influencer Trisha Paytas blasted the YouTuber amid the ongoing accusations against her.

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