YouTuber Colleen Ballinger known as her alter ego Miranda Sings has responded to the multiple accusations of inappropriate conversations and experiences they had with her in a singing YouTube video titled “hi.”. While strumming on her ukulele, Ballinger sings about the “toxic gossip train” which has been spreading “misinformation” about her online. The reasoning behind such a seemingly inappropriate method to address serious issues? Her team “strongly advised” her not to say what she wants to say, but they didn’t say she “couldn’t sing” what she wanted to say.
Toxic Gossip Train
“A lot of people are saying things about me that aren’t quite true,” Ballinger says at the start of the video. “It doesn’t matter if it’s true, just as long as it’s entertaining.”
She claims in the video that she used to message her fans “not in a creepy way” but rather in a “trying to be besties” with them. While singing, she adds that she changed her behavior and “took accountability” for what she calls “loser” behavior.
“In the beginning of my career, I really didn’t understand that there should be some boundaries,” she said.
YouTuber Adam McIntyre released a video earlier this month that claimed that she had started a friendship with her, ghost-wrote content, and was sent a pair of women’s lingerie while he was 14 years old. He also revealed that there was a “Weenies” group chat, where she would directly message fans, and asked McIntyre his “fav position” and if he “is a virgin” when he was 14 or 15. Their communication didn’t end until 2020.
In regards to the accusations of her content being inappropriate for younger viewers, she claims that her buffoonish character Miranda Sings is “PG-13” and that it should be the parent’s responsibility to decide if her content is appropriate for them. She also claims it was never her “intention to manipulate” and “the only thing I’ve ever groomed is my two Persian cats.”
“I didn’t realize it was my responsibility to decide what was appropriate for every kid to see.”
In the Colleen Ballinger apology video, she also sings that she’s not a “predator” just because “five years ago I just made a fart joke.” The line refers to a resurfaced and highly criticized clip from one of her live shows, where she called a young fan on stage, just to spread her legs and have a fart noise blare over the speakers.
The Train Derails
The response to the video has been explosive. The video has comments turned on, with viewers calling her a “sociopath” and labeling the video a “manipulative farce.”
The Colleen Ballinger apology started trending on Twitter within the hour of the video being posted, with social media users calling it the “worst apology in YouTube history” and “you agree that you made everyone feel uncomfortable.”
NBC reporter Kat Tenbarge compared the video to an apology from vlogger David Dobrik, who has been accused of facilitating an environment where a woman was allegedly assaulted by one of Dobrik’s friends.
“She posted it to her third channel and said, “My team didn’t want me to do this!” Tenbarge tweeted. “It’s fascinating how YouTubers copy each other’s bad crisis PR.”
McIntyre also responded on Twitter, writing that the video “showed you all exactly the type of evil woman she is.”
Ballinger’s ex-husband Joshua David Evans wrote that “this behavior was my reality anytime I spoke up & disagreed with her actions & rhetoric.”
The whole video is just odd, especially because she doesn’t mention any of the accusations or accusers by name, only snide allusions that seem more petty than remorseful. Ballinger claims her detractors are “lying for clout” and she doesn’t make a single apology in the entire video. So why even put on a whole sing-a-long and claim that you made mistakes in the first place?
