All Aboard Colleen Ballinger’s Toxic Gossip Train

CREATOR NEWSLETTER


All aboard the toxic gossip train. 

In case you don’t know what I’m talking about, boy, do we have a story for you. YouTuber Colleen Ballinger, widely known as alter ego Miranda Sings, finally responded to those accusing her of forming inappropriate relationships with young fans

How, you ask? In a ukulele song. No, I’m not kidding. This mega-cringe train crash is arguably more culturally significant in internet history than ‘Draumageddon’ or the impending Musk-Zuckerberg cage match.

While strumming on her ukulele, Ballinger sings about the “toxic gossip train,” which she accuses of spreading “misinformation” about her online. Why would she address such severe allegations in this wildly inappropriate fashion? She says her team “strongly advised” her not to speak her mind, but they didn’t tell her she “couldn’t sing.”

Within an hour of the video’s upload, social media users exploded in outcry, calling the video the “worst apology in YouTube history.” We’ve seen all kinds of viral discourse surrounding influencer apologies (or lack thereof) this year: whether it be people unpacking iDubbbz’s apologies for his controversial past or fans calling out Matty Healy for skirting responsibility for his problematic podcast appearance. But this Ukulele-ridden “apology” must be the most notorious one yet.

If you don’t want to give Ballinger an extra view or cent in ad revenue, Passionfruit contributor Steven Asarch has you covered with a breakdown of the full video and the viral controversy it unleashed.


ALL ABOARD

Colleen Ballinger Responds to Accusations in ‘Toxic Gossip Train’ Ballad


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