Colleen Ballinger denies allegations she ‘groomed’ fans: details
Colleen Ballinger has denied allegations that she was “groomed” and formed inappropriate relationships with underage fans.
The YouTuber, 36, who initially gained fame for her alter ego Miranda Sings, recently took to social media to counter the claims through a song titled ‘Toxic Gossip Train’. In a YouTube video posted on Wednesday, June 28, Ballinger played the ukulele, claiming that viewers had a “one way ticket to the manipulation station” while the internet “ties me to the tracks and bugs me for my past.”
Ballinger began her video by stating that “some people say things about me that just aren’t true” and that “although my team has strongly advised me not to say what I’m about to say, I realized they never said I couldn’t sing about what I want to say.”
The content creator then jumped into her tune, explaining that she always messaged her fans “to be besties with everyone,” but “didn’t understand that maybe there should be some boundaries.” She added that she didn’t intend to “take the route” of saying she’s “100 percent wrong” and that would be “giving in to lies and rumors that you’ve fabricated influence.”
The Haters retreat star also claimed that while there were “times in the DMs where I would exaggerate details of my life, which was really weird of me,” she “hasn’t done that in years” and has already taken “responsibility” for her mistakes.
“The only thing I’ve ever cared for is my two Persian cats / I’m not a groomer, just a loser / Who didn’t understand I shouldn’t respond to fans / And I’m not a predator, even though some of you think I am / Because I made a fart joke five years ago,” she sang into the camera.
Ballinger was accused earlier this month of grooming her fans as a YouTuber CodeeRants shared alleged screenshots between a group of young fans and Ballinger. The actress is said to have asked the lyric sequence, titled “Colleen’s Weenies,” about their “favorite position” during one conversation, according to NBC news. (KodeeRants have since deleted their YouTube and Twitter accounts.)
The accusations against Ballinger started in 2020 as a content creator Adam McIntyre made a YouTube video claiming that Ballinger “formed an inappropriate personal friendship with him when he was between 13 and 16 years old, which included her sending him lingerie as a joke”.
Ballinger responded to McIntyre’s claims at the time through her own video titled “Tackle everything‘, claiming that McIntyre asked for the underwear to be sent to him after she posted an online unboxing clip. Ballinger also noted that it became a “big joke within the fandom”.
“Now, in hindsight, I see how stupid of me, I never should have sent that,” Ballinger added in the 2020 video. “I don’t know what part of my brain was missing at the time when I thought, ‘ Oh, this is normal, stupid thing to do.'”
Speaking to NBC News last week, a fan named Erin explained why allegations against Ballinger will come to light in 2023. , you know, me and the other group of fans that started 10 years ago, we’re all grown up now,” she told the outlet. “And we recognize… the parasocial relationships she has allowed and encouraged to happen.”