Popular YouTuber and comedian Colleen Ballinger has responded to grooming allegations made against her with a 10-minute song performed with a ukulele.
Allegations that Ballinger, 36, had groomed fans date back to April 2020, when Adam McIntyre posted a lengthy video, called "colleen ballinger, stop lying." He followed up on his claims with another video, "i was right about colleen ballinger," in early June 2023.
He claims that their relationship turned unhealthy and imbalanced, which resulted in her sending him some used underwear, and he shared a screenshot of their conversations.
Another former fan shared footage on social media of her with the character Miranda Sings onstage, which viewers called "inappropriate." The video shows Ballinger holding a minor's legs open, seemingly in a yoga pose, which then becomes a fart joke.
In a previous video addressing McIntyre's allegations in 2020, Ballinger admitted to sending a bra and underpants selfie, saying: "I don't know what part of my brain was missing at the time." She stated she was not a "monster" or a "groomer" though.
Now in the wake of McIntyre's fresh allegations, Ballinger has responded in a song where she plays the ukulele. The social media star is trending as a result. Newsweek has reached out to Ballinger and her representatives via email for further comment.
Here's the entire transcript of the song, which is about 10 minutes long, titled: "hi."
"hey
it's been awhile since you saw my face
I haven't been doing so great so I took a little break
a lot of people are saying some things about me that aren't quite true
it doesn't matter if it's true though just as long as it's entertaining to you, right?
you guys having fun?
ALL ABOARD the toxic gossip train
chatter down the tracks of misinformation
the toxic gossip train
you got a one way ticket to manipulation station
toxic gossip train
tie me to the tracks and harass me for my past
cause rumors look like facts
if you don't mind the gaps that won't survive in the crash
but hey, at least you're having fun
uh hi everyone
I've been wanting to come online and talk to you about a few things
even though my team has strongly advised me to not say what I want to say
I recently realized that they never said that I couldn't sing what I want to say
so here I am and um, today I only want to talk about the facts
so I hope that you'll be willing to listen
here we go
many years ago I used to message my fans
but not in a creepy way like a lot of you are trying to suggest
it was more of a loser kind of way but I was just trying to be besties with everybody
it's kind of like when you go to like a family gathering and there's a weird aunt there
who keeps coming up to you and going like 'hey girl, what's the tea?' and you're like 'umm'
that was me but in group chats with my fans (it was weird)
I've been sharing my life online for over 15 years
I've poured my heart out to you and because of that I feel like I'm talking to my friends
but in the beginning of my career I didn't really understand that maybe there should be some boundaries there
there were times in the DMs when I would overshare details of my life which was really weird of me
I haven't done that for years, you see because I changed my behavior and I took
accountability
but that's not very interesting, is it?
so lets go on the toxic gossip train
the locomotive is fueled with hateful accusations
the toxic gossip train
steamrolled over someone's reputation
toxic gossip train
hop on board but close your eyes
otherwise you'll realize
that the train is made of lies and that person you despise maybe didn't deserve to die but hey, at least you're having fun
in all seriousness, I do think it's really important to hold people accountable for their mistakes
you know, you should hope that everyone can learn from their mistakes and grow and change their behavior and be a better person
this is something that I've always tried to do when I make mistakes
it's something that I will continue to try to -
oh what? you don't care? oh okay
I thought you wanted me to take accountability but that's not the point of your mob mentality, is it? no.
your goal is to ruin the life of the person you despise
while you dramatize your lies and monetize their demise
yeah
I feel like I can already hear the comments on this video
'she's gaslighting, manipulating! ugh, she's a narcissist and a rat. I would never make a mistake like that'
oh, I'm sorry I didn't realize that all of you are perfect so please criticize me
bring out the daggers made from your perfect past
and stab me repeatedly in my bony little back
I'm sure you're disappointed in my s***** little song
I know you want me to say that I was 100% in the wrong
well I'm sorry I'm not gonna take that route
admitting to lies and rumors that you made up for clout
hey everybody I've found someone new to harass
she did some things that I do not like in her past
so everybody gather round because we're about to attack
but not based on facts
oh no
your loaded lethal weapon is your fingers on the keys
you don't need any armor when you can hide behind a screen
so shoot me down quick with a click and bam
the reputations deceased
I also wanted to take a minute to talk about that girl, Miranda Sings
you know the one yeah, her she's PG-13
it says that on my website and it's always been
that way and that's why you won't find my videos on the
Youtube Kids app anyway
I didn't realize it was my responsibility to decide what was appropriate for every kid to see
I've always relied on parents to decide if they're comfortable
with their families watching my Youtube videos or coming to my live shows
now, have I made some jokes in poor taste? yes
have I made lots of dumb mistakes? yes
am I sad that there's some fans who feel betrayed? yes
but was my intention to manipulate? no
but it doesn't really matter what my intention was because it seems as though everyone's already decided on that
let me tell ya, it's not very fun to have millions of people all over the world call you the most vile, horrendous, disgusting, life-ruining words
that a person can be called in my opinion
it doesn't matter that these things aren't true
but everyone just believes that you are the type of person who manipulates and abuses children
(Ballinger sits in silence for six seconds)
so I just wanted to say that the only thing I've ever
groomed is my 2 Persian cats
I'm not a groomer
I'm just a loser
who didn't understand I shouldn't respond to fans
and I'm not a predator even though a lot of you think so
because 5 years ago I made a fart joke
(Ballinger sits in silence for twelve seconds)
so even though I know this video won't change
anyone's mind about me
I still felt it was important to come on here and
defend myself a little and take accountability
and I also wanted to say that to anyone out there
who has ever supported me in any capacity
I really, really appreciate you (thank you)
for what it's worth, I never had any bad intentions.
but I do feel like s***
(Ballinger sits in silence for eleven seconds)
the toxic gossip train
you're chugging down the tracks of misinformation
toxic gossip train
got a one way ticket to manipulation station
toxic gossip train
you tied me to the tracks and harassed me for my past
rumors look like facts when you don't mind the gaps
I won't survive in the crash but hey
I hope you had some fun
(Ballinger sits in silence for 14 seconds)
actually, you know, I feel like maybe I should let you guys know something
it seems like maybe you're confused about something
I don't know
let me try to help
sometimes people make a mistake and it doesn't make them a horrible person
whoa
sometimes people can make a mistake and they're still a good person
crazy, I know
sometimes people can make a mistake and you don't have to take that mistake on a whole
and twist it up and grind it and add some lies to it and pull the horizon and stab it with knives and ruin a life
oh no
sometimes people can make a mistake it doesn't mean you gotta send them hate
oh, no
sometimes people can make a mistake. and you can kindly let them know and help them to grow
sometimes people make mistakes simply because they made a mistake
and that mistake doesn't make them a terrible human
it just makes them a human
but what do I know?
f*** me, right?"
