There is an imbalance of power when influencers gain favors with their fans and ultimately use them for personal gain. Colleen Ballinger, 36, is no stranger to the multiple grooming accusations.
Ballinger’s longtime fans came forward with allegations that she maintained uncomfortably close relationships with them when they were teens and used her position of power to manipulate a select group of them for years. Many of them released screenshots of their private communications with Ballinger to evidence claims that she “groomed” them throughout their adolescence — including allegations that she had inappropriate conversations with them about sex.
One of them named Adam Mcintyre shared screenshots of his conversation with Colleen. In the discussion, Colleen asks about Adam's sex life. McIntyre shared one screenshot from a group chat in which he says Ballinger asked McIntyre if he was a virgin and what his “favorite position” was. He was a minor at the time.
Mcintyre also showed YouTube livestreams of her comments. At one point, Ballinger said she would send a few lucky fans some of her unused clothes — and that McIntyre was among the chosen. Soon after, McIntyre claims, he received a pair of her underwear in the mail, including a bra and panties in a 2020 video.
Another former fan came forward, named Johnny Silvestri, was 15-years-old when he found 'Miranda Sings'. He said he didn’t have friends at school and Miranda Sings filled that void for him. He created a fan account on Twitter and, much like McIntyre, said he quickly found himself in private conversations with Ballinger.
Silvestri claims that, as their relationship evolved, Ballinger’s messages got more personal. Years later, Silvestri was working on Ballinger’s bus tour for $125 per show. “I just really hope people understand how highly impressionable I still was, and how I just felt like my job was being held over my head all the time,” he said. “If I didn’t join in on the jokes, and the things they thought were funny, which were unfortunately really cruel things most of the time, they wouldn’t have liked me and I would have lost my job.”
A Twitter user under the username "@Grifter_Moshe" states: "Now I have a better understanding of why #ColleenBallinger endorses #TrishaPaytas--they have both made piblic 'jokes' about being P-dophiles and are both guilty of grooming teens. RED FLAG: Colleen's employee (who lived w/her?) shared P-oRN with underage teens in a group chat."
“Colleen Ballinger grooms her fans,” McIntyre said in his more recent YouTube video. “Emotionally, grooms her fans for her own benefit. She’s done it to me. I will go on the record saying that.”
Ballinger responded by sharing a video titled “hi,” singing an original song in which she addresses the accusations. In the 10-minute video, she strums on a ukulele and addresses what she calls “the facts."
The song has inspired a wave of memes and parodies in which people clown on the tone-deaf and cringey nature of the video. Even McIntyre himself responded with his own song, strumming a ukulele haphazardly and responding to Ballinger’s song line by line. And now, Ballinger’s decision to share the video appears to be baffling long-termfans as they share their feelings online.