Ballinger was accused of having inappropriate relationships with some of her teenage fans.
Colleen Ballinger, otherwise known as YouTube's Miranda Sings, is addressing allegations that she formed inappropriate personal relationships with teenagers.
Multiple longtime fans of Ballinger, 36, came forward in a recent report by the Huffington Post expressing that she "maintained uncomfortably close relationships with them when they were teens."
In a ten-minute video shared on her YouTube page Wednesday, Ballinger spoke about the claims and denied any allegations of grooming and predatory behavior.
Calling the situation a "toxic gossip train," Ballinger began the new video by playing the ukulele as she sang her explanation to fans.
"Hey, it's been a while 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. Doesn't matter if it's true, though, just as long as it's entertaining to you," Ballinger sang.
Pausing briefly to explain that her team advised her not to go online and address the allegations, Ballinger said she wasn't told that she couldn't "sing."
"Today I only want to talk about the facts, so I hope that you will be willing to listen," she continued. "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. I was just trying to be besties with everybody."
Ballinger went on to claim that she did not understand that she should've set up boundaries at the beginning of her career, telling listeners that she had a group chat with fans and that "there were times in DMs when I would overshare."
She said she changed her behavior and "took accountability" while also claiming that she makes it clear her Miranda Sings content is "PG-13" in nature, and that the videos are not available on the YouTube Kids app. Ballinger noted that it's the responsibility of the parents to monitor their child's online activity and determine what is suitable content for them to consume.
Ballinger also sang about the online hate she's gotten, pausing again to say, "It doesn't matter that these things aren't true when everyone just believes that you are the type of person that manipulates and abuses children."
"I’m sure you’re disappointed in my sh*tty little song. I know you wanted me to say that I was 100% in the wrong. Well, I’m sorry I’m not gonna take that route of admitting to lies and rumors that you made up for clout," Ballinger sang.
She added, "The only thing I've ever groomed 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 a lot of you think so because five years ago, I made a fart joke."
Ballinger did, however, acknowledge that she made a mistake, telling listeners, "Sometimes people make mistakes, simply because they made a mistake. That mistake doesn't make them a terrible human, it just makes them human."
This is not the first time similar allegations against the YouTube star have been made. According to NBC News, back in 2002, YouTuber Adam McIntyre shared a video claiming that he and Ballinger had an "inappropriate personal friendship" when he was a teenager. Ballinger addressed some of McIntyre's claims in a May 2020 video titled "Addressing Everything."
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