A Netflix Show, a comedy special, millions of subscribers, billion-hour watch time on YouTube and a hoard of accusations of making fans feel uncomfortable and exposed, grooming kids and exploiting them for free labour - the accusations against YouTuber Colleen Ballinger are ranging and extremely troubling. The comedian, who rose to fame as Miranda Sings - a problematic character that was cringe and made unfiltered and inappropriate comments time and again - has been exposed to be a problematic character who has allegedly participated in and allowed the continuation of inappropriate behaviour against her fans (who are mostly kids). The YouTuber has maintained radio silence while she continues her US Tour, even as fans have refused to buy tickets and are calling her out on every possible platform. So here’s everything you need to know about the downfall of Colleen Ballinger. Who Is Colleen Ballinger? Everything Problematic That YouTuber, Her Family and Team Have Been Accused of Doing!

Adam McIntyre – The First Fan To Turn

The accusations against Colleen that finally lead to her current state are untrue. In fact, the first time these accusations came to light was back in 2020, when a former Miranda Sings fan Adam McIntyre released a YouTube video revealing some of the problematic things that he experienced with Ballinger. The most unexplainable and uncomfortable part of this was that Ballinger had sent a pair of her bras and panties to McIntyre as a “joke”. He was in his teenage years, while she was in her early 30s. Colleen and her assistant, Kory, did a live stream unboxing a box of new clothes and did a giveaway. In this 2015 live stream, Ballinger gave away a pair of “sexy lingerie” that was modelled on the live stream by her assistant and best friend - Kory DeSoto. Adam, who was 14 at the time of the live stream, was asked if he “wants the panties” and was sent the unused lingerie.

The Backlash

When Adam’s video was first released, Colleen once again tried her silent treatment approach and finally made a video addressing the issues, except it did not address or acknowledge most things. Moreover, another fan of Colleen - Kodee Tyler, completely disregarded Adam’s account of things and called him names. After this, Adam moved forward from his trauma and worked on his own channel and content, putting Colleen and what he went through behind.

The Drama Resurfaces 

Jump to 2023, when suddenly, Kodee Tyler - the person who disregarded Adam and his story released a video with chat screenshots and backstory which proved that everything Adam had hinted at in 2020 was, in fact, true. Adam did not feel comfortable sharing the chat screenshots and chose to walk away from the situation. However, 3 years later, Kodee apologised to Adam for how she reacted to him and for her part in the trauma that McIntyre suffered. This was when the downfall of Colleen Ballinger began.

It is important to note that Kodee has since deleted that video, and there has been evidence showing that Kodee (a 30-Year-Old woman) has also been caught mimicking Ballinger’s behaviour of having inappropriate conversations with young fans. The reason for Kodee’s sudden change of heart is not known. However, many speculate that Ballinger’s assistant, Kory, recently blocked Kodee on some of their social media, and that is what led to Kodee finally breaking her silence.

The Tip of the Iceberg

While Adam’s initial video and his content since Kodee’s apology spoke about everything from Colleen’s inappropriate chats where she spoke to a teenager about her married life, her problems and even her sex life, and chat screenshots revealed that she once asked Adam to share inappropriate pictures (allegedly as a joke). Several fans have since come forward with their uncomfortable interaction with the 36-year-old at her live shows. One fan posted a Tiktok on how she was asked to be a part of Colleen’s fan-interaction element of the show, where she was asked to lay down on the floor and spread her legs. The fan highlighted how it made her feel uncomfortable since she was wearing a romper and did not feel like she was the right choice for this. The fan was also a teenager and will, therefore, not be named here.

Internet’s Reaction

This is how the downfall of Colleen Ballinger began, and since then, she has gone completely silent on all social platforms. Ballinger played a critical role in not just building her own career but also several members of her family, including her sister Rachel Ballinger (who has been consistently posting their regular content while refusing to address or talk about these conversations) and her brother Christopher Ballinger’s family channel - Ballinger Family whose last video was 9 days ago. Additionally, Colleen was friends with several well-known YouTubers, including Rosanna Pansino, Joey Graceffa and more. All of them have also maintained their silence on the situation.

The situation with Colleen Ballinger has already had some repercussions, with brands pulling off their contract with Ballinger. However, it is yet to be seen if Colleen will address the serious accusations and share her side of the story. While Colleen’s personal interactions in Fan groups and with young kids have been problematic, similar and worst behaviour has also been observed by her family.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 27, 2023 06:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).