Colleen Ballinger was forced into a social media silence for the last month as her ex-fans began to come out with accusations that the YouTuber had conversations with minors in group chats that made them feel uncomfortable. After several people came out with their experiences, gave media interviews and also released screenshots that accused Ballinger, her assistant Kory DeSoto, ex-husband Joshua D Evans and brother Trent Ballinger of inappropriate behaviour with young fans, the 36-year-old YouTuber finally hit back with what is being termed as “the worst YouTube Apology video. Ballinger released a 10+minute “song” where she plays her ukulele and claims to “take accountability” but does little to support the claim. While a lot can be said about what Ballinger has to say, here’s how her ex-fans, who were impacted by her alleged behaviour and have been speaking out about their experiences, responded to this new turn of events.

Adam McIntyre - the 20-year-old who first exposed Ballinger in 2020 and released further evidence via screenshots and video after Kodee Tyler came out in support of him (after a 3-year-silence) - also released a video reacting to the entire 10-minute music video. Adam addresses and dissects various lyrics that ex-fans of Ballinger have been highlighting and questioning online.

Becky - the fan who spoke up about being exposed on stage - when asked to do a “yoga challenge” while wearing clothes that were not workout-friendly, responded to Colleen reducing her entire experience to “someone being offended by a fart joke”. To summarise her reaction to the YouTuber’s 10-minute song, Becky said. Who Is Colleen Ballinger? Everything Problematic That YouTuber, Her Family and Team Have Been Accused of Doing!

While Johnny Silvestri was not addressed in Colleen’s video, he was focused on amplifying the voices of people who were impacted by the direct and indirect attacks by the 36-year-old. Silvestri also went on a podcast to do a detailed interview on his experience working for Ballinger and also being her fan. This video, which was shot in advance, was released a few hours after Ballinger’s accountability video.

Colleen’s ex-husband Joshua D Evans, who is the only person who was accused of inappropriate behavior to actually address it in a comparatively better way by releasing apology notes as well as taking part in media interviews, also spoke out in three simple but enlightening tweets. The first, which was appreciated by many, was an affirmation to all the ex-fans who have been sharing screenshots of their interactions with Colleen and fam that made them feel uncomfortable.

This was followed by his tweet, sharing his own alleged experience with Ballinger. “This behavior was my reality anytime I spoke up & disagreed with her actions & rhetoric during 2009-2016. I was gaslit too. I was made to feel like I was always the problem. Any pain I felt was an inconvenience and was belittled. Every ounce of what you’re feeling, I understand.” he tweeted. In his last tweet about this subject, Joshua highlighted that he was not speaking up for attention or any other incentive.

The overall response to Ballinger’s video has been relatively negative. While many fans have claimed that negative comments are being deleted from the video on YouTube, a quick glance at Instagram and content released by other channels about this response shows a strong negative sentiment toward how these serious accusations were addressed.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 29, 2023 08:24 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).