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Nearly 2 1\/2 years after Colleen Ballinger was accused of \u201cgrooming\u201d her fans, the YouTuber said her reaction to the allegations was \u201cembarrassing,\u201d specifically her 10-minute long non-apology musical video that was widely ridiculed. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI obviously didn\u2019t handle the situation the way that I should have, and it\u2019s really embarrassing,\u201d Ballinger, who is known for her off-beat, tone-deaf character Miranda Sings, said on Thursday\u2019s episode of the podcast \u201cTea Time with Raven and Miranda<\/a>. \u201cI wish I could have handled it a lot differently than I did.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ballinger continued: \u201cI\u2019m talking about a musical instrument that I should have not picked up.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Four days after celebrity.land ran a story<\/a> featuring Ballinger\u2019s former fans accusing her of having inappropriate relationships with them, Ballinger uploaded a video on her YouTuber account, where she sang and played a ukulele and denied the allegations. Many people called it her apology video, but in the video<\/a>, she only says \u201csorry\u201d once, when she sings, \u201cI know you want me to say that I was 100% in the wrong, well, I\u2019m sorry, I\u2019m not gonna take that route.\u201d The video is still up and has more than 20 million views<\/a>. It was mocked during the 2023 Streamy awards<\/a>, and most recently, actor Rachel Bloom said<\/a> she thinks about it \u201conce a week.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n During the podcast, Ballinger apologized for any wrongdoing with her fans. She said when she began uploading on YouTuber about 20 years ago, knowing how to navigate being a YouTuber was unprecedented, specifically on whether she should communicate with her fans or not.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t think about a power dynamic that could have been there, I didn\u2019t think about a parasocial relationship and I should have,\u201d Ballinger said. \u201cI should have been more responsible in thinking about that, but I didn\u2019t even think about myself that way. I was like, \u2018Yeah, we are friends.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n In 2023, former fans told celebrity.land that Ballinger had inappropriate conversations with them about sex while they were still minors, and that Ballinger confided in her fans about her then-relationship with fellow YouTube star Joshua Evans. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ballinger said on \u201cTea Time\u201d that she was \u201cangry\u201d at the allegations, leading her to upload the musical non-apology video. \u201cI\u2019m not a groomer, I\u2019m just a loser who didn\u2019t understand I shouldn\u2019t respond to fans, and I\u2019m not a predator even though a lot of y\u2019all think so,\u201d Ballinger sings in the video.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWhile there were things being said about me that weren\u2019t true … [my supporters] wanted an explanation. They wanted to understand what was going on, and they deserved that and I didn\u2019t give it to them,\u201d Ballinger said. \u201cInstead, I was angry and sang a song, which is crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n She said it wasn\u2019t until a few days later when she was talking to someone on her team that she realized the video was a mistake. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Ballinger addressed multiple accusations, including one from a former fan who said Ballinger embarrassed them during a yoga challenge at one of Ballinger\u2019s stage shows. During the challenge, Ballinger invited a fan onstage and then spread their legs open while a loud fart noise played. Ballinger said she never meant for the joke to be sexual. Later on in the podcast, however, she said that to appeal to her older and younger fans, she decided to keep doing \u201ccrass, innuendo-type jokes\u201d because they will go over the kids\u2019 heads \u201cand the parents will have something to laugh at.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Truth<\/span>Has No<\/span>Bias<\/span><\/p>\n Your Support<\/span>Fuels<\/span>Our Mission<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Your Support<\/span>Fuels<\/span>Our Mission<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n