Things just keep getting worse for YouTube star Colleen Ballinger, but perhaps that’s okay given allegations of how she’s treated fans and co-workers. Known as Miranda Sings on YouTube, Ballinger went viral last month with a series of accusations that she has harassed, bullied, and groomed underage fans.
Ballinger addressed the accusations in an embarrassing video where she tried to sing her way through half-hearted explanations while playing the ukulele. After that, a writers’ assistant on Ballinger’s Netflix series Haters Back Off wrote a lengthy blog post criticizing the ukulele move and accusing the YouTube star of inappropriate behavior and racism.
Now, a particularly icky video has surfaced that at least seems to prove the racism allegation. This footage, taken during a stage show, reveals Ballinger in blackface singing Beyoncé’s “All the Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” Just a warning that the video could prove disturbing for people with a conscience:
Let’s all just take a second. Get some water, then come back.
Per Variety, it’s unclear when the video was shot, but Ballinger apparently shared it in February 2018 on her Miranda Sings YouTube channel, where it’s still viewable for some reason. The footage was clearly taken at a Miranda Sings live performance, where Ballinger appears to have dark greasepaint smeared on her face to hide the shame she’s probably not even feeling.
The clip resurfaced on Wednesday this week. It was originally posted by social media influencer Paige Christie, who theorized that the performance took place in London’s West End around summer of 2010. And if we check our calendars… yes, that’s still too recent for this to be considered anything other than mean-spirited and tone-deaf.
Regarding the backlog of previous allegations, several screenshots have made their way online showing Ballinger questioning underaged fans about sexual topics, genitalia, periods, and more. Former stans also have accused her of manipulating them into doing free favors.
In addition, there are plenty of Miranda Sings videos showing Ballinger acting in a sexually suggestive manner in front of her real-life nephew, which is always just a gas. Furthermore, there’s footage of live shows where Ballinger urges children to take the stage and act out adult situations, such as pretending to give birth or going on a date with her.
The video below shows Ballinger asking a nine-year-old boy to stick his hand down her pants, and the child looks noticeably uncomfortable by the end. Again, this content could be seen as, and definitely is, disturbing:
So, what about that blog post last week?
The writer, April Korto Quioh, didn’t mince words about her time working on Ballinger’s Netflix show:
“Upon meeting Colleen, my first impression of her was that she was boisterous, opinionated, and had a stunning lack of humility that was unlike anything I had ever seen. Immediately upon entering the writers’ room, I was treated to story after story about her sold-out shows, how obsessed her fans were with her and the lengths they would go to get her attention.”
Oh, it goes on:
“Most days, the first hour or so of work was dedicated to Colleen forcing us all to perform the emotional labor of counseling her through her marital concerns, being a listening ear to her complaints about fans (they were being ‘so sensitive lately’ aka they had spoken up about their discomfort with her using a blaccent) and getting the latest updates on the antics of her fellow YouTubers. I recall overhearing her once brag that a creator was being ‘cancelled’ for saying the n-word (and if you think she went with “n-word” instead of hitting that hard ‘r’ then you haven’t been paying attention) and that she would never be stupid enough to get caught doing something like that.”
And finally:
“Colleen made it known on several occasions that she could tell I was less-than-thrilled with the show, even once pulling me aside and quipping, ‘You totally hate this, right?’ I could tell that my discomfort with the ‘art’ that we were creating was notable to her. She would often pitch something vile and then look over to me and ask, ‘Any thoughts, April?’ It was almost like she took a weird pleasure in making me uncomfortable and knowing that even if I wanted to, there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. She was cruel.”
Even Quioh notes in her blog post that “cancel culture isn’t real” because people like Ballinger seem to get away with this stuff time and time again. But just once we would like everyone reading this article to tell their friends and their friends’ friends to never watch a Miranda Sings video or an episode of Haters Back Off ever again.
If Ballinger never got a single click for the rest of her life, she might feel a fraction of the misery she’s foisted upon the people around her.