28 June 2023 , 21:29
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YouTuber Colleen Ballinger, who shot to fame in 2008, has spoken out after worrying claims began to circle the star in recent weeks and months.
Known for her out-there and silly character Miranda Singers, who wears red lipstick and striped shirts, the internet personality and comedian has recently been accused of "grooming".
Colleen, 36, has more than 20 million subscribers across her three YouTube channels.
In recent weeks, clips of Colleen's Miranda Sings character making sexual comments, with "grooming" claims also made have resurfaced.
But speaking out in a new video, Colleen has now broken her silence, with her admitting to messaging her fans but urging "not in a creepy way".
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Taking to YouTube to share her side of the story, Colleen said: "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, where I was just trying to be besties with everybody."
She then went on to say how she was the "weird aunt" of her fanbase and admitted that there "should have been some boundaries" between herself and the people who followed her.
Colleen then branded the very serious allegations as a "toxic gossip train" which is "fueled with hateful accusations".
It all began on June 7 when Adam McIntyre posted a video about his "relationship with Colleen Ballinger", which had a run time of almost two hours.
In the video, he alleged that Colleen had "groomed" him and a group of teens when she was in her 30s back in the 2010s, with him showing several screenshots of messages that Colleen sent or was involved in.
The comedian shot to fame on YouTubeAdam alleged that Colleen had asked him about his virginity and also asked people in the group chat to send "inappropriate videos".
On June 14 he shared a video on Twitter of Colleen inserting a tampon into her mouth.
Captioning the post, Adam penned: "The ‘weenies’ group chat consisting of mostly 13-17-year-olds I was a part of with Colleen all had an inside joke Colleen started to do with periods or some sh*t.
"And she sent us this video and all of us had to go out and buy tampons and re-enact it for the group chat it was so f***ing weird”
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He then released a video on June 16, which was titled: "A police report has been made" that states how he was forced to call the police after the YouTubers' fans threatened him via social media.
A different person also spoke out this month, with a girl named Becky sharing her story on June 13.
Taking to TikTok to share a video, the clip saw Colleen opening an audience member’s legs during a yoga challenge.
Becky - the woman involved in the video - posted a TikTok video addressing the "uncomfortable" moment.
She said: "Colleen exploited my minor body for entertainment and money and did not protect my safety at the show."
In other videos now circling social media, the Miranda Sings character can be seen making seemingly sexual comments about vaginas and menstruation.
One video shows Miranda speaking about her book Selp Half, talking viewers through a page about learning how to draw a hot dog.
In the video, she says how it is "supposed to look like a vagina", and then says that there should be another step that shows how to draw on tomato ketchup.
She then looks into the camera lens and explains how she "wanted [it] to look like a nasty vagina with blood on it, because I’m a pervert".
But all of the current discourse surrounding Colleen and her online character isn't the first time she has been called out by critics.
Three years ago in 2020, she uploaded a video to her Colleen Vlogs channel to address accusations made against her.
In 2006 she made some footage with her sister as they performed as Latina characters, with her addressing the resurfaced clip in her 2020 apology video.
She noted how it is "not funny and it is completely hurtful", adding: "I am so ashamed and embarrassed that I ever thought this was OK.
Colleen Ballinger is known for her Miranda Sings persona (Getty Images)
Miranda Sings is known for wearing overdrawn red lipstick"I was a sheltered teenager who was stupid and ignorant and clearly extremely culturally insensitive."
She then spoke of a video she made in 2008 where she spoke negatively of a woman's weight, adding how she deemed them "absolutely disgusting" when she rewatched them.
Addressing a 2013 video in the apology, Colleen spoke of how she spoke in a "very dramatic, silly way" about her dog having to be put down after biting her.
She then spoke about a giveaway she did on a live stream in 2016, when a young boy, 17, was sent lingerie, albeit unused.
She said: "In hindsight, I see how completely stupid of me [it was]. I should never have sent that."
"It was never a sneaky, creepy, gross thing I was doing in secret; it was a silly, stupid mistake.
"No, I should have never sent a fan underwear, how stupid am I? No, I definitely should have never given him access to my Twitter account, and no, I shouldn’t have talked to him as often as I did.
"But I am not a monster, I am not a groomer," she added.
Mirror US have reached out to Colleen Ballinger's representative for comment.