Miranda Sings cancels remaining tour dates amid string of controversies
YouTuber Colleen Ballinger has cancelled all of her remaining dates of her MirandaSings Tour in the wake of allegations of 'grooming' fans and 'racist' behavior. Her podcast she was co-hosting with YouTube personality Trisha Paytas has also been called off.
The comedian famous for her eccentric and playful persona as Miranda Sings, known for her signature overlined red lipstick and striped shirts, has recently faced allegations of 'grooming' fans, inappropriate behavior on her Netflix show Haters Back Off, and accusations of racist behavior.
Ballinger denies the racist behaviour and dismisses the allegations of grooming as being part of a "toxic gossip train". She has not given a reason for cancelling her tour and podcast or commented on her reason for her hiatus.
The YouTube star, with more than 20 million subscribers, was in the middle of her live tour when the allegations came to light and has cancelled the remaining shows. It has been confirmed that fans will be refunded for their tickets, but there has been no announcement that the performances will be rescheduled.
Colleen Ballinger has cancelled the remaining shows of her MirandaSings Tour amid recent controversies (Getty Images North America)This month videos of Ballinger have resurfaced, showing her in her Miranda Sings character making sexual comments to fans. People began sharing their stories after Adam McIntyre, first posted a two hour long video detailing his alleged relationship with Ballinger. McIntyre claimed the YouTuber 'groomed' him and a group of teenagers in the 2010s, when she was in her thirties, providing screenshots of texts that he claims she sent or was involved in.
Ballinger broke her silence posting a 10-minute long video singing and playing the ukulele explaining her side of the story. In the video, she also describes the allegations as a "toxic gossip train" that has been fueled with hateful accusations. She admits to the messages but claims that she was not doing it "in a creepy way" but just a "loser" trying to be cool and make "besties." She added that she felt like she was the "weird aunt" of her fanbase but reflects that she should've created better boundaries.
Ballinger also recently started a podcast named Oversharing with Paytas on May 23, but it has since been cancelled. Paytas announced that the podcast ended after only three episodes, a decision she made after seeing screenshots from Ballinger's 'grooming' allegations.
Paytas posted a video July 9 sharing her reaction to the podcast ending. In the video, Paytas said: "This is all very embarrassing. It's very embarrassing at the end of the day, I don't get embarrassed by many things, like obviously. The podcast ending after three episodes is embarrassing."
In addition to 'grooming' allegations, the Internet personality has also faced accusations of 'racist' behavior, including saying the N-word and dancing in what appeared to be blackface.
In her two season long Netflix show Haters Back Off in 2016, a show based on Miranda Sings telling her story, a former employee claimed that Ballinger used the N-word on set and wrote stories filled with offensive content. In the article, the ex-employee April Korto Quioh wrote she was: "tasked to aid Colleen as she pursued her singular goal of shoving as much incestual innuendo into the show as possible."
After the racist accusations, a clip of Ballinger dancing posted in 2018 also resurfaced. In the video, the YouTuber was seen in what appeared to be blackface dancing to Beyoncé's song Single Ladies. But the comedian later came out in a statement saying she was not in blackface, and that her face was painted green because she was performing as the witch Elphaba from Wicked.
Ballinger has not personally made a statement about her tour being called off or the cancellation of her new podcast.
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