Beyond Cancellation: The Case of Colleen Ballinger

TW: sexual abuse, grooming, bullying

If you’re on the internet, you likely know of the Colleen Ballinger situation. There are many layers to this case, but let’s name a few to catch everyone up. Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian, Youtuber, actress, singer, and writer, most commonly known for her creation and portrayal of her character Miranda Sings. In the last few years, numerous fans have come forward with stories of inappropriate behavior from Ballinger, her siblings, her friends, and her ex-husband, Joshua David Evans (Jones, 2023). Allegations include grooming, sexual exploitation, racism, and pedophilia. In response to these allegations, Ballinger released a ten-minute video, during which she pulled out her ukelele and sang about the “toxic gossip train,” insinuating that all of the rumors are lies (Colleen Vlogs, 2023). As of this day, no one involved has fully apologized or taken accountability for any allegations.

There are multiple parts to this story, but two important parts we want to shed light on are sexual exploitation and the parasocial relationship.

Sexual Exploitation

Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment (PAVE) defines sexual exploitation as, “the actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, power, or trust, for sexual purposes.” Sexual exploitation can present itself as sexual assault, but for the victims of Ballinger, it looked a little different.

Miranda Sings shows are notorious for strange fan interactions, but one fan has been vocal about her violating experience at a show. About five years ago, a 16-year-old fan named Becky was pulled on stage to participate in a “yoga challenge” (Power, 2023). Becky laid down, then Ballinger pushed the girl’s legs apart “as far as she can.” A fart noise played over the speakers, causing Ballinger to run away in disgust. Becky was left laying on the floor, legs wide open, and quickly gathered her short dress to cover herself up.

At 21 years old, Becky came forward about her experience, claiming she was left “traumatized” for many years by it (Power, 2023). In a recent Tweet, Becky stated, “the whole bit here was that i 'farted' while in this position which is 1) really childish and 2) f***** embarrassing when you're already in a vulnerable position. i was only a teenager here and you can see that i had to stop and cover myself up before i even stood up” (2023).

Becky has further explained that Ballinger often encouraged her fans to wear revealing clothing for a better chance to get called on stage. One of Ballinger’s most common segments was “some porn bit.” Becky recounted her experience on stage, “Now, as soon as I get up from the audience, I saw Colleen's eyes widened because she realized I was not wearing pants. But for some reason that didn't stop her from continuing. In fact, no adult at any point stepped in. … I was terrified that my body wasn't covered enough up by the spandex or the romper. I basically felt naked, so it felt incredibly sexually violating. I was younger and my body was still developing and I was still becoming comfortable with myself" (Power, 2023).

Becky’s “nasty gross feeling” continued after the show, “I had to walk back to my car where there were many men staring at me in a very predatorial way... so, I literally did not feel safe leaving the venue” (Power, 2023).

Becky’s experience is not singular. Many fans have faced similar exploitation on stage at Miranda Sings shows. Becky described that she did not feel protected, but rather, she felt her “minor body” was used for “entertainment and money.” Yet, she feared speaking up against Ballinger, due to her power as a beloved Internet celebrity. In Becky’s words, “[Ballinger] exploited us and her bodies for her own gain. So yeah, I’m okay with calling her a predator” (Power, 2023).

In addition to the exploitation of her fans, it was recently revealed that Ballinger has also sexually exploited her close friend, Trisha Paytas. Two victims of Ballinger–Johnny Silvestri and Adam McIntyre–have revealed that for years, Ballinger sent them nude videos and photos of Paytas (Adam McIntyre, 2023). It is alleged that Ballinger subscribed to Paytas’s private platforms (i.e. OnlyFans and Patreon), accessed mature content, and nonconsensually shared it with her friends and fans. Both Silvestri and McIntyre explained that Ballinger shared this content in an attempt to make fun of Paytas’s body. The two ex-fans even revealed that Ballinger and her friends would host “watch parties,” during which they made fun of Paytas as they viewed her mature content.

It is essential to note the power dynamics at hand. Both Johnny and Adam were longtime fans of Ballinger. Additionally, Johnny worked for Ballinger and Adam was still a minor. Ballinger sexually exploited Paytas by nonconsensually sharing her private content for social profit. Meanwhile, Ballinger abused her power and sexually exploited her fans by nonconsensually sending them this content. According to the allegations, by nonconsensually sharing Paytas’s mature content with a minor, Ballinger could be charged with child pornography (Citizen's Guide To U.S. Federal Law On Obscenity, 2021).

The case of Colleen Ballinger is beyond cancellation—it is one of a kind. We’ve seen YouTubers mess up… bad—think Shane Dawson or Jeffree Star. While the actions of those creators are deeply harmful and inexcusable, Ballinger stands out in the way she used her power and social standing to abuse her fans. She blurred the lines of acceptable communication and violated the parasocial relationship her fans had developed.

Parasocial Relationships

In a bigger lens, the case of Colleen Ballinger brings up an interesting and important discussion of parasocial relationships and the exploitation that can arise from them. The term “parasocial interaction” was first introduced in the 1950s by social scientists Donald Horton and R. Richard Wohl (Brooks, 2023). This growing phenomenon stemmed from new forms of media, including television and radio. Parasocial bonding can be defined as, “the very common tendency to create and cultivate a relationship in your mind between yourself and someone you don’t actually know.”

As social media has grown more personal, parasocial relationships have become extremely common. If you watch an influencer, such as Colleen Ballinger, post videos and vlogs documenting essentially their entire life, every day, it’s easy to feel as if you personally know them. The false emotional connection that develops can be good for business, encouraging fans to consume and interact with more content. And when given an opportunity to purchase, per se, tickets to a live show, fans will jump at the chance. In simple terms, it is easy for those with a platform to take advantage of the parasocial relationship.

This is where the case of Colleen Ballinger comes in. Ballinger and those surrounding her have grossly taken advantage of her platform and the parasocial relationships formed with her fans (Jones, 2023).

One ex-fan, Adam McIntyre, has been notably vocal about his relationship with Ballinger. According to McIntyre, he first met Ballinger in 2014 at her tour stop in Dublin, describing their interaction as “very professional.” After meeting in person again in 2016, their celebrity-fan relationship began to look more like a friendship; the two went from talking through Tweets to direct messaging. In McIntyre’s words, “I was looking at it like this golden opportunity of trust. And I, in the moment, really didn’t care if it was morally right or wrong, because I was just grateful that she was talking to me and not anyone else. It made me feel like ‘I know something that other people don’t know.’ They know MirandaSings. But I know Colleen” (Jones, 2023).

Beginning in the early stages of her internet career, Ballinger formed a group chat with a number of fans aged between 13 and 17, which was dubbed “Colleen’s Weenies.” In this chat, Ballinger encouraged fans to send videos of them putting tampons in her mouth, along with a number of inappropriate and uncomfortable conversations (Jones, 2023).

McIntyre recalled a number of sexually suggestive messages Ballinger directed towards him, asking questions like, “Are you a virgin?” and, “What’s your fav position?” Once, in response to a message from McIntyre that read, “my ass looks so good today,” Ballinger responded, “pics Adam” (Jones, 2023).

Remember, McIntyre was only 14 years old when this all started. Ballinger was 29 (Jones, 2023).

In 2020, McIntyre released a 25-minute video titled “Colleen Ballinger, stop lying.” Ballinger quickly responded with a video of her own. While people accepted her apology, they accused McIntyre of trying to ruin her career. Ballinger’s dedicated fanbase bullied McIntyre, threatening him and calling him slurs. In the meantime, Ballinger never once publicly asked her followers to avoid hate messages. Not only was McIntyre coping with the trauma and confusion of being groomed by Ballinger, but the harassment had gotten so bad that it essentially isolated him from everyone he had trusted (Jones, 2023).

Ballinger’s inappropriate conversations and gross overstepping of boundaries shed light on the power influencers hold over their fans. After developing parasocial relationships with her dedicated fanbase, Ballinger exploited them.

We hope that other creators take into consideration from this the necessity of boundaries when communicating with fans. While it’s appropriate to respond to a DM and thank a fan for their support, it is not appropriate to take advantage of your power and seek inappropriate relationships with people you do not personally know.

We acknowledge that Ballinger’s behavior was volatile, despicable, and violating. We hope she is held accountable, and we wish her fans healing and justice.

Thank you to the victims of Colleen Ballinger for coming forward. Thank you in particular to Adam McIntyre for continuing to speak your truth, even after years of backlash. We hear you, and we believe you.

Note: The authors would like to offer the victims of Colleen Ballinger a platform to speak their truth. If interested in an interview and a piece posted on PAVE’s blog, feel free to reach out to jessicahkatz9@gmail.com.

Sources:

Adam McIntyre. (2023, July 4). dear trisha paytas… [Video]. YouTube.

adam mcintyre [@theadammcintyre]. (2023, June 13). the ‘weenies’ groupchat 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 shit 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 fucking weird [Video attached] [Tweet]. Twitter.

Becky [@noitsbecks]. (2023, June 9). the whole bit here was that i “farted” while in this position which is 1) really childish and 2) fucking embarrassing when you’re already in a vulnerable position. i was only a teenager here and you can see that i had to stop and cover myself up before i even stood up. [Video attached] [Tweet]. Twitter.

Brooks, A. C. (2023, April 6). Parasocial Relationships Are Just Imaginary Friends for Adults. The Atlantic.

Citizen's Guide To U.S. Federal Law On Obscenity. (2021, November 9). Department of Justice.

Colleen Vlogs. (2023, June 28). hi [Video]. YouTube.

Jones, C. (2023, June 21). Colleen Ballinger Had An Empire. Now, Fans Are Tearing It Down – Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone.

Power, S. (2023, June 14). Colleen Ballinger's Behavior With Child in Video Sparks Backlash. Newsweek.