CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses allegations of online abuse.
Colleen Ballinger‘s legal representatives have disputed claims she tried to monetise her widely-slammed YouTube non-apology after it appeared on her official iTunes and Apple Music profiles. Funny that this is the rumour they’re disputing.
Twitter account Pop Crave, known for being the first to tweet about pop culture scoops, reported earlier today that Ballinger’s song “Toxic Gossip Train”, which she released in response to allegations of grooming underage fans, had appeared on iTunes and Apple Music.
The tweet said that the song was up for USD$10, which led to renewed backlash against the disgraced YouTuber after people took that to mean she was monetising the apology.
The tweet was subsequently deleted and Pop Crave later tweeted an update claiming Ballinger’s legal reps had denied she uploaded the song onto her channels, and confirmed it has now been removed.
The whole thing is giving “I was hacked”. Alright, doll.
In case you aren’t across the situation, Colleen Ballinger (AKA Miranda Sings) has been accused by multiple young people of inappropriate behaviour towards underage fans.
The allegations including engaging in a group chat with child fans, touching young fans in ways that made them feel uncomfortable or sexualised, and sending them unsolicited porn. The porn in question was allegedly from fellow YouTuber Trisha Paytas‘ OnlyFans account, which is behind a paywall.
The whole thing has been super messy, and only worsened by Ballinger’s flippant treatment of the allegations — which she decided to address via song, because she considered this a loophole regarding her lawyers’ advice to not to talk about it.
And thus, “The Toxic Gossip Train” was born, a 10-minute long YouTube video in which Ballinger dismissed the claims against her as mean-spirited gossip in the form of singing along to a ukelele.
Yeah, it’s weird AF, and it looks like there’s still more drama to unfold.
Help is available.
- If you’d like to report online abuse, you can contact the police or reach out to the Australian eSafety Commissioner here.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
