It was one of the rare successful transitions from YouTube to mainstream media, but now viewers are demanding Netflix take a stand against Colleen Ballinger.
Colleen Ballinger‘s career is over. To address allegations of grooming, bullying, and downright horrific behaviour with a song on the ukulele was really the nail in the coffin. But should media organisations be forced to take part in the circus that has taken place over the past month?
Before we get there, let’s take a look at the series of unfortunate events that lead us here.
For anyone over the age of 30, Colleen Ballinger, a comedian, actress, and singer, created the character of Miranda Sings in 2008. What started as YouTube skits grew into billions of views, millions of subscribers, tours, a #1 best-selling book, multiple appearances on US nighttime talk shows, collaborations with the likes of Jerry Seinfeld, and eventually a Netflix show. She was untouchable. The darling of YouTube who had done the impossible and crossed into the mainstream.
But 15 years later, it would all crumble.
The timeline of proven allegations is far too extensive to write about in any sort of detail. It has been covered extensively by Rolling Stone, the ABC, the Washington Post, and many more. Briefly for context, here is the state of play:
- Participating in inappropriate group chats with minor fans when she was in her 30s; including asking 14 year-olds whether they were virgins, their favourite sex positions, and about their periods,
- Sending underwear to a then-13-year-old fan (note: Colleen did apologise for this in 2020, however selectively edited the footage to suggest the fan requested the underwear – the full context of the clip is included here at the relevant timestamp),
- Exploiting an underage fan for free labour, and then blaming him and cutting him off when an approved tweet was received negatively (she then manipulated her other fans to target and harass him),
- Mistreatment of Johnny (a fan turned worker) on her tour,
- Intentionally exposing an underage fan who was in minimal clothing in a compromising position on stage,
- General inappropriate behaviour and sexual exploitation of children on stage, including a regular “bit” where a boy as young as 6 or 7 would have to put his hands down her pants to retrieve snacks,
- Her older brother inappropriately messaging minors, including a message saying “I’m told not to talk to people under 18”, indicating his family were aware of the behaviour and yet he continued to be given access to her young fanbase,
- Multiple instances of racism in her YouTube videos,
- and perhaps the most damning due to the illegality, sending naked images of Trisha Paytas, her friend, to underage fans (Trisha has responded, and ended her podcast with Colleen).
Believe it or not, this only scratches the surface.
There is a clear pattern of inappropriate behaviour with children, many of whom are now reaching adulthood and grappling with their para-social and exploitative relationship with Colleen Ballinger.
The world was waiting for Colleen’s response, as every day it seemed more was coming to light. What happened next was possibly the most shocking twist in all of this, and will go down in history as one of the most disingenuous celebrity apologies ever.
The minimisation of genuine trauma as “toxic gossip”, the vagueness and reliance on the ignorance of people who haven’t seen the evidence, the lack of clarification on anything, THE UKULELE… it was truly mind-boggling. But while Colleen may try and get away with a catchy tune and avoidance of any real issue, this is 2023, and these actions will not go without consequence.
Miranda Sings’ tour has been cancelled (though at the time of writing this article, the tour dates are still listed on her website), she has lost sponsors, it is hard to see a future in the public eye for this once-untouchable star. One question remains for many fans – will Netflix remove her show, Haters Back Off? A petition was created 2 days ago, with almost 3,000 signatures.
This comes following further allegations (if you can believe it), this time from a show-runner on the Netflix production. April Korto Quioh, wrote about her experience in the writers room, and it’s… bad.
“She would show us photos of the packed rows of smiling children who had attended her show the night before, and in the same breath, spend hours trying to think of a way to show Miranda and Uncle Jim all but having actual sex on screen.”
“I had to document Colleen’s insistence that we used limited POC background actors… having them just randomly there would be “distracting.””
“She demanded assurance that all the “Asian shit” would be removed before filming.”
“Her lack of boundaries was remarkable.”
This presents a challenging dilemma for Netflix. If Netflix, and other streaming services, were to remove the content of anyone controversial or who was the subject of allegations, frankly, there wouldn’t be a lot left. That is the unfortunate nature of Hollywood and the power-hungry predatory narcissists this industry attracts. This doesn’t mean they shouldn’t face consequences, but where, if anywhere, is that line drawn? Should they platform works by Harvey Weinstein, Woody Allen, even most recently on the list of likely-terrible people, Jonah Hill?
Not only that, but who would be truly impacted? A quick Google search places Colleen Ballinger’s net worth anywhere between $12 and $38 million. Removal of Haters Back Off, would damage her bottom-line, certainly, but her revenue streams are multi-directional. The Miranda IP, and the countless other ventures, will keep her going. A boycott like this, however, has a whole lot of collateral damage. The cast and crew of this show who aren’t making millions of dollars each year, who are working paycheque to paycheque, who are relying not only on residuals but on a showreel for future work – they are the people who would be harmed.
I don’t, however, think Netflix should sit back and do nothing. While Colleen is just one on a long list of questionable characters, this situation is unique in that her fanbase are predominantly children. They are the Miranda Sings demographic despite Colleen strumming on the ukulele and saying she has always been “PG13” (who, by the way, are still minors that you have exploited). Parents who aren’t paying too much attention would likely see this show, the childish nature of Miranda, and mistake it for something kid-friendly. Amidst jokes of incest, pedophilia, and as Colleen herself put it, making “Uncle Jim even more rapey”, it certainly is not. Combine that with the accessibility of internet celebrities and the sexual exploitation of children at her live shows, children engaging in this content is not only inappropriate, but has the potential for escalation and further consequences into adulthood as former-fans are now processing.
At the time of writing this article, Netflix classifies one genre of Haters Back Off as “Family watch together”. That needs to change. The rating of PG is also somewhat hidden, as is the case with ratings on all content on the service. Perhaps though, when a show is marketed towards children, the rating should be clearer and more explicit. There are a few options here: the PG rating included in the thumbnail, a disclaimer in the synopsis of the show, even a disclaimer at the beginning of the show that despite appearances, this is not intended for children.
I stand in solidarity and support of the victims in this tangled web – Adam, Becky, Johnny, Oliver, April, Ella, and the many others, who I have no doubt will continue to come forward. Their bravery in sharing their stories has been crucial in bringing to light the real Colleen Ballinger, and preventing the harm of others. I am sorry for what they have been through.
Despite Colleen’s ukulele zinger “I’m not a groomer, I’m just a loser”, it is clearly entirely possible to be both.
