YouTuber Adam McIntyre has condemned Colleen Ballinger’s response to the grooming allegations against her after she denied the claims in a song.
In 2020, McIntyre accused Ballinger, the YouTuber behind the popular sketch character Miranda Sings, of developing an inappropriate relationship with him when he was underage in a YouTube video titled: “Colleen Ballinger, stop lying.”
McIntyre, now 20, claimed in the video that his friendship with Ballinger, 36, began when he was 13, and that the YouTuber had put him, and other underage fans, in a number of uncomfortable situations.
The allegations against Ballinger resurfaced earlier this month, after former fan KodeeRants corroborated McIntyre’s claims in a since-deleted video, while other former fans told HuffPost UK that the YouTuber had “groomed” them as teens.
“The only thing I’ve ever groomed is my two Persian cats / I’m not a groomer, just a loser,” she sang at one point, after admitting that she used to “message” her fans, but “not in a creepy way, like a lot of you are trying to suggest”.
Shortly after Ballinger posted the video, McIntyre issued a response on Twitter, where he said he was “glad” the 36-year-old’s YouTube video had captured “the type of evil woman she is”.
“As much as Colleen discredited & made fun of me, I’m glad her video did ONE thing, show you all EXACTLY the type of evil woman she is, that a lot of us have experienced over the past few years behind the scenes, the mask has slipped…everyone meet the REAL Colleen Ballinger,” he wrote.
McIntyre also responded to Ballinger’s video on Twitch, where he expressed his disbelief over the YouTuber’s response to the grooming allegations.
“Are you kidding me? This is your response? Your response is making fun of us? I’m in awe,” the 20 year old said.
On the Twitch stream, McIntyre also shared his disappointment over the lack of “repercussions,” before noting that he’d expected a “private apology” from the YouTuber.
“So we’re not getting a private apology, and we’re getting a video of you singing a song making fun of it all?” he said.
After playing the YouTuber’s response video on his Twitch stream, McIntyre reiterated that, as “awful” and “horrendous” as Ballinger’s video was, it showed the type of “disgusting, manipulative, evil woman she is”.
McIntyre also told viewers he does not plan to “shut up” about the allegations, before revealing that the difference between now and 2020 is that he is no longer “too scared to speak up”.
In 2020, McIntyre was allegedly “doxxed” and “threatened” by Ballinger’s fans after she’d posted a video apologising for sending the young fan a bra and underwear, an incident McIntyre had raised in his initial video.
“I don’t know what part of my brain was missing at the time,” she said at the time. “But I am not a monster, I am not a groomer, and I shouldn’t kill myself.”
Following Ballinger’s latest response video, many have expressed their support for McIntyre, while simultaneously condemning the Miranda Sings creator’s behaviour.
“I don’t tweet often, but Colleen Ballinger aka Miranda Sings’ ‘apology’ is disgusting. It’s dismissive and exactly why we need to continue uplifting voices against large influencers or entertainers. @theadammcintyre has provided more than enough evidence and has my support,” one person tweeted.
Another said: “If you watch anything about the Colleen situation, watch Adam’s videos and listen to the victims if you listen to anyone. To Adam and all the other victims impacted in any way big or small by her horrid actions, in short, I am SO sorry. You are truly brave and loved. Stay safe.”
You can find everything we know about the grooming allegations Ballinger faces here.
The Independent has contacted McIntyre and Ballinger for comment.
