Colleen Ballinger has finally addressed her infamous ukulele video, calling the musical response to the grooming allegations against her “embarrassing” and acknowledging she handled the situation poorly.
Ballinger, best known for her comedic character Miranda Sings, faced intense backlash in 2023 after former fan Adam McIntyre accused her of grooming, manipulating, and bullying underage viewers. Multiple fans echoed similar concerns, pushing the creator into one of YouTube’s biggest controversies that year.
Amid the fallout, Ballinger released a ten-minute song in which she strummed a ukulele and joked about hopping aboard a “toxic gossip train,” aiming to dismiss the accusations while avoiding a direct apology. The video only fueled the backlash and became one of the most ridiculed responses in creator-community history.
Now, two years later, Ballinger says she regrets ever picking up the instrument.
Colleen Ballinger says she regrets controversial ukulele video
Appearing on the Tea Time with Raven and Miranda podcast, she opened up about the ordeal.
“I obviously didn’t handle the situation the way that I should have, and it’s really embarrassing,” she said. “I wish that I could handle it a lot differently than I did.”
Ballinger clarified that she was specifically referring to the ukulele video.
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“I should have not picked up the ukulele,” she admitted. “I should have listened to what people were saying. I think they do want an apology, and I am sorry.”
She also pushed back on the idea that the song was ever an apology.
“People keep saying it’s an apology song. I didn’t apologize in that thing,” she said. “When you mess up and do something wrong, sometimes you’ve got to keep apologizing for it. And that’s what I should have done.”
Ballinger went on to apologize to fans during the podcast, explaining that when she started YouTube nearly two decades ago, she didn’t understand concepts like power dynamics or parasocial relationships.
“I didn’t think about a power dynamic that could have been there,” she said. “I should have been more responsible… I was like, ‘Yeah, we are friends.’”
Adam McIntyre has already responded to Ballinger’s comments, posting a video to his YouTube channel sharply criticizing her appearance on the podcast. He claimed he grows “angrier” about the situation as he gets older and accused Ballinger of continuing to “victimize herself.”
“F**k you, Colleen Ballinger,” McIntyre said. “You are f**king scum. You are absolute scum.”
Ballinger has not responded to McIntyre’s latest comments.
