As two members of Gen Z, we witnessed Colleen Ballinger’s rise to internet fame beginning in the 2010s with “Miranda Sings,” a YouTube series in which she played a comically obnoxious character. The videos were geared primarily toward middle-school-aged children, and Miranda was invariably adorned with gaudy eye makeup, overdone red lipstick and ill-fitting, brightly colored clothes. Most of the “Miranda Sings” videos are goofy recreations of popular music or collaborations with other pop-culture figures—often children.
On June 28, Ballinger became the most recent in a continuous cycle of celebrities and influencers who have been forced to respond to allegations of inappropriate behavior. The fallout of the scandal has revealed that young people like us are growing increasingly numb to public “apologies.” We view them as more of a joke than a well-intentioned attempt at contrition. But giving in to amused indifference about public accountability will not help us move forward, nor will it help us prevent similar betrayals from occuring again.
Ballinger was forced to respond to allegations of inappropriate behavior, including grooming a teenager.
In the nearly 15 years since her first video, Ballinger, now 36 years old, has amassed over 10 million subscribers on her “Miranda Sings” YouTube channel. Her performances have led to several live-show tours and landed her a two-season Netflix series titled “Haters Back Off,” Her fame as a social-media influencer has extended beyond the character as well. Ballinger boasts nearly 12 million additional subscribers on her personal YouTube channels.
Ballinger’s rise in popularity eventually encountered controversy. In 2020, Adam McIntyre, a teenager at the time, posted a video titled “colleen ballinger stop lying”, in which he accused Ballinger of starting an inappropriate relationship with him. He highlighted an instance in which the then-33-year-old Ballinger sent him unworn lingerie she had received from a promotional package.
Ballinger posted a direct response two weeks later on her site @ColleenVlogs in response to several accusations of misbehavior, including a separate instance involving racially insensitive jokes. She also commented on the details of her interaction with McIntyre. Ballinger admitted sending the underwear, citing the incident as a misguided joke in which McIntyre was complicit. She said on the video that, in hindsight, it was a “completely stupid thing to do” and she never should have sent it. Ballinger also complained the controversy was blown “way out of proportion.” What she said fell short of any genuine acceptance of responsibility.
She said that, in hindsight, it was a 'completely stupid thing to do'
The tension between Ballinger and McIntyre resurfaced this month after newly revealed screenshots from another influencer, who goes by KodeeRants on the internet, showing that Ballinger had been asking McIntyre and other teenage fans about their sex lives. In a video titled “my relationship with colleen ballinger” posted on June 7, McIntyre accuses Ballinger of “grooming him.” The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, a British child protection charity, defines grooming as an adult building a relationship, trust and emotional connection with a child or young person in order to manipulate, exploit and abuse them.
On June 28 Ballinger addressed the growing discourse about her relationships with McIntyre and other young fans in a YouTube video titled simply “hi.” In the video Ballinger appears in her beige-and-gray modern living room, looking very small in the center of the frame. She wears minimal makeup with a black tank top and holds a tiny ukulele. The video is performed in the style of an elementary school teacher singing to students.
The 'apology,' which currently has 11 million views, features a chorus of lyrics describing the allegations against her as a 'toxic gossip train.'
The “apology,” which currently has 11 million views, features a chorus of lyrics describing the allegations against her as a “toxic gossip train.” At one point in the song she shares that her team strongly advised her to not speak about the controversy, but, says Ballinger, she “recently realized that they never said she couldn’t sing what [she] wanted to say.” She goes on to deny grooming children and being a predator. While she admits making mistakes, she says her intentions were never bad.
A glance through comments on the video expressed shock that she even made this kind of response and many called her out for not directly apologizing. “This is so insulting to the victims,” wrote one person. Another commenter wrote, “She only feels sorry for herself….Not an ounce of accountability in this ‘apology’ video.”‘ A few comments were sympathetic to Ballinger’s situation: “I kind of love this honestly. I think the dog piling has gotten out of control…”
'I’d really like if you went through point by point and took accountability for where you were wrong, and clarify where you feel that the truth isn’t.'
One commenter expressed that she had been a fan for six years and then stated, “I’d really like if you went through point by point and took accountability for where you were wrong, and clarify where you feel that the truth isn’t.”
While the idea of using a 10-minute, passive-aggressive ukulele tune to address allegations of grooming a child seems condescending and remorseless, the now-infamous “apology video” approach is not unique to Ballinger.
Because people’s online actions, going back for years, can be archived in the digital realm, fans have the capacity to uncover embarrassing or offensive moments from a celebrity’s recorded past. As our standards of political correctness continue to rise, statements and actions that may have not been as problematic in the past become flagged as offensive by today’s standards. Public figures often decide to address these controversial moments in one of the ways they commonly communicate to their audience—through a vlog (short for video blog).
Because people’s online actions can be archived in the digital realm, fans have the capacity to uncover offensive moments from a celebrity’s recorded past.
But this approach often seems to make things worse. Examples include the beauty guru James Charles, who was repeatedly accused of having inappropriate text conversations with underage boys. He has released multiple apology videos but was criticized because he repeatedly minimized his mistakes. The dancer Sienna Mae released an apology video with interpretive dance after allegations of sexual harassment, which many viewers also also deemed superficial in their comments and on social media platforms.
(There have also been a few apology videos that garnered positive reactions, most notably that of the comic Jenna Marbles, in which she grappled with her history of offensive jokes and announced her decision to discontinue her YouTube career.)
Though the phenomenon usually involves internet stars and influencers, other A-list celebrities emulate this model in their own public apologies. Notable examples include Will Smith, who posted “It’s been a minute...” as a public statement after slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, and Demi Lovato, who filmed herself on Instagram to apologize for blasting a frozen yogurt store on social media. These and most other apology videos have only made things worse.
For Gen Z kids like us, our adolescent engagement with the internet involved repeatedly witnessing the cycle of scandal
For Gen Z kids like us, our adolescent engagement with the internet involved repeatedly witnessing the cycle of scandal: 1) accusation, 2) apology video, 3) public ridicule for the video’s blatant insincerity. This trifecta has led to a disillusioned sense that scandal is inevitable. And it begets a tendency to view the apology for the scandal as just one more entertaining (though sad) performance.
Ms. Ballinger is currently being ridiculed on Twitter, and it seems doubtful that she will recover her identity as a child-friendly celebrity who, as she claims in her YouTube profile, simply enjoys “singing, laughing, my family, and sharing it all on youtube.” For young people who grew up with influencers as entertainment, it feels as if there’s always another scandal and disappointing “apology video” right around the corner.
We as audiences might not have the power to shape the actions of those we admire. But we do have the capacity to demand more from their attempts to address their shortcomings publicly. While genuine heartfelt and direct apologies do not completely fix mistakes or salve wounds, they are an important step in accountability and change.
We as audiences might not have the power to shape the actions of those we admire.
A good apology would include acknowledging an accusation, owning up to the harm caused, vowing to do better and taking concrete action to fulfill that promise. This is a far cry from what we often see with public figures currently.
Catholic bishops and other leaders in the church could learn from this as well. The church is often under fire for wrongdoings, from sexual abuse to the historical mistreatment of various racial and ethnic groups. Our pastors should address these sins and mistakes with prayerful care, consideration and sincerity.
The children who laughed along to “Miranda Sings,” the fans who adulate any number of performers, as well as Christians under the care of leaders who have let them down, deserve to have their disappointment in these people recognized and respected. Their anger and hurt should be given their due.
Public figures are not going to stop making mistakes anytime soon. In order to not become disillusioned with public apologies, as Gen Z has done with YouTuber apology videos, we need genuine expressions of contrition from those we look up to. Meaningful apologies are possible. They are also necessary for the people hurt by public figures to begin to heal.
