Colleen Ballinger Tour Canceled Following Child Grooming Allegations

Colleen Ballinger’s upcoming tour dates have been canceled following accusations of grooming and inappropriate parasocial relationships with underage fans.

The tour, which had already been underway before the allegations surfaced, was scheduled to resume on Thursday (July 13) in Boise, Idaho. However, while the tour dates are still listed on Ballinger’s website, when the link is clicked, the website states that the shows are canceled, as initially reported by The Independent.

Allegations surrounding Ballinger’s behavior with her fans first began in 2020, when YouTuber Adam McIntyre made a video claiming that the comedian had a personal friendship with him while he was just a teenager and she was in her 30s. He added that he would help with her social media and would be frequently put in uncomfortable situations, specifically noting that at one point, Ballinger sent him lingerie as a joke. At the time, Ballinger denied some of his allegations in a video.

The allegations resurfaced last month when another YouTuber, KodeeRants, who defended Ballinger against McIntyre in 2020, alleged that Ballinger privately shared screenshots of messages with McIntyre in a fan group chat. She also showed screenshots in her now-deleted video, in which Ballinger asked the group of fans their “favorite position,” among other inappropriate questions.

In response, Ballinger uploaded an unusual 10-minute video to YouTube, choosing to address the allegations through a ukulele song. “For what it’s worth, I never had any bad intentions but I do feel like s—,” the 36-year-old sang, proclaiming, “I’m not a groomer. I’m just a loser who didn’t understand I shouldn’t respond to fans.”

“Your goal is to ruin the life of the person you despise while you dramatize your lies and monetize their demise,” she sang, playing the ukulele and repeating a “toxic gossip train” chorus. “I’m sure you’re disappointed in my s–tty little song, I know you wanted me to say that I was 100 percent in the wrong.”

Rania Aniftos

Billboard