Colleen Ballinger Claims She Lost Broadway Role amid Grooming Accusations

Colleen Ballinger has been facing backlash, and multiple companies have ended ties with her since she was accused of grooming young viewers.

The YouTuber has since been sharing her “dark times” following the accusations. Now, the YouTuber has opened up about how she lost out on a Broadway audition last year over her grooming allegations.

On Thursday, January 11, 2024, Ballinger uploaded a new vlog on her YouTube channel titled ‘My Big Audition!’ In the new video, she went into the details of losing out on a big Broadway opportunity.

She mentioned that the auditions didn’t work out and was sad about it. She also said that she lost the Broadway opportunity right after she was accused of grooming, an accusation which she claimed was made up.

She stated, “It didn’t work out and I was really sad about that. I’m not going to get super into it but obviously, a lot happened last year, a lot was said last year. I lost that opportunity right after a story came out about me that was just completely made up and it is what it is.”

Colleen Ballinger talks about losing out on a Broadway opportunity in her new YouTube video (Photo: YouTube)

“We’re moving forward. I already got to do a Broadway show, and I’m so grateful for that. What a cool, wonderful, and beautiful experience that was for me,” Ballinger added. She said she was grateful for that opportunity as it was her ultimate dream to be on Broadway.

Her statement read, “I’m so grateful that I ever got to do it because my ultimate dream, if you know me at all since I was a little girl, was to be on Broadway.” She further reflected on the opportunity and admitted that she was “excited to see that dream come true again.”

But Ballinger then reconciled with the fact that the “dream has already come true.” As she continued, she said she finally understood why her viewers wanted an update, as she had conveyed so much of the audition process in her videos throughout 2023.

She stated, “I shared that audition process with you, so I understand why everyone is so curious to know what happened, but I’m not going to sit here and have a pity party about it. I definitely already had a pity party about that one, believe me, and now I’m just trying to look at everything with a different lens.”

Ballinger’s grooming accusations first surfaced in 2020 when Adam McIntyre, a former fan and YouTuber, spoke up against her. He accused her of grooming him and claimed that her behavior towards her fans wasn’t good.

However, nobody believed McIntyre then, and many of Ballinger’s fans defended her and accused McIntyre of lying. This led to the topic being faded and forgotten until McIntyre uploaded another video about Ballinger on June 4, 2023.

In the video, which was over an hour long, he opened up about his relationship with Ballinger and how he felt she was using him and other fans as per her needs. Likewise, in another video, he mentioned being a part of a group chat with Ballinger and other fans.

McIntyre claimed that when all of this was happening, Ballinger was already in her 30s, whereas most of the fans in the group chat were between 14 and 16. But the age didn’t stop Ballinger from commenting on their looks, encouraging bullying, and asking inappropriate questions.

“This woman groomed me,” McIntyre mentioned. Additionally, McIntyre showed multiple screenshots of his time in the group chats. Some of the pictures showed Ballinger asking very inappropriate questions.

As McIntyre went on, he claimed that Ballinger, also known as Miranda Sings, used love-bombing to make him feel special and praised and encouraged him to run her social media handles without pay. All this ultimately ended their friendship.

McIntyre later realized that Ballinger had been grooming him and decided to stand up and talk about his experience. Since he spoke against her, other fans in the group chat have also opened up about their experiences of being groomed or used by Ballinger.

In addition to Ballinger, fans have accused the YouTuber’s sister, Rachel, and her best friend, Kory DeSoto, of grooming. All three have received major backlash since the grooming scandal came to light, and many sponsors have ended their contracts.