Colleen Ballinger is back after a five-month hiatus following one of the biggest online ‘cancellations’.
The creator, who faced intense public scrutiny earlier this year after it was revealed that she had fostered several inappropriate relationships with young fans over the course of her career, returned to her vlog channel on November 18th with a new video titled ‘fall vlog‘.
Before getting into the video, Colleen sits down to address the allegations, including her highly-criticised apology video from June, in which she strummed a ukulele and sang a song called ‘Toxic Gossip Train‘ about the accusations leveled against her.
“Obviously the last video that I posted on here… it’s really embarrassing, to say the least,” Colleen says in her new video. “I was being accused of some pretty awful things and I just was mad and I should’ve handled that situation with maturity and empathy, but instead I just let my ego take over and I’m really disappointed in myself.”
Colleen admits that over the past “15 years” of her career, there have been times when she was “immature and inappropriate” with her comedy.
“I did not put enough thought into my fan interactions and because of that behaviour, people got hurt. And I am so sorry,” she says.
She finishes her short statement by saying she plans to put positive content out into the world and understands if her audience can’t forgive her.
“I am not a perfect person and there are plenty of things in my past that I wish I could go back and redo,” she continues. “I don’t have control over any of that and I don’t have control over the things that people say about me. I only have control over my actions moving forward. So I’m going to do everything that I can to make sure that I create a positive, kind, inclusive, safe space online with my content.”
Over the past five months, Colleen has faced allegations of manipulation, grooming, and racism. She was also accused of sending Trisha Paytas’ OnlyFans content to minors, as a way to mock her former friend and strengthen her relationship with fans.
The fallout from these ongoing allegations was intense and even led to statements from Colleen’s former colleagues and collaborators, as well as her ex-husband, Joshua David Evans.
Her initial apology video, ‘Toxic Gossip Train,’ was not well received, as viewers felt her song made a mockery of the allegations while she avoided taking accountability for her past actions.
With this new apology, it seems Colleen is ready to put this year behind her and move forward with her YouTube career.