The somehow uncancellable queen of the internet has spoken. OG YouTuber and problematic creator Trisha Paytas released a video on 3 July 2023 titled simply ‘Colleen’. During the 22-minute video—which, yes, was slightly hard to watch due to the fact that the influencer was sitting on a chair rather than on her kitchen floor—Paytas explained how she felt embarrassed for Ballinger, betrayed and hurt after finding out that the mother-of-three had shared explicit photos of Paytas with underage fans.

While it isn’t uncommon for Paytas to wade into the drama-filled waters, the creator has definitely taken a step back from online controversies in recent years—particularly after the birth of her daughter Malibu. However, with everything that’s happened recently, it’s no surprise that Paytas has dove back into the storm.

Paytas and Ballinger had recently struck up a pretty intimate online friendship, even launching a podcast together—the first video of which has now been deleted. And although Paytas is in no way shape or form an innocent individual, she’s also done some incredibly wrong and inexcusable things online, that doesn’t justify Ballinger’s actions.

For anyone who might be unfamiliar with the recent drama surrounding Ballinger—or as she’s also known online, children’s character Miranda Sings—several allegations have surfaced over the past few months regarding the creator’s inappropriate relations with underage fans, as well as accusations of racism.

One specific individual, Adam McIntyre, has released multiple videos and statements claiming that Ballinger groomed him when he was just 13 years old—starting up an intimate friendship with him that made him feel extremely uncomfortable. In response, Ballinger released a seriously cringe-worthy and ultimately useless video wherein she played the ukelele for 10 minutes and took absolutely zero responsibility for her actions. 

As Paytas notes in her video: “This is beyond drama, and putting my own feelings aside, I have had a sick to my stomach feeling for a while now. [However] Everyone knows I have a very very very firm stance on talking to anyone underage. I’ve always been very firm with this that I think it’s inappropriate.”

There’s been online proof that has been distributed on Twitter and irrevocably shows that Ballinger not only sent explicit photos of Paytas to a number of different fans, but also openly mocked the images. You wanna explain the video below, Colleen?

the audacity of colleen ballinger saying this after what she did to trisha paytas.. it makes sm sense why she was always so paranoid in her vlogs about being cancelled. she knew people had shit on her😭😭 pic.twitter.com/t2cUS7JA5s

— aaron (@89srem) July 3, 2023

Paytas stated: “I am a full-time sex worker. We already have a lot of stigma and misconceptions against us as sex workers and so I need to nip this in the bud that I do not condone sending unsolicited nudes to anybody. Using someone’s nudes as a way to hurt them or make fun of them is the lowest form of human.”

Alongside these controversies, further reports have also come out that detail how Ballinger was allegedly incredibly racist and offensive on the set of her now-cancelled Netflix show Haters Back Off!. In a recent open letter, former showrunner and writer’s PA April Korto Quioh asserted that Ballinger’s lack of boundaries was “remarkable” and that the performer said that the use of POC actors in the background of shots was “distracting.”

While only some of these allegations have been verified and confirmed, it’s undeniable that Ballinger will not have seen the last of these accusations. And with them being as serious as they are, it’s crucial they’re investigated thoroughly.