LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: JoJo Siwa has broken her silence over the Colleen Ballinger 'grooming' scandal. The YouTuber had befriended the child star when she was 12 years old.
The question of whether Siwa, 20, is still friends with Ballinger, 36, came up during Siwa's appearance on Howie Mandel's podcast, 'Howie Does Stuff'.
Siwa noted, "Yeah, I've known Colleen since I was 12. She's always been nothing but kind to me; her family [has been] nothing but kind to me."
Why was Colleen Ballinger accused of grooming?
Ballinger, who rose to fame on YouTube with her eccentric but lovable persona Miranda Sings, was accused by former fan Adam McIntyre of abusing his trust and blind admiration when he was a child.
McIntyre, now 20, claimed in the video that his friendship with Ballinger, 36, began when he was 13, and that the YouTuber had put him, and other underage fans, in a number of uncomfortable situations.
McIntyre alleged that, as a teenager, Colleen asked him sexual questions in a group chat with other fans. He also accused the YouTuber of sending him a pair of her bra and panties when he was just 13 years old — which she confirmed in 2020 in a video titled 'Addressing everything', during which she called her actions "completely stupid."
When did Jojo Siwa befriend Colleen Ballinger?
For those who are unaware, Siwa started her career when she was just 9 years old. Siwa experimented with social media and made friends with other YouTubers, including Ballinger.
An old collaborative video that recently reappeared online drew attention to their work and sparked debate over whether the bond between adult Ballinger and young Siwa was "appropriate."
JoJo Siwa defends Colleen Ballinger's character Miranda Sings
Siwa told Mandel that Ballinger had been a friend of hers since she was 12 years old. Siwa asserted of Ballinger, "She has always been nothing but kind to me. Her family nothing but kind to me," as per The US Sun.
The dancer claimed that it was the first time she had publicly spoken about the accusations against Ballinger and that she wanted to be careful with the words she chose.
Siwa continued: "This is the first time I've spoken about this, so I just want to make sure I say my exact piece that I want to say. The Internet can take a lie and run so far with it, so far it's to the point where you just can't do anything about it."
"I've had that happen to me, and I know Colleen very, very, very well, and I think that the work Colleen has done for the Internet is incredible. I think her creativity is incredible," Siwa added.
Siwa also defended Miranda Sings, a character played by Ballinger who has come under fire for uttering an array of remarks that viewers later judged offensive.
"Miranda Sings is a character, is a comedian. And I think that it's very hard to be a character where people are also looking at you as you're a real human behind that character," Siwa said.
"And I think being a comedian is very hard because you were able to do things years ago that were okay. And now that we've grown and we've matured, we've realized that they're not okay," she further added.
After learning about the accusations, Madel questioned Siwa about her decision to stay friends with Ballinger, which Siwa responded was "a sensitive subject."
"There have been a lot of people on the Internet who have gotten hit with this cancelation, and a lot of them I know. Some of them I don't know," she admitted.
Siwa went on to say, "And I look at it, and I see that this is a sensitive subject. Somebody who is affected by any sort of anything having to do with adults. And I mean, for real grooming, it's a very sensitive thing."
Siwa added, "The difference with Colleen and I...I became her friend. She became my friend, and she became somebody that I looked up to. She became somebody I idolized."
"She became somebody that I was like, 'Wow this person is a hard worker, she is a genius, she's a very strong YouTuber,' and I idolized that," Siwa recalled.
"Throughout our friendship, we've probably filmed 100 videos together, and she's cool. You know? I think the problem is the Internet was able to capitalize off of her cancelation, and they still are, and they still are continuing to, and it's not okay because a lot of it is based off of lies," she explained.
Victim Adam McIntyre speaks out
McIntyre responded to Siwa's remarks in a video titled, "Jojo Siwa Defends Colleen and Calls Me a Liar." McIntyre has been one of the key accusers to call out Ballinger for her claimed behavior.
McIntyre criticized Siwa for being "irresponsible" in defending Ballinger in front of a young audience. He responded to the podcast segment including Siwa and made remarks along the way, focusing on Siwa's assertion that the accusations against Ballinger were untrue.
Fans express their 'disappointment' over JoJo Siwa's comments
One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Super disappointed in JoJo Siwa, seeing her defend Colleen Ballinger after everything. I will never understand the narrative of “they were always nice/good to me”. I’m sorry yet again to @theadammcintyre & the victims for having to deal with another groomer apologist."
A second follower seethed, "Truly cannot believe jojo siwa would rather cape for groomer colleen ballinger than even pay lip service to the idea that she’s supportive of the victims. im. blown away."
A third one exclaimed, "Jojo siwa engaging with and defending people like colleen ballinger, shane dawson and james charles is too much already. she has a pattern of hanging out with groomers and she does content for children... now people need to keep an eye on her because YIKES"
Another follower noted, "The jojo siwa and Colleen Ballinger take is so sad bc she was in those inappropriate scenarios as a child herself but she doesn't show respect to the people that regret their engagement and can't see adults in her life that did her wrong."
Someone else noted, "Jojo Siwa is on Howie Mandel’s podcast ruining her whole career for Colleen Ballinger rn. lol what a trip."
"Jojo siwa is a victim who is on her way to becoming the abuser in my opinion, and it’s a terrible thought. Jojo was used and exploited as a little girl. She can’t see that being “friends” with Colleen Ballinger was a big problem. Jojo needs help and support," noted someone else.
